A series of photographs from the Wild West of the 1870s that capture proud Frontier families, gun-wielding cowboys and bullet-ridden buildings have brought them to life.
Photograph slides with hand-coloured photos, made in the time period of Billy the Kid, and Jesse James show the real life of gunslingers and bandits, wearing Stetson Hats in South-West Texas.
These fascinating photos also feature one of the earliest images of Alamo. This is the location of 1836’s major battle that claimed James Bowie and Davy Crockett’s lives.
The photos were taken by the British photography house Valentine & Sons from Dundee, Scotland, established by James Valentine who died in 1879 and helped popularize picture postcards after he was given a royal warrant by Queen Victoria after she commissioned him to photograph Highland scenes.
They have been initialled J.V. They were then brought back to Britain in order to give lectures on the Wild West period, which was a time of lawlessness that occurred between 1865-1890 due the US Civil War’s end and expansion of the Western frontier.
The collection of 25 slides are tipped to sell for £1,500 with auctioneers David Lay & FRICS in Cornwall on December 9, and were consigned by a private dealer.
Mimi Connell Lay, specialist at David Lay said that although research suggests that this lecture was published 1885, it’s likely that these photos were taken in the early 1870s or early 1880s during America’s frontier period.
“The photographs are an interesting piece of social historical and there is an unending fascination with cowboys and the Wild West.”
Three men wearing Stetson cowboy hats and their rifles, pose in one of many fascinating photographs taken in the Wild West during the 1870s and 1880s. The images were taken during a period of American expansion of the Western frontier in search of fortune and opportunity which gave rise to lawlessness and banditry, popularized in Western films and TV
Pictured between 1877-1882, the iconic Alamo building. The building was used at that time as a mercantile warehouse, under Honore Grenet (who died aged 58 in 1882). This photo depicts bullet holes that still remain on the building. Alamo, a Spanish historic mission and fortress in San Antonio built in the 18th Century. After a thirteen-day siege, Mexican troops drove out of Mexican Texas and reclaimed the Alamo from the Texian forces. In revenge for the Mexicans, the Texians won the Battle of San Jacinto a few months later. They ended the rebellion to support the new sovereign Republic of Texas. The annexation by the US took place in 1846.
The James Valentine photography company captured Texas’s townsfolk in one of its series of images. This image depicts the fashion of that period. The women are wearing long, polka-dot dresses with bows while the men wear shirts, waistcoats, and hats. Valentine was also asked by Queen Victoria for photographs of Highland scenes during the 1860s. However, it is likely that a commission photographer captured images from the Wild West to be used in lectures.
One of the Wild West images that were captured at the El Capote Farm 45 miles north from San Antonio is up for sale. It was set up in 1806 by French immigrant Jose de la Baume who came to America with Marquis de Lafayette to fight in the Revolution. Later, he joined the Mexican Army to receive a title of 27,000 acres. It was purchased by Michael Erskine from Virginia in 1840. He raised cattle on the ranch. It was sold by his family in 1870s. A portion of the property was transferred to Edith Kermit Carow (second wife and First Lady) of President Theodore Roosevelt. It was eventually sold to Judge Leroy Gilbert of the Texas Supreme Court.
Outside a home made of straw, wood and stone are children. Children and women often worked at ranches in the early years. Some houses did not last because of the westward expansion during Frontier.
One man can be seen at his Wild West camp. While Settlers traveled west seeking fortune and opportunity in the Frontier period of the West, the photos show that life was difficult for some. Some were even forced to stay at home.
Houston City Hall as it looked in the Wild West before being destroyed by fire. This municipal building was originally built in Old Market Square, 1849. It burned in 1870. Then again, in 1901. It was then moved to downtown in 1929.
Valentine’s photographer captured a scene that evokes the Wild West. Horses and carts are seen along Texas’ dirt roads. The background features stores selling dry goods and groceries, as well as a barrack house. This image is one 25 that will be up for auction December 9.
These stunning photos show the San Jose Mission in Texas. It was founded in 1720, five miles south of San Antonio de Valero. It was initially built of brush, straw, and mud but it was later replaced with stone. The building became a refuge for soldiers and bandits after the end of official Catholic missions in 1824. It still stands today
In the Frontier photos, cowboys wearing Stetson caps are shown with their cattle. Texas ranchers raised large longhorn herds after the Civil War was over. The cattle, once they had been tamed and were ready for slaughter were sent to new cities like Chicago or St Louis after being driven to railroadheads. Native American tribesmen and rustlers would try to take their cattle, so cowboys had to defend them.
A lot of cowboys who lived in the Wild West had been Civil War veterans. Mexican buckaroos or vaqueros are the origin of American culture. They were responsible for two annual rounds in spring and fall and took cattle to the market. Cowboys have a bad reputation because they are known to gamble, prostitution and drink during the off-season.
In Texas, a log fence protects settlers’ cottages during the 19th-century. After the disappearance of the frontier line due to population growth, historians consider that the Frontier period ended in 1890.
These photos show the amazing architecture from the period. Urbanisation saw the emergence of transportation hubs as well as communication centers towards the latter part of the 19th Century. The construction of railroads brought about urban centers, which didn’t appear until Texas in the 1880s.
One cowboy takes a photo on his horse. Mimi Connell, a specialist auctioneer, said that the Frontier settlers were brave enough to move west in search for a better lifestyle.
A cowboy’s uniform consisted of chaps, from the Spanish chaparreras, as well as boots, a cowboy hat, gloves, collarless shirt and a rope. They were made to provide protection and long-lasting durability. Stetson made cowboy hats that quickly became synonymous for the Wild West.
In Texas, a sprawling cornfield is shown in late 19th-century Texas. In Texas, in the late 19th century, a sprawling field of corn is pictured. Corn husking was a part of Wild West community life as well as barn raisings or churchgoing.
One of the amazing images from the Texas series shows a man driving his horse-and-cart through Texas woods in one the most fascinating photographs up for auction.
These hand-tinted photos offer insight into life during the Frontier Period, including the bridge that crosses a Texas water body. The collection of 25 slides are tipped to sell for £1,500 with auctioneers David Lay, of Penzance, Cornwall