Andrea here, going down another research rabbit hole today . . . Cover your ears, for there could be a number of loud bangs! I recently took you through a few thrusts and parries with London’s most famous Regency swordsmen. Well, today we’re looking at London’s best gunmakers of the era.
I swear, it’s not that I’m bloodthirsty—I just find that in the hands of a master craftsman, pistols and swords are lethally beautiful works of art. For me, they are a perfect example of artisans becoming artists, and I love how the famous 
design adage “form follows function” comes to life in the hands of men like Manton, Wogdon and Egg. (At left are pistols by John Manton.)
I recently saw a small but scintillating exhibit at Met in NYC entitled The Art of London Firearms, which showcases some of the treasures from its permanent collection, which are rarely displayed. So, let me prime my pen and take a quick shot at giving you some of the highlights of the golden age of flintlock pistols . . .
Regency aficionados tend to think of the Prince Regent as a dissolute pleasure lover, so I was surprised to learn that he had a keen interest in firearms, and was apparently a good marksman. (The exhibit includes one of his targets, with rather impressive bullet holes peppered around the center!) His patronage helped encourage the top gunmakers to create topnotch weapons, which in turn made them fashionable among the aristocracy.
Most of us have heard of Joe Manton (a name often used in Regency novels when talking about pistols.) I learned that 
he was indeed a leading maker, but tended to focus on innovating and tinkering with new ideas. His brother, John Manton, was the more traditional craftsman and made exquisite pistols for Prinny that combined both beauty and accuracy. And then there is Robert Wogdon (who made the dueling pistols used by Hamilton and Burr. A Wogdon pistol is shown above.) My new favorite, however, is Durs Egg (You have to love him for the name alone! I promise you he will appear in my next book . . . though Egg pistols have already starred in The Judas Pair, a mystery novel by Jonathan Gash!) His nephew, Joseph Egg, worked with Durs and won acclaim in his own right.
Durs Egg was born in Switzerland in 1748 and moved to London in 1772. He was one of the few gunmakers skilled enough to make the Ferguson rifle, an experimental breech-loading long gun used by a special British regiment during the American Revolution. The rife was abandoned as it was too hard to mass-produce, and had certain design flaws, thought technology eventually caught up with the idea. Egg then went on to create sought-after flintlock pistols, which were known for their grace and precision.
The Prince Regent admired Egg, and the exhibits includes a set of royal “Eggs.” (one is shown above) Underneath the fancy decorations on the grips, Egg put in a square of lead to create the right balance, and the long trigger guard with bar at the front was a distinctive mark of an Egg pistol.
Joseph Egg was skilled at making pocket pistols, and his weapons was prized for their their jewel-like beauty and precise engineering. He also designed a special trigger mechanism that allowed his double barreled model to be fired by pulling the trigger twice to fire the two bullets in succession. The Prince Regent also owned some of these miniature models. (That's a Joseph Egg pocket pistol to the right.)
The exhibit makes a point of how the competition between these incredibly talented men elevated the flintlock pistol to new heights. With the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, engineering and technology were evolving with lightning speed, and the London gunmakers were developing wonderful innovations, that improved accuracy, reliability and speed. Their designs were, the words of the museum catalogue “elegant yet ergonomic.”
Dozens of patents were issued as the gunmakers sought to create special features that would give their weapons an advantage over the competition. From flintlock ignition systems to barrel designs to improved locking mechanisms, the array of technical improvements to pistols was astounding.
One of the reasons I love the V&A Museum in London is because it shows artisans as artists and utilitarian objects, such as pistols, locks, wrought iron gates, and chairs, as art. What about you? Do you think everyday objects, done by a skilled craftsman, can be called art? Have you any favorite type of objects, like redware or spoons, that you consider collectible art? (I confess, I would love to own an Egg pistol just to put on the wall and admire as a thing of beauty.)
Wonderful article, thank you. Just finished reading CS Harris’ latest St Cyr mystery in which flintlock pistols are mentioned several times, so this article satisfies my “rabbit hole wanderings” about pistols. These were re markedly beautiful with the curved handles and balanced weight; they must have been fun to use when targeting paper but not so much when pointed at person. I do agree that art can be described to include objects of use as well as pure design. Thanks for the pictures and information!
Wonderful article, thank you. Just finished reading CS Harris’ latest St Cyr mystery in which flintlock pistols are mentioned several times, so this article satisfies my “rabbit hole wanderings” about pistols. These were re markedly beautiful with the curved handles and balanced weight; they must have been fun to use when targeting paper but not so much when pointed at person. I do agree that art can be described to include objects of use as well as pure design. Thanks for the pictures and information!
