The First Tansel Powder Horn ©
Foreword: The beautifully carved powder horns made by Francis Tansel, patriarch of the Tansel family of horn carvers, began appearing in Kentucky about or just after 1800. Horns carved during his first years apparently were not dated, since “1806” is the earliest date known to the author. Earlier dates sometimes appear, but those dates are usually later additions by the horns’ owners or their heirs and appear stylistically different. Despite the lack of dates on early Tansel horns, they can be sequenced and approximately dated based on the evolution of their artwork and key repeated figures. Those figures include the Tansel’s “trademark” federal eagle, running deer, cartouches, borders, and on very early horns the simplicity of the “fish mouth” detail separating the horn’s body from its spout section. Other details that help in dating early Tansel horns are slogans, the number of stars above the eagle’s head, and complex figures such as a panoply of arms or the lion & unicorn symbol. Using these transient markers, Francis Tansel’s earliest carved horns can be identified and separated from the rest of his known work. His two earliest horns, rather similar in appearance, have less sophisticated artwork and earlier details than seen on any of his later work. The horns have acquired nicknames over the years and today are known as “The Plain Truth” horn and the “American Coat of Arms” horn.
“The Plain Truth” Horn ca. 1800-1805: Francis Tansel’s earliest known powder horn is called “The Plain Truth” horn from a slogan above the eagle. There is no field of stars over the eagle’s head, and the eagle itself is simple in form with wings extended sideways. This early style of eagle is called a “blade wing” eagle to differentiate it from later eagles with modified wing positions. A second banner carries the slogan “A Fact Clearly Proved” which seems to be telling Great Britain that the young United States had clearly proven its right to be free. A quasi-British seal with a unicorn on one side but missing the lion on the other side may support the anti-British sentiment, suggesting the British lion had been chased out of America. The horn is intriguing with its early, suggestive slogans and less sophisticated artistry than found on later Francis Tansel horns. A very early detail is the Tansel “fish mouth” lobes that are shorter and thicker than those on later horns and lack the normal chip-cut or engrailed edge decoration. Basal and spout borders are simple, and the deer near the base plug is small and “stick-legged” in early Tansel fashion. Francis Tansel signed the horn “F*T” in a round cartouche with four volutes/arms coming off its “corners.” Another early detail is the completely encased butt plug. A “stepped” walnut plug is completely covered with horn rings and plates, leaving no exposed wood. A separate horn ring on the horn body below the plug hides the bottom edge of the plug and the plug nails. Strap attachment is by a lathe-turned horn button with a tapered stem that is pushed firmly into a hole in the center of the plug.
Figure 1: “The Plain Truth” powder horn is the earliest known work by Francis Tansel. The small “blade wing” style eagle, shallow “fish-mouth” transition between body and spout, horn-covered butt plug, and early style banners with patriotic slogans all indicate a very early Tansel powder horn.
“American Coat of Arms” Horn ca. 1800-1805: This very early Francis Tansel powder horn is similar in many ways to the “The Plain Truth” horn, but is slightly later based on its larger, more detailed eagle and the more sophisticated spout with an internal screw-tip and applied collar below. Similar to the first horn, the horn’s “fish-mouth” stepdown between the horn body and spout is thick, shallow, and lacks the chip-carved or engrailed edges of later Tansel horns. A banner above the eagle’s head carries the “chopped up” slogan, “American Coat of Arms,” and again there is no field of stars above the eagle. A folk-art lion & unicorn emblem is present, and a rectangular cartouche is signed “Fransis (sic) Tansel.” A second banner carries the slogan “A Fact Clearly Proved” similar to the first horn, and an intriguing cartouche with a tombstone-style angel may be a mourning or remembrance symbol. A small crescent moon with a sun inside is probably a Masonic symbol for the horn’s first owner; Masonic imagery appeared at times on later Tansel powder horns. Another early detail visible in figure 3 is the butt plug covered with horn rings and plates. The once-present horn ring that hid the nail heads below the butt plug is now missing. Strap attachment is with an iron screw sunk into the middle of the plug face with a lathe-turned horn bead “floating” just behind the screw head. The screw & bead strap attachment is original to the horn and heavily worn and to-date has not been observed on any later Tansel horn.
Figure 2: The “American Coat of Arms” horn, despite many similarities, is thought to be slightly later than the “The Plain Truth” horn due to its larger eagle and the more sophisticated screw-tip spout. These two exceptional Kentucky horns are the earliest known Tansel powder horns.
Figure 3: The top of the “American Coat of Arms” horn clearly shows its shallow “fish-mouth” detail, the “Fransis Tansel” signature block, and a unique mourning or memorial cartouche near the plug end. The early Tansel detail of covering the wood butt plug with horn is visible here, but the small horn band just behind/below the butt plug that hid the plug nails is now gone.
Final Comments: Almost all Kentucky-era Tansel powder horns can be sequentially ordered and/or dated, based on their changing artwork and the evolution of key figures such as the eagle, deer, cartouches, and borders. After 1806, dates began appearing more frequently on Tansel horns, allowing more accurate dating of later horns. However, Francis Tansel’s earliest horns lack dates and must be dated by their evolving artwork. Back-tracking on the development of repetitively used figures has allowed the earliest works of Francis Tansel to be identified, illuminating the beginning of his illustrious powder horn carving career in central Kentucky about 1800.
Request: If you know of similar early Tansel powder horns, have questions about the two horns discussed here, or would like to discuss or share any of the Tansels’ other great horns, I welcome your comments and would enjoy hearing from you at sgallien@comcast.net. Shelby Gallien