Highly Decorated Early American Patriotic Powder Horn with Federal Eagles, Circa 1815

It is not often that one finds fresh to the market early American powder horns, but this profusely decorated and dated 1815 nine-inch powder horn recently surfaced from a very old and fine New Hampshire collection of Americana. On Christmas Eve, 1814, America and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent, thus ending the thirty-two month long War of 1812. It was two months before word of the treaty made it back to the United States, and several post war battles were fought in early 1815. Following America's triumph in this nearly three year conflict, a wave of fervent patriotism spread across our fledgling nation, and the federal eagle became the great popular symbol of our country. As a result, eagles were inlaid into American furniture, painted on utilitarian stoneware, printed on English Staffordshire pottery made for the American market, and represented on our folk art of the time. Thus, the two wonderful sgraffito carved federal eagles that decorate this early 19th century powder horn showcase the nationalist pride of the American people at the close of the War of 1812.