Wonderful article, thank you. Just finished reading CS Harris’ latest St Cyr mystery in which flintlock pistols are mentioned several times, so this article satisfies my “rabbit hole wanderings” about pistols. These were re markedly beautiful with the curved handles and balanced weight; they must have been fun to use when targeting paper but not so much when pointed at person. I do agree that art can be described to include objects of use as well as pure design. Thanks for the pictures and information!
Wonderful article, thank you. Just finished reading CS Harris’ latest St Cyr mystery in which flintlock pistols are mentioned several times, so this article satisfies my “rabbit hole wanderings” about pistols. These were re markedly beautiful with the curved handles and balanced weight; they must have been fun to use when targeting paper but not so much when pointed at person. I do agree that art can be described to include objects of use as well as pure design. Thanks for the pictures and information!
Wonderful article, thank you. Just finished reading CS Harris’ latest St Cyr mystery in which flintlock pistols are mentioned several times, so this article satisfies my “rabbit hole wanderings” about pistols. These were re markedly beautiful with the curved handles and balanced weight; they must have been fun to use when targeting paper but not so much when pointed at person. I do agree that art can be described to include objects of use as well as pure design. Thanks for the pictures and information!
So glad you enjoyed the post, Janice. It was such fun to see so many actual pistols in the museum exhibit.
(And I’ve read the latest St Cyr mystery too, and loved it, along with the mention of the pistols.)
So glad you enjoyed the post, Janice. It was such fun to see so many actual pistols in the museum exhibit.
(And I’ve read the latest St Cyr mystery too, and loved it, along with the mention of the pistols.)
So glad you enjoyed the post, Janice. It was such fun to see so many actual pistols in the museum exhibit.
(And I’ve read the latest St Cyr mystery too, and loved it, along with the mention of the pistols.)
So glad you enjoyed the post, Janice. It was such fun to see so many actual pistols in the museum exhibit.
(And I’ve read the latest St Cyr mystery too, and loved it, along with the mention of the pistols.)
So glad you enjoyed the post, Janice. It was such fun to see so many actual pistols in the museum exhibit.
(And I’ve read the latest St Cyr mystery too, and loved it, along with the mention of the pistols.)
What an informative and enjoyable post! Thank you, Andrea.
What an informative and enjoyable post! Thank you, Andrea.
What an informative and enjoyable post! Thank you, Andrea.
What an informative and enjoyable post! Thank you, Andrea.
What an informative and enjoyable post! Thank you, Andrea.
Thanks, Kareni! So glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks, Kareni! So glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks, Kareni! So glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks, Kareni! So glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks, Kareni! So glad you enjoyed it!
If those were the Regent’s real targets, at 36 feet, he was a sharp shot indeed. Thanks for sharing all the pictures and info–this has to be one of my favorite posts. 🙂
If those were the Regent’s real targets, at 36 feet, he was a sharp shot indeed. Thanks for sharing all the pictures and info–this has to be one of my favorite posts. 🙂
If those were the Regent’s real targets, at 36 feet, he was a sharp shot indeed. Thanks for sharing all the pictures and info–this has to be one of my favorite posts. 🙂
If those were the Regent’s real targets, at 36 feet, he was a sharp shot indeed. Thanks for sharing all the pictures and info–this has to be one of my favorite posts. 🙂
If those were the Regent’s real targets, at 36 feet, he was a sharp shot indeed. Thanks for sharing all the pictures and info–this has to be one of my favorite posts. 🙂
Fascinating.
I love the stuff of the past—wash bowls, eating utensils, hair brushes, all those everyday things that people use. And that includes things like weapons, some of which are truly beautiful.
I don’t know if they qualify as works of art, but even when they aren’t particularly beautiful, those ordinary things help me imagine what it must have been like to live then.
Fascinating.
I love the stuff of the past—wash bowls, eating utensils, hair brushes, all those everyday things that people use. And that includes things like weapons, some of which are truly beautiful.
I don’t know if they qualify as works of art, but even when they aren’t particularly beautiful, those ordinary things help me imagine what it must have been like to live then.
Fascinating.
I love the stuff of the past—wash bowls, eating utensils, hair brushes, all those everyday things that people use. And that includes things like weapons, some of which are truly beautiful.
I don’t know if they qualify as works of art, but even when they aren’t particularly beautiful, those ordinary things help me imagine what it must have been like to live then.
Fascinating.
