Recent commentary regarding gunbuilding schools, their defining characteristics, and the rigor some of us occasionally associate with them, brought to mind the work of George Frederick Fainot. You can find color shots of two nice Fainot attributions in my book and George has photos of them, too. Don owned three beauties and I'd wager to say that we are two of the few people who anytime recently had three Fainots out on the table at the same time.
Fainot was born in 1728 in Seloncourt, a small town in eastern France near the Swiss border. According to the Moravian Burial Book he immigrated to Canada in 1752 and then traveled to New York, where he resided from 1765 to 1770. He moved then to Lancaster, PA, and from the mid-1770's through at least 1783 he ran a gun shop on North Queen Street.
In 1779, Fainot was one of 16 regional gunsmiths to be paid by the Continental Congress for work. William Henry, Sr., delivered 182 pounds, 12 shillings, 6 pence to him for services rendered from March to September. I believe his shop was relatively small and that he did much of the work himself. He also supplied arms after the war and is listed in the papers of Gen. Edward Hand for the delivery of 30 rifles in 1794. I suspect that he moved locations later in his career.
Fainot's gunbuilding style is unique, not only from the perspective of other Lancaster builders, but from a more global view of Kentucky rifles in general. He often used fowler-type trigger guards, and his side plates have a distinct European style. The hallmark of a Fainot gun is the two-piece brass patch box with the lid hinged on the bottom of a single plate that completely surounds it. The patch box finials range from the distinctly French fleur-de-lis to a five-petaled floral motif. While there are some similarities to his associates in basic architecture, it is evident that the maker chose to retain the artistic influence gained from past experiences. In short, I know of no other Lancaster gunsmith who put out work that could be confused with Fainot's products. His guns are regularly of the semi-military style, often with octagon-to-round barrels, smoothbore, with little glitter, but the work is neat.
Little more is known about Fainot, other than that he was a respectable, married tradesman and government contractor. He died in 1817. The small number of tools in his estate inventory suggests that he retired some time before his death. Fainot's individuality offers pleasing variety to the study of Lancaster arms, and underscores the fact that creative expression was not necessarily channeled by what others in the "school" were doing. Serious students of other schools may feel it appropriate to add to this stream.
