Dave McGary

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Tools of the Trade
Study 27 3/4 H x 14
Bronze with Patina and Paint


"Tools of the Trade" is a unique addition to Dave McGary's outstanding repertoire of fine art. It depicts a war shirt. headdress, trade axe and a carbine rifle hanging on a wall.

The buckskin shirt has been carefully tanned to a soft texture, and features beaded strips on the arms and bib. The feathered headdress marks the owner as a man of importance in the tribes. The eagle feathers were sacred. They were gatheres ceremonially and have been earned for outstanding acts of courage and service to the tribe.

The trade axe and 1870 Trapdoor Springfield carbine were both obtained from traders. The history of the western is long and colorful. It began in 1670 with the establishment of the Hudson Bay Company. It operated mainly to supply beaver pelts to Europe for the fashionable men's beaver hats. Emerging from this was the trade blanket, the most famous being the Hudson Bay version.

The Springfield carbine was first manufactured in Springfield, Illinois for the Inion troops. After the CIvil War, the gun was modified from the military version to a civilian model and became popular in the western trade. The 180 Trapdoor model was a prized possession of the warrior and is decorated in his personal way.