Cowboy High Style: Thomas Molesworth to the New West - Hardcover

Flood, Elizabeth Clair

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0879054832 ISBN 13: 9780879054830

Publisher: Gibbs Smith, 1992

Synopsis

Bow-legged cowboys, buffalo silhouettes, bucking horses, Indian tepees, a antlered elk - all icons that symbolize the rugged West. These, plus sensuous natural woods, vibrant leathers and colorful woven wool fabrics, are the raw materials of western casual elegance.
The western decorative style first became fashionable in the 1930s and 1940s, when dude ranches and lodges were among the most popular tourist destinations. Many of these retreats were outfitted by Cody, Wyoming, furniture maker Thomas C. Molesworth, who worked mainly with swollen burls, rich leathers, and vibrant Chimayo weavings, to create the sturdy, streamlined furniture for which he has become famous. By adding romantic western and wildlife motifs to the furniture pieces through detailed wood carvings or paintings, Molesworth promoted a high style of furnishings that captured the spirit of the West.
Today, that once-urban dream is fast becoming an urban reality. As romance with the Old West sweeps the country and takes its place as the design style of the decade, old western furniture pieces are in high demand. And a new crop of furniture makers, inspired by Molesworth and the Arts and Crafts tradition, are expanding the western dream to meet the vision of the nineties.
In readable commentary, Elizabeth Flood captures the entrepreneurial and artistic spirit of Thomas Molesworth and introduces the contemporary furniture and accessory makers who are pushing the western style ahead in both craftsmanship and design.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"A handsome, sophisticated look at the best of the breed--designer Thomas Molesworth." --San Francisco Chronicle From authentic Thomas Molesworth collectibles to new western furnishings, Cowboy High Style presents the solid and fanciful designs of furniture makers who are leading today's western revival. Bowlegged cowboys, buffalo silhouettes, bucking horses, Indian teepees, antlered elk--all icons that symbolize the rugged West. These, plus sensual natural woods, vibrant leathers, and colorful woven wool fabrics, are the raw materials of western casual elegance featured in this book. Elizabeth Clair Flood, a San Francisco native and graduate of Georgetown University, is a freelance writer living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Her articles have appeared in magazines such as Architectural Digest, Cowboys and Indians, and West. She is the author of Old-Time Dude Ranches Out West (Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 1995.)

From the Inside Flap

Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Creating the Dream Revival Gallery of Furniture and Accessories Mixing Styles Just a Touch of Cowboy Sources

Edition details

• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0879054832
• ISBN 13: 9780879054830
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176