Monday, August 4, 2014

The Southern Traveler


A Contemporary Interpretation of Arms, Accoutrements and Provisions of the Mid 18th Century Southern Frontier
 
Premier Showing • Contemporary Longrifle Association Annual Show, August 15 & 16, 2014
 
  Created by a group of artisans over a period of two years, The Southern Traveler is a collection of "artifacts" representing the personal possessions carried by a Southern frontiersman in the early to mid 18th century. The identity of this frontiersman has been lost to the ages - but perhaps part of his story may be told by the remarkable objects left behind when the traveler's journey had come to an end.
 
  In the traveler's time, the history of the deep South had included almost 200 years of European and Native American encounters. The players in this drama included Spanish, French and English explorers, along with numerous native tribes including the Creek, the Choctaw, the Cherokee and Chickasaw. Together these nations and cultures established a tremendous trade network, reaching for the Atlantic coast to west of the Mississippi, and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Eastern Woodlands.
 
   The pieces that comprise this unique collection reflect the rich cultural diversity of the early Southern Frontier. A few of the items are near reproductions based on existing original work; but many of the pieces in the collection would perhaps be best compared to "previously unknown" artifacts -new creations that draw equally from the wells of tradition and imagination.
 
CONTRIBUTING ARTISANS
 
Ian Pratt
Maryellen Pratt
Lally House
Joe Seabolt
Mike Agee
David Hughes
Rob Stone
Art Decamp
Ken Gahagan
Brian Barker
Dan Minard
Willie White
Mike Grau
Tom Conde
 
Photo Maryellen Pratt.
Copy by Paul Gosnell and Ian Pratt.   

5 comments:

  1. Outstanding array of items...wonderful post!

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  2. Wow, that photo just makes you want to see more.

    thanks for posting, heinz

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  3. Beautiful array of weapons, tools, accoutrements and clothing. I'd like to see more photos of everything, especially the rifle, hunting bag, and leggings.

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  4. The photo only shows a small portion of the collection - there are so many items that are so varied in size that there is no way to feature them all in a single picture.
    It was agreed upon that the first showing of the collection would be at the CLA show, but there will likely be more photos showing up here soon.
    Thanks! Ian

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  5. What about the shoes? Who made them?

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