Powder Horn

Inscriptions

Inscribed: SAML PEASLEE / HIS HORN 1780

Label

Powder horns provided a fireproof and waterproof means of carrying gunpowder in the era of muzzle-loading firearms. They gained widespread use in this country during the Colonial Wars and the Revolution, but became obsolete with the growing availability of cartridges in the nineteenth century. As seen here, they could also serve as a palette for carved inscriptions and decorative designs. The similarity of the fanciful, stylized animal motifs on this example with at least two other examples suggest a shared design source—possibly a book illustration—or one carver imitating the work of another. This horn belonged to Samuel Peaslee (1746–1821), one of the first settlers of Sutton (formerly Perrystown), New Hampshire. He ran a tavern and brickyard and served as a member of the local militia during the Revolution.

From the 2019 exhibition American Art, Colonial to Modern, curated by Barbara J. MacAdam, Jonathan L. Cohen Curator of American Art

| The objects in this case function as relics, or things that physically link the past with the present. The cannonball from the Battle of Bennington, recorded as “ploughed up in 1894,” is a perfect example. The idea of the American Revolution also lived on through those who participated, including both everyday people like Samuel Peaslee, the owner of the powder horn who served in the 21st Regiment during the Revolutionary War, and famous figures such as George Washington. Other objects, including the pine tree shilling, took symbols like the pine tree featured on many Revolutionary-era flags and spread them widely. While many of these objects have little or no inherent value, their association with historical figures and events imbues them with symbolic power.

From the 2025-26 exhibition Revolution Reconsidered: History, Myth, and Propaganda, curated by Michael W. Hartman (Jonathan Little Cohen Curator of American Art), Haely Chang (Jane and Raphael Bernstein Associate Curator of East Asian Art), Elizabeth Rice Mattison (Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programming and Curator of European Art), Ashley B. Offill (Curator of Collections), and Evonne Fuselier (Hood Museum Board of Advisors Mutual Learning Fellow)

Exhibition History

American Art, Colonial to Modern, Israel Sack Gallery and Rush Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 26, 2019-September 12, 2021.

American Folk Art at the Hood Museum of Art (a thematic partial permanent gallery installation); Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, July 16, 2015.

Revolution Reconsidered: History, Myth, and Propaganda, Harteveldt Family Gallery and Owen Robertson Cheatham Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, October 18, 2025 - August 8, 2026.

Published References

Grangsay, Stephen V. American Engraved Powder Horns: A Study Based on the J. H. Grenville Gilbert Collection. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1945. Guthman, William H. Drums A'beating, Trumpets Sounding: Artistically Carved Powder Horns in the Provincial Manner, 1746-1781. Hartford, Conn: Connecticut Historical Society, 1993. Guthman, William H. “Powder Horns Carved in the Provincial Manner, 1744–1781.” The Magazine Antiques, October, 1993, 494–501. Routh, James E. Jr. his horn[e] made: Engraved Powder Horns from the Collection of James E. Routh, Jr. Athen, Ga., 2000. Worthen, Augusta Harvey, compiler. The History of Sutton, New Hampshire, 2 vols. Concord, N.H.: 1890.

Provenance

A descendant of the original owner then residing in central New Hampshire; sold to Marie Elaine Nelson (later Tefft), c. 1969–70; given to present collection, 2012

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