Relics of the American West: 1850-1920
Lot 2220:
Description
This fascinating historical archive centers on the career of “Lone Star Harry” (b. ca. 1855), a late 19th-century cowboy, U.S. Army scout under General George Crook, and premier Wild West trick-pistol shot who famously performed at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The collection features an 1880s tintype portrait of Harry with his lasso, housed in an ornate, Victorian-style gilded brass frame. It is accompanied by an unused “Gargling Oil Liniment” advertising envelope featuring Harry’s promotional text on the reverse, a striking red-and-cream promotional paper banner, and a rare 1894 broadside for the Globe Museum at 208 Bowery, New York, listing Harry alongside other period curiosities. This lot beautifully illustrates the showmanship of a man who once drove 3,500 head of cattle up the Nebraska Trail and later authored a rare 1894 promotional pamphlet advising gunfighters to “always stand sideways” to protect the heart. The items show age-appropriate wear, including fading, toning, and edge wear to the paper ephemera; notably, the Globe Museum poster is split completely in two pieces and requires professional conservation to reattach, though it remains a highly salvageable and beautifully graphic piece of early American entertainment history. Tintype Frame: H 5.25″, W 3.75″, D 0.25″, Envelope: H 3.5″, W 6.25″, Banner: H 3.75″, W 18″, Poster: H 21″, W 7″. Please see photos for condition.
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