Jame Butler Hickok Howie

[user 48679]

Here's a pic of Wild Bill Hickok that shows his belt knife

 

[Cruzatte]

One of JB Hickok's biographers Joseph Rosa suspected that the knife, belt, and coat may have been photographer's props. He points out citing several eye witness accounts that Hickok usually dressed quite fashionably in a Prince Albert coat, and carried his twin Colt Navies tucked in a sash.

 

[Whitworth]

That unsheathed toothpick might cause some blood loss.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

That unsheathed toothpick might cause some blood loss.

NO DOUBT, if the man was striding with a purpose and swinging his hands as he walked, he'd lop-off his left thumb!

Gotta be staged..., but they did that back then.

Though it DOES show you a large butcher knife that was available back in those days, if anybody wanted to carry a knife that large, there's a good image of one.

LD

 

[smoothshooter]

One of JB Hickok's biographers Joseph Rosa suspected that the knife, belt, and coat may have been photographer's props. He points out citing several eye witness accounts that Hickok usually dressed quite fashionably in a Prince Albert coat, and carried his twin Colt Navies tucked in a sash.

Hickok surely dressed for the occasion whenever he could. If he was involved in outdoor activities, formal attire would not have been practical, and vice-versa.
I have long believed that the majority of visible guns in non-law enforcement related old photographs were props.
Particularly those taken of cowboys, and young men headed to the gold fields aspiring to become miners

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Many of those photos were staged studio ones with props, this looks like one of them.

 

[smoothshooter]

Hickok surely dressed for the occasion whenever he could. If he was involved in outdoor activities, formal attire would not have been practical, and vice-versa.
I have long believed that the majority of visible guns in non-law enforcement related old photographs were props.
Particularly those taken of cowboys, and young men headed to the gold fields aspiring to become miners

Agree 100%.
Most of those guys went west because they were broke.
Not because they already had money to afford nice firearms.
Lots of them spent several years working in the mines and gold fields and were still broke.
Not to say none prospered. History tells us many did, if they weren’t killed or maimed by accidents, or ruined by illness.
It is surprising how many people ( particularly new immigrants )
travelled to and/or lived on the American frontier as it was pushed back over the centuries without owning a firearm of any kind because they were either unfamiliar with firearms, or couldn’t afford one.
A situation a lot of them came to regret.

 

[rshveyda]

Semi-retired photojournalist here, and it's obvious to me that many of the guns and other weapons in "old west" photos were indeed props given to the subjects. Too often the subject holds the gun somewhat awkwardly, looking exactly as if it had just been thrust into their hands and they posing for a gun advertisement more so than a portrait. If it had actually been the cowboy's own gun that they regularly carried, I can only assume it would be worn more practically and handled with more confidence and familiarity.

The Hickok photo posted above is a perfect example of this. I can't really believe old Bill would really wear such a knife, and absolutely not in such an impractical manner. At least not for any longer than it took to have his portrait taken.

Then again, having your photo taken wasn't a daily occurrence like it is today, so who can blame the photographer for trying to make them look extra cool when they did?

 

[user 36911]

The photographer was an idiot for thinking that looks good.

 

[Zonie]

The photographer was an idiot for thinking that looks good.

I agree.
No one who has ventured out into the wild would walk around with what is basically a un-sheathed butcher knife stuck in his belt.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

I don’t think Wild Bill would be as legendary if he died tripping and falling on that knife.

 

[appalichian hunter]

That there knife is a walk around knife, stick in the belly button walk around and push in half.

 

[user 36911]

We can't just blame the photographer. Bill agreed to take the picture. So, what does that say about him?

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Maybe drunk...

 

[Whitworth]

Maybe drunk...

More likely for the money.

 

[Cruzatte]

We can't just blame the photographer. Bill agreed to take the picture. So, what does that say about him?

Publicity shot. He was a star in his own lifetime. Even appeared on stage with Buffalo Bill Cody.

 

[Bighorserider]

Funny that he seems to have his ivory handled pistols though.

 

[Whitworth]

Funny that he seems to have his ivory handled pistols though.

Maybe the knife was rubber.

 

[Cruzatte]

Funny that he seems to have his ivory handled pistols though.

Those were actually his pistols, presented to him in (I believe) in1869 by a group of railroad tycoons who wanted to go buffalo hunting. The details are told by Joseph Rosa, his best biographer. See They Called Him Wild Bill by Joseph G. Rosa