I love the stuff of the past—wash bowls, eating utensils, hair brushes, all those everyday things that people use. And that includes things like weapons, some of which are truly beautiful.
I don’t know if they qualify as works of art, but even when they aren’t particularly beautiful, those ordinary things help me imagine what it must have been like to live then.
Fascinating.
I love the stuff of the past—wash bowls, eating utensils, hair brushes, all those everyday things that people use. And that includes things like weapons, some of which are truly beautiful.
I don’t know if they qualify as works of art, but even when they aren’t particularly beautiful, those ordinary things help me imagine what it must have been like to live then.
As a Philistine and former industrial designer, I admit that the objects of everyday life interest me more than the fine arts. I’ll take a wallow in the V&A any day! The pistols are indeed beautifully made–artisan work raised to the level of art.
As a Philistine and former industrial designer, I admit that the objects of everyday life interest me more than the fine arts. I’ll take a wallow in the V&A any day! The pistols are indeed beautifully made–artisan work raised to the level of art.
As a Philistine and former industrial designer, I admit that the objects of everyday life interest me more than the fine arts. I’ll take a wallow in the V&A any day! The pistols are indeed beautifully made–artisan work raised to the level of art.
As a Philistine and former industrial designer, I admit that the objects of everyday life interest me more than the fine arts. I’ll take a wallow in the V&A any day! The pistols are indeed beautifully made–artisan work raised to the level of art.
As a Philistine and former industrial designer, I admit that the objects of everyday life interest me more than the fine arts. I’ll take a wallow in the V&A any day! The pistols are indeed beautifully made–artisan work raised to the level of art.
So glad you enjoyed it, Lucy!
Yes, Prinny seems to have had a steady hand, though with all his excesses, it’s hard to fathom!
So glad you enjoyed it, Lucy!
Yes, Prinny seems to have had a steady hand, though with all his excesses, it’s hard to fathom!
So glad you enjoyed it, Lucy!
Yes, Prinny seems to have had a steady hand, though with all his excesses, it’s hard to fathom!
So glad you enjoyed it, Lucy!
Yes, Prinny seems to have had a steady hand, though with all his excesses, it’s hard to fathom!
So glad you enjoyed it, Lucy!
Yes, Prinny seems to have had a steady hand, though with all his excesses, it’s hard to fathom!
Such a good point, Lillian. I love all those things you mention because they really do help history come alive!
Such a good point, Lillian. I love all those things you mention because they really do help history come alive!
Such a good point, Lillian. I love all those things you mention because they really do help history come alive!
Such a good point, Lillian. I love all those things you mention because they really do help history come alive!
Such a good point, Lillian. I love all those things you mention because they really do help history come alive!
Ha, ha, Mary Jo! I confess, I do love looking at many paintings, but everyday objects, when done by someone with imagination and manual skills, are just as fascinating to me. I certainly consider them art!
Ha, ha, Mary Jo! I confess, I do love looking at many paintings, but everyday objects, when done by someone with imagination and manual skills, are just as fascinating to me. I certainly consider them art!
Ha, ha, Mary Jo! I confess, I do love looking at many paintings, but everyday objects, when done by someone with imagination and manual skills, are just as fascinating to me. I certainly consider them art!
Ha, ha, Mary Jo! I confess, I do love looking at many paintings, but everyday objects, when done by someone with imagination and manual skills, are just as fascinating to me. I certainly consider them art!
Ha, ha, Mary Jo! I confess, I do love looking at many paintings, but everyday objects, when done by someone with imagination and manual skills, are just as fascinating to me. I certainly consider them art!
I adore the beauty of everyday objects.
And the V&A was one of the high points on that often mentioned 12-dayy tour of Great Britain. We saw it on our very first day, on our own, before the tour had started. We still mention it to each other.
I would not have thought of pistols as works of art, but these pistols are certainly just that.
Thank you so much for the information.
I adore the beauty of everyday objects.
And the V&A was one of the high points on that often mentioned 12-dayy tour of Great Britain. We saw it on our very first day, on our own, before the tour had started. We still mention it to each other.
I would not have thought of pistols as works of art, but these pistols are certainly just that.
Thank you so much for the information.
I adore the beauty of everyday objects.
And the V&A was one of the high points on that often mentioned 12-dayy tour of Great Britain. We saw it on our very first day, on our own, before the tour had started. We still mention it to each other.
I would not have thought of pistols as works of art, but these pistols are certainly just that.
Thank you so much for the information.
I adore the beauty of everyday objects.
And the V&A was one of the high points on that often mentioned 12-dayy tour of Great Britain. We saw it on our very first day, on our own, before the tour had started. We still mention it to each other.
