TRICK SHOT ARTIST IRA PAINE EXQUISITE GOLD ENGRAVED STEVENS LORD SINGLE SHOT TARGET PISTOL, 3-BARREL SET & LARGE FAMILY ARCHIVE

TRICK SHOT ARTIST IRA PAINE EXQUISITE GOLD ENGRAVED STEVENS LORD SINGLE SHOT TARGET PISTOL, 3-BARREL SET & LARGE FAMILY ARCHIVE

01-24587
Cal. 22 & 32RF
S# 19

Standard configuration of the Stevens-Lord model 36 single shot target pistol, 12″ octagonal to round barrel, adjustable rear sight, profusely scroll & leaf engraved over virtually all available surfaces. There are three other fancy engraved examples of this pistol, S# 29 & S#32 both of which were custom ordered by Buffalo Bill; S# 37 was a gift by Frank Butler to Annie Oakley which is now part of the Gene Autry museum collection. None of these three were engraved to the same extent but all have the same remarkable finely checkered mother of pearl grips. Engraving on the Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley guns are no question done in the same hand and are both attributed to L.D. Nimschke by their museum collections. This pistol is accompanied by two matching additional barrels, both with fixed sights. The 11″ 32 caliber barrel Is engraved en suite, but not serial numbered.

The additional 12″ blue finished barrel is also numbered “19”. Both additional barrels have one line Stephen’s address and patent on the left flat of octagonal breech. The archive has 7″ x 9″ albumen photograph of Paine posed with this exact pistol in shooting stance with his Winchester, Parker shotgun, and Colt SAA resting on table. 20″ x 24″ color poster has vignettes of each of these four guns in each corner. There are about 30 letters and envelopes that Ira Paine wrote home from his world tour 1882-1883, with postmarks from Spain, France, England, Poland, Germany, Canada and more. There are two large 29″ x 19″ advertising posters for matches in Warsaw, 1883. There are over 50 3″ x 4″ calling cards with small hand painted hearts. These cards were used as targets, many of which have been shot. 2 scrapbooks also accompany this lot filled with newspaper clippings & letters from 1879 through the mid 1880s, most concerning his notoriety on his European Tour. There is also a roll of about 20 14″ x 14″ paper bullseye targets, Illustrated 1887 pamphlet “CHEVALIER IRA PAINE, MASTER SHOT OF THE WORLD, A SKETCH OF HIS WONDERFUL CAREER WITH DIRECTIONS HOW TO BECOME A MARKSMAN”. Ira Albert Paine (1837-1889) world famous rifle, shotgun, and pistol shooter. He mesmerized kings and royalty on his European tour in the early 1880s. He shot American made pistols in demonstrations against English pistols, winning endorsements from many American arms manufacturers, including Colt, Winchester, Parker, Stevens, and Smith & Wesson. Paine died in 1889 at the peak of his success and fame.

PROVENANCE: Martin Lane Historic & Western Americana Lifetime Collection.

STATUS: ANTIQUE