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Cowan's Corner
Firearms’ Calendar Advertisements
A Unique Opportunity To Own Works
By Famous Artists
By Wes Cowan
In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, firearms and supply companies,
including Winchester, Remington, DuPont, and the Peters Cartridge Co.,
produced beautiful advertising campaigns, employing artists and illustrators
who constitute a roll call for who’s who of American illustrators and painters
of sporting art. These companies produced posters and print advertisements,
but the calendars they produced were an integral part of their campaigns,
with some companies producing them for nearly 50 years. Today, these turnof-
the century advertisements are considered works of art and are highly
collectible; the earlier calendars are generally the rarest and command the
highest prices.
During the late 19th Century, illustration work was crucial for burgeoning
American artists who had not made enough of a mark through exhibition or
private sale to pursue fine art as a career. Illustration opportunities via popular
magazines such as Harper’s Weekly or Collier’s Weekly, firearms and supply
companies, and other mediums of publication allowed artists to work with
their favorite western or sporting subject matter while generating sustainable
income. This meant a regular paycheck, exposure for the artist and his/
her work, and perhaps eventual recognition as an independent artist. This
successful arrangement provided a wonderful niche for beginning artists, and
it also provides a glimpse into many of the most widely recognized western
and sporting artists’ early work.
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company of New Haven, Conn., created
some of the earliest advertising campaigns that featured calendars, and
it produced them nearly every year from 1887 through 1934, with a few
exceptions. Winchester’s calendars are considered among the most highly
prized among collectors due to their quality and the caliber of the artists
Winchester commissioned. Frederick Remington (1861-1909), famous for
his paintings of the West and his Harper’s Weekly illustrations, was an early
contributor to the calendars, rendering illustrations for four calendars from
1891 to 1894. Over the years, Winchester also employed famed illustrator
N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945) and sporting artist and Harper’s Weekly illustrator
Arthur Budett Frost (1851-1928). Phillip R. Goodwin (1882-1935), a student
of Howard Pyle, provided art for several calendars. He produced a painting
called Horse and Rider that became Winchester’s trademark.
Collectors also
highly value
calendars made
by the Peters
Cartridge Co.
of Cincinnati,
Ohio, which was
a major supplier
of gun powder
and ammunition
for American
sportsmen. Peters’
advertising
calendars began
in 1897 and
were produced
until 1931. The
calendars featured
works by artists
such as Gustav
Muss-Arnolt
(1858-1927) and
Lynn Bogue Hunt
(1878-1960),
both prolific
American artists
who specialized in
sporting art.
The Remington Arms Company of Ilion, N.Y., and DuPont
Powder Company of Wilmington, Del., also produced striking
advertising. Advertisement calendars from these companies
make great additions to a new collection, as they feature art by
recognizable American artists but can still be won at auction
for reasonable prices. For example, DuPont used many animal
portraits by sporting artist Edmund Osthaus (1858-1928),
nationally renowned painter of sporting dogs. In 1911, DuPont
commissioned Howard Pyle, considered the father of American
illustration, to represent the DuPont Powder Wagon for that
year’s calendar. Artists often worked for several companies;
Phillip Goodwin, for instance, illustrated for Remington, the Marlin Firearms Company of New Haven, Conn., as well as
Winchester. N.C. Wyeth also produced works for both Remington
and Winchester.
For collectors of paintings, there are often original works
that coincide with the advertisements or calendars. These were
generally submitted to the company or publication for illustration.
They were often executed en grisaille, or in shades of black,
grey and white, for monochrome illustrations. The originals can
be easily traced to a calendar, advertisement or illustration, and
are therefore easily authenticated and dated. Around the turn-ofthe-
century, many calendars and illustrations were produced in
color, and the original works are in color as well.
Collecting firearms advertising, especially
calendars, is an interesting endeavor with plenty
of opportunities to find great pieces. There are
even trade shows that focus primarily on early
firearms advertisements.
Today, collectors pay large sums for
advertisements that were produced during the late
19th Century, but a collection can easily be started
for a reasonable amount of money. While such
advertisements are considered amongst collectors
to be a tier below an original work intended for
private sale, they are becoming more and more
collectible, and the market is growing. But most
importantly, they are still accessible, and there are
still many affordable collecting opportunities.
As one might expect, there are numerous
reproductions on the market, so collectors must
use caution. Improper metal bands on calendars
are a dead giveaway that a calendar is a latermade
reproduction.
 About the author: Wes Cowan is founder and owner of Cowan’s
Auctions, Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio. An
internationally recognized expert in historic
Americana, Wes stars in the PBS television
series History Detectives and is a featured
appraiser on Antiques Roadshow. He can
be reached via email at info@cowans.com.
Research by Joe Moran and Graydon Sikes.
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1908 Peters Cartridge Co. chromolithograph
calendar; sold for $5,462 in Cowan’s 2007
Firearms Auction.
1908 Peters Cartridge Co.
chromolithograph calendar; sold for $7,475
in Cowan’s Nov. 2007 Firearms Auction.
A 1911 Chromolithograph by Howard
Pyle of the DuPont Powder Wagon
sold for $1,257 in Cowan’s May 8, 2003
Historic Americana Auction.
1900 Peters Cartridge Co. chromolithograph
calendar, estimated to sell for $5,000-$7,000.
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