Subject: Firearms

This archival item consists of a billhead and an envelope from Lyon Brothers, successors to H. Wolf, located at 214, 216, and 246-252 East Madison Street in Chicago, Illinois. The billhead, dated February 1, 1897, details an invoice for a revolver with a wolf picture. A price list included with the billhead shows various revolvers of different sizes and makers. The envelope, postmarked March 30, 1897, is addressed to David T. Lyon and Mark Lyon in Chicago. The business was established in 1872.

Billhead from B. J. Jacob, dealer in breech and muzzle-loading guns, located at the corner of Alabama and Washington Streets in Selma, Alabama. Dated August 11, 1870.

A circa 1855 Colt pistol in its original box with accoutrements. This pistol has a complex provenance, passing through the hands of Thomas L. Rhodes (superintendent of Monticello), Frederick Rhodes, Joseph and Ruth Greenberger, and Bess-Mae Jones before entering the Deanne & Arnold Kaplan Foundation collection. Its history is intertwined with the Levy family's ownership of Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson.

One-page letter written by Horace E. Baldwin in New York City to Charles Tobias in New Orleans on March 31, 1851. The letter primarily concerns business accounts and includes a note about "balls for pistols."

A commercial letter addressed to Max Meyer & Co., a cigar manufacturer and retailer of firearms, ammunition, and other goods, located at 171 Farnham Street, corner of 11th Street, Omaha, Nebraska. The letter is dated December 8, 1873.

One-page letter written by Wickliffe E. Baldwin in Newark, New Jersey, to Charles Tobias in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 8, 1853. The letter discusses questions regarding an invoice for guns and the estate of H.E.B.

Printed report (#303) by Mordecai Myers, Chairman of the Committee on Militia and Public Defense, regarding the acceptance of Ellis's repeating rifles in lieu of the state's arms quota. Issued in Albany, New York on April 23, 1832.

This is a second edition of a report on a military commission's study of European artillery and small arms development in 1855-1856. Ordered by Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War, the report, resulting from two years of extensive field research, significantly influenced American weapons design and manufacture during the Civil War. The report details the commission's observations, analysis, and recommendations for improving American military technology.

A legal document dated February 18, 1864, pertaining to a requisition for rifles and cartridges. The requisition was revoked by Cohen, acting under the command of Harrison. The document includes references to Octavus L. Cohen of Savannah, Georgia, and is accompanied by its original gray unmarked envelope. The document relates to events in Florida during the American Civil War.

A .36 caliber Savage Percussion Navy Revolver with a 7.125" barrel and serial number 1380. The revolver features a blued and color case-hardened finish, walnut grips, and side plate numbered 1380. Assembly number 613 is present on the frame, under the barrel, and inside both grips. The cylinder has assembly number 589. Standard three-line address and patent markings are on the top strap. The revolver shows sub-inspection markings. Approximately 20,000 of these revolvers were produced in the early 1860s, with 11,984 acquired by the U.S. government for the Civil War. This specific revolver is a Savage & North model 1861 Navy ball and cap proto-double action revolver. Designed by Henry North and Edward Savage in 1860, production ran from 1861 to 1862 by the Savage Revolving Firearm Company, which produced only 23,000 pistols before closing. It features a rare proto-double action system with a second trigger that cocks the hammer. The revolver has a 7" octagonal barrel, a six-shot cylinder, double trigger system, walnut grips, and an attached loading lever. It saw limited use by Union and Confederate regiments.

A circa 1885 trade card depicting a baby with a beetle and a rifle. The address 254 N. Second Street is printed on the card. The card is described as comical in nature. The card is part of Manuscript Collection 1410, located in OOS, Box 2, Folder 59.

This trade card advertises "The Cash Bargain Store," owned by I. Wechsler, located at 156 West St., opposite Piers 16 & 17 in New York City. The front of the card features a lithograph of a pocket watch and a ring, highlighting the store's sale of watches, revolvers, and jewelry. The text also advertises watch cleaning services for 50 cents. The back of the card is blank.