June 24, 2023 Brian Lebel's Santa Fe Old West Events Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/24/2023
a) Alfredo Campos (b. 1935) horsehair belt made for a 1” buckle measuring 34” in total length and 30” to the middle hole. Signed and dated verso “AC – 96 – 108” indicating that it was made by the acclaimed, award winning master contemporary horsehair hitcher in 1996. Designed with multicolored geometric patterns on a black field. Very fine, wearable condition, circa 1996, Alfredo’s work is considered without peer.
b) Gary Stark, Nampa/Caldwell Idaho 33 - 1/2” long and 30” to center hole by 1” wide, signed and dated verso “GS 94 75”. Black ground with geometrics in purple tones outlined in blue and turquoise. Fine wearable condition, c. 1994
c) Deer Lodge, Montana, 34” long and 30” to the center hole by 1” wide. Turquoise field with geometric patterns in red, black and natural white. Maker-mark verso “CR 58”. Good condition, circa 1990s
Alfredo Campos: Unrivaled in the lost art of horsehair hitching, Alfredo was born in Tucson, Arizona in 1935 on a cattle ranch. He moved to Washington in 1958 and worked for Boeing for 35 years. He learned to braid rawhide for his own ropes, then picked up the Barnett book on horsehair hitching in 1974 and taught himself to braid, a monumental feat! In earlier days this art form was associated with prison life, to the extent that ""making hair bridles"" was synonymous with doing time behind bars. Campos points out that he has never been to prison, but he did study historic prison pieces in order to master the complex knots and designs. Through the years, Campos taught himself every step in the process of horsehair hitching, from gathering hair to dyeing it and then figuring out the designs he wants to make in the actual piece. ""I have to know how I want it to look. Some designs I make out on a graph paper, though I don't always follow them in their entirety. I start them out. Hitching is kind of a mathematical process in that you have to work with strands that are divisible by the size of the design you select. Gary Stark: Both an accomplished horse trainer and internationally known horsehair hitcher, Gary’s work is on display in several museums. He first learned to hitch as an outside visitor when he apprenticed with a prison inmate at Deer Lodge Montana State Prison known for producing horsehair hitching by inmates, which is a tradition dating back to the late 19th century. Stark prides himself on his meticulous attention to detail and designing one-of-a-kind pieces.