What would a "company issue" shot bag look like?

[Roger B]

I'm trying to find out what a 1830s western shot bag would look like.  Not something made by a dusky Ute wife for her trapper husband, but something the trapper might have bought from the company or on the local economy while heading out west with a brigade.  My guess is that there were cordwainers or harness makers that made these for sale, but I wonder how they might differ from the longhunter's or soldier's equipment. Any ideas?
Roger B.

[pathfinder]

I'm going out squirrel hunting in a few,so no pic's now,but I would think a simple round corner single compartment rectangle with a 1" adjustable strap. See Madison Grant's "Hunting pouch" pg 145.

[Luke MacGillie]

Ive got some red striped grey linen, going to make up a linen shot pouch like what is shown in one version of "The Trappers Bride" by AJ Miller

Im pretty sure that Rex Norman covers this in his 1837 sketchbook

[Chuck Burrows]

Norman does show some of the "commercial" bags based on Miller's sketches in his Sketchbook. One must remember though when using Miller as a source he is late in the period 1837 to be exact, so if one is doing a much earlier impression Miller should be very carefully used and cross referenced with the earlier documentation.

As for the Trapper's Bride, Miller re-did this several times - the earliest versions which are his small format watercolor, trail made sketches, are the best source albeit the hardest to track dow, especially since many of his later paintings were done per to Stewart's demands of what the west should look like and vary sometimes considerably from the originals.
In fact some versions of he Trapper's Bride shows a typical D shaped commercial type bag. These would have been saddlery made: 3-4oz veg/barktan cow hide most commonly dyed black with vinegar black or brownish black via logwood dye, single compartment, unlined, with a simple buttoned flap. Tim Albert's book on making shot bags includes a similar pattern as does Grant's book.

a small pic but shows one of the earliest if not the earliest Trapper's Bride sketches - note the differences between this and the later paintings
http://westernamericana2.blogspot.com/2010/01/alfred-jacob-miller-and-1837-fur-trade.html

a larger version - note the the buffalo powderhorn
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/display_image.php?id=150669

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Alfred_Jacob_Miller_-_The_Trapper's_Bride_-_Walters_37194012.jpg

here's a later version with a different bag
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/The_Trapper's_Bride.jpg

and another later version with a cow horn instead of the earlier buffalo horn..
http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/derekste/CanHist/Canprojects/countrybride2.jpg

The trade lists of the period include some shot bags:
The 1832 Robert Campbell list: 5 common shot bags for 3.75 (.75 each) and one best quality for 1.50
the 1809 MIssouri Fur list includes 1 Shott bagg 1.25
                                            

[Luke MacGillie]

Chuck,

Thanks for the links to the other versions, very helpful

[Chuck Burrows]

You're welcome Fred - and if/when you ever do get out west and are in the far SW Colorado area look me up.
Here's links to more of Miller's prints for those interested in his work -
http://art.thewalters.org/search/?query=alfred+jacob+miller&type=search&all_fields=true

http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Alfred+Jacob+Miller+&button=&title=Special%3ASearch

http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/list.php?m=a&s=tu&aid=648