Early Shot Bag...

[gizamo]

This was gifted me by a fellow that I have never met.  We  met on a forum and became good friends over many years.  It is in delicate condition, yet still mostly intact.  It is pressed flat from storage.  But the bags bottom is gussetted.  Evidence of where a button once was sewn to the bag for the flap. It is a divided bag.  Signs of two attachments to the original non-adjustable strap.  And one attachment to the back of the bag...

 

 

 

 

 

Pease

[Duane Harshaw]

That is a very nice bag,could tell us the length and width of the bag..

[Elnathan]

Isn't that something! Very interesting bag. Do does the gusset go all the way up the sides, or is it limited to the bottom? Is there a buckle on the strap?

[gizamo]

The bag is small, measuring 7"x7".  The gusset is 9" in length.  You will note  that the gusset is a part of the bag halves at the bottom....and not a separate piece. The welt is sewn in across the top of the gusset and the up both sides of the bag.  Shoulder strap measures just 42" and has no buckle.

Pease

[Elnathan]

The bag is small, measuring 7"x7".  The gusset is 9" in length.  You will note  that the gusset is a part of the bag halves at the bottom....and not a separate piece. The welt is sewn in across the top of the gusset and the up both sides of the bag.  Shoulder strap measures just 42" and has no buckle.

Pease

A gusset is usually defined as a seperate piece, so I am a little confused. Sorry. Do you mean that the front and back panels differ in length, so that when sewn together the bag bulges out a bit? 

[gizamo]

The best way to describe it .....  The bottom of the bags front and back section are folded up inside the bag about a inch and a quarter.  The welt was  sewn across this section... Smooth side to smooth side.  The bag was turned out and the two sides were saddle stitched from the bottom to the top.

Pease

[Elnathan]

I see. Thanks.

[T.C.Albert]

I am wondering if the "welt" across the bottom is actually the lower edge of the divider?
The construction is a prefect way to add a full divided panel that you can still fish stuff out from the bottom of...bellowing the bottom even just that little bit causes enough swell at the bottom of the bag so it remains accessable.

I wonder about the strapping...it looks like heavy horse tack or harness type leather...
I also wonder about the extra exposed awl holes on the front panel...was the leather recycled?
That could explain the heavy strapping?

Just my own thoughts and guesses based on what I can see in the photo. That bottom detail is really interesting, well thought out, and well constructed. That is a neat old bag.
tc