January 26, 2024 Brian Lebel's Old West Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/26/2024
A stunning and famous pair of McCabe parade chaps from the collection of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. The chaps are from a complete McCabe parade saddle ensemble that was commissioned in 1931 for the wealthy horsewoman, H.L. Musick and her champion horse, Diamond. Crafted by McCabe with the intent of creating the finest gold and silver mounted saddle outfit in existence, Ms. Musick proudly rode the ensemble, to great acclaim, in at least a decade’s worth of Rose Parades. Years later, Roy Rogers sought out this exact McCabe ensemble with the intent to use it solely for photos and promotional appearances. Roy rode in any number of incredible and expensive saddles, but he reserved the McCabe for when he really wanted to show off. Numerous photos feature Roy posing, and smiling broadly, with the complete set. It was known to be among his very favorite parade outfits.
At a cost of $20,000 during the Great Depression, sixteen craftsmen (including John McCabe himself) spent six months creating the matching pieces. Historian and author James Nottage had the privilege of studying the whole ensemble while in the company of Roy Rogers himself. An extensive and highly detailed letter written by Mr. Nottage accompanies the chaps, and includes complete and exacting details of the entire set. Following is a description of the chaps, excerpted from the letter:
“While the saddle in such an outfit is rightfully considered the centerpiece, the chaps fashioned by Davis, Martinez, McCabe, and Goodan are truly exceptional. The chap’s edges are generally treated with round and rectangular flowers. For each leg, in fact, there are over 100 conchos of varying shapes and sizes, each with a ruby in the center. There are five large flower conchos down each leg. The massive scenes at the bottom outside corner of each leg are a full six inches high by ten- and one-half inches wide!
The tooled leather waist belt on each side has a three-piece horseshoe buckle set of silver and gold with rubies mounted on flowers. On each leg there is an oval silver plaque with rope edge and a chased gold scene over the silver. In addition, down each leg there are four similar oval scenes of increasing size from top to bottom and at the bottom outside corner of each leg is a large panel with an even larger scene. Of the twelve plaques on the chaps, most are beautifully chased silver and gold with various scenes of cowboys riding bucking horses or steers. One features a coyote singing to the moon. On one left side panel is an especially effective scene of a cowboy in a corral, roping a bronco with the saddle on the ground in the center. The bottom corner panel on the right leg shows a cowboy on horseback riding in the mountains and surprised by a bear. The corresponding scene on the left bottom corner is extraordinarily appealing. Here is crafted a landscape in which a cowboy rides from the right distance to rope a steer running toward the left. The figures are beautifully articulated and seem to be running out of the scene toward the viewer.”
-- James Nottage, November 2023
Exhibited: Nationwide.
EX: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum Collection
Provenance: Lot includes original letter from James Nottage.
James H. Nottage was founding Chief Curator of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles from 1988 to 2000 and later Vice President and Chief Curatorial Officer at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis from 2001 until his retirement in 2018. He has curated or developed more than 100 special exhibitions and edited, authored or contributed essays to a dozen books, historical journals and magazines including the 1996 definitive Bohlin book “Saddlemaker to the Stars: The Leather and Silver Art of Edward H. Bohlin”.
View and read the James Nottage letter in its entirety online at MorphyAuctions.com
Item Dimensions: Each: 14" x 34 - 1/2".