Tansel Powder Horns with Their Original Hunting Bags ©
Foreword: Sometimes it’s good for longtime collectors/researchers to share what they have learned over the years, before it’s forgotten or lost. After 40-plus years of collecting and researching Tansel powder horns, the author knows of only five, perhaps six, original Tansel horn & bag sets, where the Tansel horn stayed with its original bag into the 21st century. There are probably a few more original sets out there, buried in some old collection or closet, but they are hard to find. Despite all the bag & horn sets seen at longrifle shows, Tansel powder horns with their original hunting bags are extremely rare. This article examines the few original sets known to the author.
Lost Bags: From discussions years ago with old time collectors and antique dealers in Kentucky, the most common reason for the lack of surviving Tansel horn & bag sets [other than excessive dry rot and decay to uncared for antique leather goods] was the perceived minimal value of old, worn leather hunting bags back in the mid-1900s, when longrifle collecting began to grow. Old dealers said they often had to “throw the old powder horn into the deal” just to sell an old rifle in the early to mid-1950s and sometimes even later. Tansel powder horns had limited value back then, but enough to make some gun deals successful if used as a “sweetener.” Unless the leather bag was in great shape, it was often discarded as worthless, with only the “hard” items, i.e. powder horn and measure, having real value. This writer has heard multiple stories of old-time Kentucky dealers removing good powder horns [including a few Tansel horns] and discarding the “old, worn out” bags since damaged bags had no perceived value to the dealer or potential buyer, and most sellers gave little thought to trying to repair or salvage them.
Original Bag & Horn Sets: In all the author’s years of chasing Tansel powder horns, he has heard of only six (6) original sets. Unfortunately, two of those sets have not been seen in years, and it isn’t known if they remain together today. Original Tansel horn and bag sets known to the author include:
1. Kentucky set attributed to Stark Tansel and described as Set No. 1 in this article.
2. Kentucky set sold in early 1960s in Jefferson County, Kentucky, to a collector in LaPorte County, Indiana; whereabouts unknown today, but possibly separated since a good quality Kentucky era horn surfaced in LaPorte County about 15 years ago.
3. Kentucky set reportedly of high quality was sold with original rifle in 1960s in central Kentucky; whereabouts unknown today.
4. Indiana set sold with original rifle at estate auction in Missouri about 25 years ago. The bag & horn set was sold separately from the rifle, and they are no longer together; the horn & bag is described as Set No. 2 in this article, which includes a reference to an illustration of the rifle.
5. Indiana set with turned bone powder measure sold on the “Michael Simens’ Historical Antiques” web site about 15 years ago.
6. Indiana set with original rifle and tomahawk from Wayne County, Indiana, with a provenance going back to the original owner in Wayne County, remains the best documented set known and is described as Set No. 3 in this article.
No. 1: Kentucky Tansel Bag & Horn Set: This bag and Tansel powder horn were purchased together from a private seller, but they were not attached at the time, nor did the seller recall if they had been together. But they had been owned together for many years, were sized for each other, the horn showed great bag wear, the owner had no other bags or horns, and according to the seller they “may have” been together at one time. Based on circumstances of the sale and comments by the owner, the author thinks the bag and horn were an original set, and therefore the horn has been reattached to the bag. A turned bone powder measure from Kentucky, similar to the few known powder measures remaining with Tansel powder horns, was attached to the bag. It is stylistically correct but not original to the bag & horn set.
Figure 1a: This early Tansel powder horn was rubbed with oil/grease during its life, creating a dark, oxidized surface that obscures many carved details. Note the horn’s rare chip-cut ring behind the plug; Stark was the Tansel carver who most frequently used odd/unique details. The horn has an original, beautifully carved butt plug with raised 6-pointed star/flower pattern.
The Kentucky era Tansel powder horn was apparently rubbed with oil [probably for waterproofing] during its working life, creating a dark, oxidized patina that masks much of the carving… except on the back where bag wear polished the horn smooth and obliterated the carving. The horn dates to about 1825 and may have been carved by Stark Tansel based on: 1) unexpected chip-cut or engrailed ring behind the butt plug, and 2) the eagle’s head, which is less sophisticated than the work of older brother John whose eagles surpassed this in style by 1825. It is interesting to note the bag is lightly tooled and has triangular-cut fringe around the edges. The fringe is similar to the fringe on the No. 3 illustrated Indiana bag, suggesting some of the Tansel powder horns were paired with above-average hunting bags when new.
Figure 1b: The back of the Kentucky era Tansel horn is heavily worn, removing the carving and dark patina. Apparently, the horn survived in great shape due to being kept on the bag for many years, since it has no physical damage other than the heavy bag wear.
