Lover's Lane Shooting

1937 newsphoto of the revolver used by Frank Lay to shoot Mrs. Stella Starr.

Available here.

"Ready, Aim..."

...Fire!"

Available here.

Throne of Weapons

Throne of weapons made in 2001 by the Mozambican artist Cristovao Canhavato (Kester) from decommissioned weapons collected since the end of the civil war in 1992. Collection of the British Museum.

Here's the museum's description:
Since the overthrow of Portuguese colonial rule in 1975, Mozambique offered both inspiration and a safe haven for activists opposing apartheid in South Africa and white minority Rhodesia. The civil war in Mozambique was fuelled by those regimes in their ultimately unsuccessful efforts to destabilize the country.
The throne is a product of the TAE project - Transformaçaõ de Armas em Enxadas (Transforming Arms into Tools) - whereby weapons previously used by combatants on both sides are voluntarily exchanged for agricultural, domestic and construction tools. The project was established in 1995 in Maputo by Bishop Dinis Sengulane of the Christian Council of Mozambique with the support of Christian Aid.
The components of the throne to some extent reflect the international arms trade, though guns from all over the world, including the Western powers, are collected by the TAE team. The principal feature is the Russian AK47 rifle but there are also sections from Eastern European, Portuguese and North Korean guns. The throne has an added significance in Africa where carved stools and chairs are symbols of power and prestige. Examples from Ghana, the Congo and Zanzibar, for example, may be seen in the African collections of the British Museum.
Kester was born on 15 July 1966 in Zavala, Mozambique. He trained in technical engineering but had no formal art education until attending the Núcleo de Arte in Maputo in 1998. All the artists involved with TAE, some of whom were child soldiers, have studied here. For them the process of constructing the sculptures is at once painful and cathartic. The results are vivid reminders of 16 years of devastating externally fuelled civil war and powerful symbols of hope for the future. In the words of TAE's patron Graça Machel, the aim is 'to take away instruments of death from the hands of young people and to give them an opportunity to develop a productive life'.
The British Museum acquired the Throne of Weapons in 2002 from an exhibition organised by Christian Aid at the Oxo Tower in London (Swords into Ploughshares. Transforming Arms into Art). Most recently it has collaborated with Christian Aid to commission the artists of the Associação Núcleo de Arte to create a Tree of Life through TAE. This was installed in the Museum in February 2005. At the same time the Throne of Weapons began a nationwide tour of the United Kingdom.

"For the big breakout on Saturday night..."

Available here.

John Dillinger's Wooden Gun

Sold at Heritage Auction Galleries for $19,120.00 (including premium).

Here's the auction house description:

Probably the Single Most Iconic Item Associated with John Dillinger is the Legendary "Wooden Gun" He Carved and Used to Escape from the Crown Point, Indiana Jail, March 3, 1934. In reality there are three 'wooden guns', including this example, that can lay claim, all with some degree of credibility, to being the one Dillinger used is his remarkable escape. This example was part of the personal effects of Dillinger's younger brother Hubert, and has been in the possession of Frances Helen's family since his death in 1974. Another example is in the possession of the Dillinger Museum in Hammond, Indiana, while still another is in the possession of another branch of the family. While it will probably never be known which, if indeed any, of these three examples is the one he actually used, aside from it having a traceable lineage through the Dillinger family, this example exhibits several other details which lend strong credence to the family's belief that this is, in fact, the original specimen. 5.75" overall, the blackened finish is clearly affected by a dye, such as shoe blacking, rather than a paint and it does, indeed appear to have been fabricated from the leg of something such as a washboard. The general impression, based on the barrel form, is that of an automatic pistol. There are tiny brads in place on top at the front and back giving the impression of sights, with an incised line between them. A notched area at the back approximates a hammer. The front/muzzle has a .25" copper tube inserted to simulate a barrel. Crudely carved on the right side "Colt 38" and on the left, clearly in keeping with Dillinger's sense of humor and irony, "Pat Mar 3, 1934" the date of Dillinger's escape. Accompanied by a detailed letter of provenance and lineage from Frances Helen Thompson (Dillinger).

Miniature Photobooth Cowboy Points a Gun

A vintage gem miniature photo of a young man dressed as a cowboy, pointing a gun.

Nothing like a crazy Russian with a gun!

You have to wonder what was going on inside this guy's head! Not much is known about Alexandre Lobanov except that he was born in Mologa, Russia, lost his hearing at age 7, and was institutionalized by his family at the age of 23. In the 1970s, he started making these elaborate backgrounds of guns, medals, etc...and got a local photographer to do these self-portraits. The works are at once honest, soulful and disturbing all at the same time. Also interesting to see "true" contemporary outsider art vs. some of the assembly-line stuff you see being passed as "outsider". More on this last point on another post, but isn't it interesting (and suspicious) that most contemporary outsider art looks pretty much the same? Not with my boy Alexandre!
(Credit: This photo was taken from the book "Create and Be Recognized", a great catalog to the exhibition of the same name that was at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in 2005; Photo Courtesy of abcd)