Chris Crosby’s fine contribution to
this year’s CLF auction represents, he explains, “a piece that would have been
carried by a man of middling means, to service his smooth rifle or fowler.” The
body of the bag is made from vegetable tanned calfskin and the bindings on the
flap and at the throat of the bellows panel are bark tanned sheepskin. The
bag’s rich coloring was achieved with the artist’s own resourceful mix of crushed
willow and oak charcoal, bear oil, clay, water-based dye, pine tar, and
beeswax. “I try to achieve colors that are historically accurate,” says
Crosby, “with a nice warm, aged patina.”
The bag’s
hair-on the flap is calfskin, and the flap lining is a reproduction coverlet
remnant, which Crosby explains is intended to represent a “remnant bed covering
that would have been hand loomed here in the colonies, and repurposed
after many years of good service.” The bag’s strap is robust vegetable tanned
cowhide and carries a simple hand tooled motif. The brass half D buckle, Crosby
says, “was in common use mid to late 18th century and could
easily have been repurposed from prior military service.”
“The
CLA,” says the artist, “is a dream come true for me. All my life I have had
a passionate interest in the history, the material cultural of the day-to-day
lives of our ancestors, and the preservation of the heritage of this great
country. The CLA for me is a great way to contribute to the preservation
of the culture and history of the greatest nation on earth.”
For more information on the work of Chris Crosby, contact
the artist directly at:
ccrosby1969@live.com
Copy and photos supplied by the CLF.
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