Powder Horn

Collections

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Date1766

Mediumcow horn and pigment

Dimensions6 1/2 x 14 x 5 in. (16.5 x 35.6 x 12.7 cm.)

Descriptioncow powder horn with ink inscription

InscribedInscribed with ink on horn: Obediah Hall his horn made at Concord May the 12th 1766. Steal not this hornfor fear of shame for on it is the onears [sic]

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gail-Oxford Collection

Status

Not on view

Label TextPowder horns were of critical importance to soldiers in the mid-18th century because, prior to the development of wooden cartridge boxes in the late 1770s, they provided a safe, dry space in which to store the gun powder used in their rifles. Made, most often from cow horn, they were often inscribed with their owner’s name, the date, and highly inventive decorative designs. Several 18th-century artisans specialized in decorative designs for power horns. This horn was, however, inscribed by its maker. The inscription reads: Obediah Hall his horn made at Concord May the 12th 1766.

Object number2017.5.76