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19TH
CENTURY AMERICAN SADDLER MADE “SPANISH SADDLE” OF THE
TYPE USED ca. CIVIL WAR AND ON THE EARLY WESTERN
FRONTIER – HIGH GRADE EXAMPLE IN VERY GOOD CONDITION:
This 19TH Century “Spanish Saddle” has
survived in very nice condition, and is a striking
example of the saddle maker’s art. This was an enduring
style, having emerged in the lower Missouri River region
during the 1840’s in the saddle shops of St. Louis, St.
Joseph, and Independence, Missouri – the trail heads and
supply depots of the early western exploration and
expansion. The style spread in popularity down the
Mississippi and up the western trade routes and was
dubbed the “Spanish Saddle” by those Missouri makers in
recognition of many of the features which had been
adopted from saddles that originated from California,
the Santa Fe trade route, and the interior of Mexico.
These “Hybrid” saddles incorporated the horn and general
style of the Mexican influenced saddles, coupled with
the quilted seats and hair stuffed pads of the saddles
in use along the Eastern seaboard.
Popular with the early
frontiersmen, expansion era settlers and more than a few
army officers, these saddles retained this unique
pattern through the years, seeing considerable use
during both the Mexican War and the Civil War, and
continuing to be offered with little change well into
the last half of the 19th Century, being
offered in the DeCamp Levoy, & Co. 1876 catalog and the
McConnell 1893 catalog.
An oral history
accompanied this saddle when first acquired from the
original family, which identified this saddle as one
owned by a Southern ancestor who had ridden the saddle
during the Civil War. The family legend related that
the ancestor carried messages and information secreted
in the stuffed under pads of the saddle. Unfortunately,
no other information such as the identity of the family,
the ancestor, or his Civil War record of service has
survived with the saddle.
As a point of fact,
saddles of this style were indeed used by soldiers, and
in the case of saddles decorated to the degree seen on
this specimen, by officers of some financial means,
during the Civil War on both sides of the conflict. The
saddles were particularly evident among those soldiers
and officers who had served in the West, originated in
the Trans-Mississippi region, or joined the war from
Texas.
This saddle features a
fully covered black leather seat quilted in the
acanthus leaf pattern which has been noted on many
officer saddles popular in the antebellum era and during
the Civil War.
The seat is in excellent condition with no tears and no
open seams. Surviving examples of saddles showing this
degree of stitched decoration are fairly rare –
particularly in this excellent condition. The very
nature of decorative stitching created lines of closely
spaced perforations which weakened the leather, and as
the leather aged and was subjected to hard use, these
lines of stitching facilitated the deterioration and
tearing of the seats, and eventually the saddles either
required recovering – most likely with a much plainer
seat - or they were discarded. Finding a saddle with a
seat decorated in this manner which has survived in such
remarkable condition is quite notable, and equally
unusual.
Across the rear crest of
the seat is a padded cantle roll covered in black
enameled leather. Accenting the roll is a narrow roll
of red enameled leather set into the top seam of the
cantle, and another strip of scalloped edged red
enameled leather is set into the seam between the
quilted seat and the cantle roll. These embellishments
all added to the cost of the saddle, and they suggest
the original owner was a man of some means. The use of
red leather may also suggest the owner was in a military
organization. While the color red is readily associated
with the artillery, in the mid-19Th Century,
the use of red leather and red leather trim on horse
equipment and furniture seems to have been popular with
senior officers regardless of their branch of service,
as seen in Gen. J. L. Donaldson’s red leather saddle in
the Ft. Sill Museum collection (pages 9-10,
The American Military Saddle, 1776-1945). The use
of red leather trim has also been noted on 19TH
Century bridles, martingales, breast straps, saddlebags,
saddle cloths, and pommel holsters.
In addition to the high quality quilted and decorated
seat, and in eye catching contrast to the seat’s black
leather, the brown leather pommel panels, side jockeys,
cantle shelf coverings, and skirts are decorated with an
attractive pattern of tooling and stamping, all of which
is still bold with clear distinct edges, and the leather
surfaces retain a bright shiny finish. The rear edge of
both skirts has suffered some wear and loss of leather –
almost to an identical degree on both skirts as if
something heavy was carried across the back of the
saddle and hung down to the same level on both sides.
The only explanation that makes sense is that the man
who rode this saddle regularly carried the same set of
fairly large and heavy saddlebags, and that over a
considerable amount of time, and miles, the forward edge
of the bags chaffed against the rear edge of the
skirts. This sort of constant wear suggests the man was
traveling away from his home for extended periods where
saddlebags would be necessary to carry his personal
effects and supplies. Such use of the saddlebags and
the obvious weight they carried is consistent with a
soldier, frontiersman, or explorer.
The saddle is decorated
with conchos bearing a filigreed pattern and are
finished with what was once a bright silver plating, now
tarnished and showing some wear. The one concho on the
pommel holds an equipment ring, likely for a reatta.
There are also two equipment rings – on the rear
extension of the cantle, another feature that suggests
this saddle was used by someone requiring anchor points
for accessories necessary to sustain life away from
home.
Under the tooled skirts are integral quilted pads,
constructed like a pillow with a single ply of light
weight russet leather backed with light weight cotton
canvas. Each pad is stuffed with animal hair and then
quilted with large basting stitches to keep the stuffing
evenly in place. This style of quilted pad dates from
at least the early 19TH Century, and it
continued well into the Civil War years – especially on
officers’ private purchase saddles. The use of this
cloth covering on the underside of the saddle is a
characteristic consistent in saddles associated with the
Confederacy due to the shortage of leather during the
war, and a very similar padding arrangement can be seen
on the Confederate General Officer’s Saddle pictured on
page 71 of The American Military Saddle, 1776-1945.
The pads both show evidence of use and wear, but they
still retain their form and padding. Most notably on
the off-side pad there are limited sections of leather
that were worn away and these missing sections have been
replaced with matching leather in order to restore the
integrity of the pad. This restoration is not visible
when the saddle is on display and in no way detracts
from the saddle.
Original stirrup straps, fitted with iron roller
buckles, are present and from them depend iron stirrups
which are of a pattern in use from the early 19TH
Century, and are very appropriate for this saddle.
The original girth is present and was attached to the
saddle at the time it was acquired. The girth body is
fashioned from a narrow strap of natural colored corded
cotton webbing which is fitted with iron roller buckles
on each end that are attached with leather chapes.
Girths made of this corded
cotton webbing are known to have been used during the
Civil War, particularly by the Confederacy, and it is
very likely this material was in use prior to, and well
after, the war as well. This girth is certainly
consistent with the saddle’s period of use.
Overall, this “Spanish” Saddle is one of the most
attractive specimens I have ever seen available on the
market. As noted above, if subjected to extended use
and poor storage, these saddles simply did not survive
in this high condition. This saddle presents very well
and would be a dramatic addition to any collection.
SOLD
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