Figure 1c: The Kentucky horn’s early style Tansel eagle can be seen under the darkened finish when viewed in strong light.
No. 2: Indiana Tansel Horn & Bag Set: This set sold at an estate auction in Missouri about 25 to 30 years ago accompanied by a rifle. The rifle was sold as a separate item and parted ways with the bag & horn set. The unsigned rifle is pictured in Kentucky Gunmakers 1775-1900, Vol. I, p.114, fig. 5-26. The Tansel horn dates to about 1832-1834 and is attributed to Stark Tansel based on: 1) the style of horse and several details on the rider; 2) an unusually small scalloped basal border; 3) a fierce dog without a collar. The bag was used well into the percussion era as indicated by the small percussion cap holder on the bag’s strap. An interesting observation can be made on this and the following [No.3] Indiana horn regarding wear patterns. Both horns have lighter wear on the back of the horn, and heavier wear on the front, suggesting as the percussion period progressed, some Indiana hunters switched the hunting bag from the right to the left side, then flipped the horn around so it still pointed forward for easy loading.
Figure 2a: This Tansel powder horn & bag set was found in Missouri and has the horn mounted backwards on the bag, probably from the bag being moved to the owner’s left side when hunting and the horn reversed so it still pointed forward for easy loading. The bag was nicely finished with triangular fringe around the edges and a decorative inner border of small, punched holes above the flap’s fringe. The decorative fringe is similar to the triangular fringe on the earlier Kentucky bag in set No. 1 above. There is probably no connection, but it does show that many Tansel horns were paired with above average bags in their day.
Figure 2b: The very small scallops used for a basal border and the shape/style of the horse and rider both suggest the hand of Stark Tansel on this early circa 1832-1834 Indiana Tansel powder horn.
Figure 2c: The No. 2 Tansel horn & bag set was used in the percussion era with a neatly carved percussion cap holder mounted with its “teeth” pointed upward on the bag’s strap. The cap holder has small, decorative triangles carved into the wood that seem to mimic the triangular fringe on the bag.
No. 3: Indiana Tansel Horn & Bag Set: This set is the most thoroughly documented Tansel horn & bag known to the author. Its original owner was Cornelious Ratliff, who left North Carolina in 1808 for Indiana, where he settled in Wayne County in the southeastern part of the state. Some years later he acquired this bag & horn set, probably around 1835. The bag & horn’s written provenance names all the individuals who owned the set down through the years to its last owner before it was recently sold to the author. This set is even more interesting due to the documented full-stocked rifle and spike tomahawk that originally accompanied it during its working years. Unfortunately, the rifle was sold out of the family in the late 20th century, and the tomahawk “disappeared” while on loan for a local display. However, a series of old newspaper articles back in the mid-1950s documented the bag & horn set’s history, along with the rifle and spike tomahawk that accompanied it. See Fig. 3c below for a photograph of all the items in one of the articles.
Figure 3a: The Wayne County, Indiana, Tansel powder horn and bag have a long history of being together, accompanied by a beautifully turned bone powder measure with hand-carved tip. Not visible here is a small knife sheath on the back of the bag. The set remained in Wayne County for about 185 years, until 2021 when it was acquired by the author.
Figure 3b: The horse and rider carved on horn No.3 support an attribution of Timothy Tansel as the carver. He was the youngest and most prolific of the Tansel family members who carved horns. Timothy may have carved a few “beginning” horns in Kentucky, but most of his known work [and 100% of his dated work] was done in Indiana after 1829.
Figure 3c: A mid-1950s Wayne County, Indiana, newspaper [actually, there were 4 separate articles on the subject] clearly documents the complete hunting outfit used by the horn’s original owner, Cornelius Ratliff of Wayne County, Indiana. The outfit includes the Tansel powder horn & bag No. 3, a very slim and attractive full-stocked rifle, and a spike tomahawk, all used by Ratliff from the mid-1830s until much later in Indiana. The “boastful” comments in the article suggesting the set once belonging to Davy Crockett should be taken as wishful thinking.
Summary: Tansel powder horns that have retained their original hunting bags are rare, with very few surviving examples. This article documents the sets known to the writer from his 40-plus years of collecting, researching, and documenting Tansel powder horns. Hopefully, a few more will show up in the years ahead, perhaps even an earlier, really great set. However, with prices increasing again for superior carved horns, and particularly those with their original bags, future “newly discovered” sets may not always be what they are purported to be… and that’s one of the reasons for documenting these original sets, in all their glory and faults, that have been known about for many years now.