Beschreibung:

11.5" slightly curved 1.5" wide early "Bowie"-type clip point blade etched with American patriotic motifs on a blued ground with gilt highlights. Brass crossguard has counter-guard on right. Finely fluted ivory grip surmounted by a boldly rendered cast and gilt lion pommel. The scabbard made of two pieces of leather one smooth and the outside section resembles alligator hide. A 19th century paper museum-style label is glued to the scabbard near the throat. Written in 19th century black India ink the label states: "This knife was presented to and long in the possession of David Crockett. It was in Peal's Phil(adephia) Museum and marked "Deposited by &c" (Original label lost)." David “Davy” Crockett was revered and celebrated as a frontiersman in his own lifetime. His fame as a sharpshooter and hunter was the subject of several plays, books, and almanacs including James Kirke Paulding’s “The Lion of the West,” which premiered in April 1831. This knife was likely presented during Crockett’s 1834 pre-election three-week congressional campaign tour of the Eastern United States. According to the label, the knife was deposited in the “Peale’s Philadelphia Museum,” founded in 1786 by renowned American painter and illustrator Charles Wilson Peale (1741-1827). Patronized by Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin Peale’s museum quickly became a popular attraction. In 1794 it was moved from Peale’s home to the American Philosophical Society building, where it remained until 1802, its collections were transferred to the second floor of the Pennsylvania State House, also known as “Independence Hall.” Visitors could peruse the skeletons, fossils, taxidermies and paintings to their heart’s content, accompanied by a well-organized, printed pamphlet. Charles Peale retired in 1810, leaving the museum in the care of his sons, who opened branches in New York City and Baltimore. Crockett and the Peale family began their relationship during Crockett’s 1834 tour. A May 1834 letter by Helen Chapman, a visitor to the Peale museum in New York City describes Crockett as being a guest of the institution. This particular branch was administered by Rembrandt Peale a well-known painter in his own right, painting George Washington, Thomas Jefferson Chief Justice John Marshall and others. Crockett likely sat for the portrait of him attributed to “Peale” during his time in New York. This portrait remained in the possession of the Crockett family up to as least 1950 described by Crockett’s descendant as having been painted by Rembrandt Peale Crockett’s 1834 tour took him across the Eastern United States, including Baltimore, where a Peale museum was located. Crockett arrived first in Baltimore, then traveled to Philadelphia, then departed for New York. In his own account, he does not mention visiting the institution in Philadelphia or Baltimore, though he describes the New York branch as having “curiosities….above my bend.” On his return to Philadelphia, he writes of being presented a “...gun, tomahawk, and a butcher knife…” by the “young men of Philadelphia.” At this point, references to the Crockett knife disappear. The weapon itself is a powerful piece of evidence that it is the gift presented to Crockett. Though the blued and gilt finish as well as the eagle and star motifs suggest a Federalist Period, the pommel takes the form of a lion rather than the typical eagle. This alludes to the nickname given to Crockett in Pauldings' play nearly half a decade before his arrival to the state. It would seem likely that the knife was given as a token of respect and admiration from Crockett, to America’s most famous historical and horticultural institution. The label states that the knife was simply “deposited” at the institution, indicating that the knife was simply left for safekeeping and Crockett intended to claim it later. The Peale Museum operated in Philadelphia until 1841, when rising admission costs forced the closure of the institution as well as the sa