I would not have thought of pistols as works of art, but these pistols are certainly just that.
Thank you so much for the information.
I adore the beauty of everyday objects.
And the V&A was one of the high points on that often mentioned 12-dayy tour of Great Britain. We saw it on our very first day, on our own, before the tour had started. We still mention it to each other.
I would not have thought of pistols as works of art, but these pistols are certainly just that.
Thank you so much for the information.
Ah, another fan of the V&A! Isn’t it a marvelous place? The beauty of everyday objects really does make life a little brighter!
So glad you enjoyed the pistols, Sue!
Ah, another fan of the V&A! Isn’t it a marvelous place? The beauty of everyday objects really does make life a little brighter!
So glad you enjoyed the pistols, Sue!
Ah, another fan of the V&A! Isn’t it a marvelous place? The beauty of everyday objects really does make life a little brighter!
So glad you enjoyed the pistols, Sue!
Ah, another fan of the V&A! Isn’t it a marvelous place? The beauty of everyday objects really does make life a little brighter!
So glad you enjoyed the pistols, Sue!
Ah, another fan of the V&A! Isn’t it a marvelous place? The beauty of everyday objects really does make life a little brighter!
So glad you enjoyed the pistols, Sue!
My husband is a knife collector and we have many on display. Much like the pistols beautiful but deadly and that is fascinating to me. He is also a wood turner, a maker of bowls, platters, boxes and hollow forms from cherry and maple. The “craft or art” question is an ongoing discussion in the turning community with many turners now represented by art galleries and having pieces part of museum collections. I love old dough and butter bowls with their aged patinas, their makers would be amazed that we still cherish and display these items.
My husband is a knife collector and we have many on display. Much like the pistols beautiful but deadly and that is fascinating to me. He is also a wood turner, a maker of bowls, platters, boxes and hollow forms from cherry and maple. The “craft or art” question is an ongoing discussion in the turning community with many turners now represented by art galleries and having pieces part of museum collections. I love old dough and butter bowls with their aged patinas, their makers would be amazed that we still cherish and display these items.
My husband is a knife collector and we have many on display. Much like the pistols beautiful but deadly and that is fascinating to me. He is also a wood turner, a maker of bowls, platters, boxes and hollow forms from cherry and maple. The “craft or art” question is an ongoing discussion in the turning community with many turners now represented by art galleries and having pieces part of museum collections. I love old dough and butter bowls with their aged patinas, their makers would be amazed that we still cherish and display these items.
My husband is a knife collector and we have many on display. Much like the pistols beautiful but deadly and that is fascinating to me. He is also a wood turner, a maker of bowls, platters, boxes and hollow forms from cherry and maple. The “craft or art” question is an ongoing discussion in the turning community with many turners now represented by art galleries and having pieces part of museum collections. I love old dough and butter bowls with their aged patinas, their makers would be amazed that we still cherish and display these items.
My husband is a knife collector and we have many on display. Much like the pistols beautiful but deadly and that is fascinating to me. He is also a wood turner, a maker of bowls, platters, boxes and hollow forms from cherry and maple. The “craft or art” question is an ongoing discussion in the turning community with many turners now represented by art galleries and having pieces part of museum collections. I love old dough and butter bowls with their aged patinas, their makers would be amazed that we still cherish and display these items.
Denise, I totally get why your husband collects knives. I’ve some absolutely beautiful ones!
And I agree that wood turning is art, and the creations should be in a gallery. I, too, have some old bowls that have a wonderful richness from age. I hope the people who made them felt they had created something special.
Denise, I totally get why your husband collects knives. I’ve some absolutely beautiful ones!
And I agree that wood turning is art, and the creations should be in a gallery. I, too, have some old bowls that have a wonderful richness from age. I hope the people who made them felt they had created something special.
Denise, I totally get why your husband collects knives. I’ve some absolutely beautiful ones!
And I agree that wood turning is art, and the creations should be in a gallery. I, too, have some old bowls that have a wonderful richness from age. I hope the people who made them felt they had created something special.
Denise, I totally get why your husband collects knives. I’ve some absolutely beautiful ones!
And I agree that wood turning is art, and the creations should be in a gallery. I, too, have some old bowls that have a wonderful richness from age. I hope the people who made them felt they had created something special.
Denise, I totally get why your husband collects knives. I’ve some absolutely beautiful ones!
And I agree that wood turning is art, and the creations should be in a gallery. I, too, have some old bowls that have a wonderful richness from age. I hope the people who made them felt they had created something special.