The Estate of Snuff Garrett (1938-2015)

The Estate of Snuff Garrett 

If you don’t know who Snuff Garret is, you need to Google him immediately. One of the greatest American music record producers of all time, Snuff wasn’t just rich and famous, he was ostentatious and hilarious, fun and funny, brilliant, quick, and as foul mouthed as a man could be. He was a hoot. And he was a cowboy.

Thomas Leslie “Snuff” Garrett was born in Dallas, Texas. He dropped out of high school, became a disc jockey in Lubbock, and went on to become the most successful record producer of the 1960s and 1970s. A few of his stable of artists included Bobby Vee, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Johnny Burnette, Del Shannon, Cher, Brenda Lee, Nancy Sinatra and countless others. He worked with Phil Spector, Carole King, Leon Russell, Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds. Snuff’s great talent was his ability to know a hit song when he heard one, and know who should sing it. He was, to everyone’s agreement, a genius in that respect.

Snuff loved music, and he loved art. Along with his music friends, and Hollywood friends, Snuff had artist friends. Olaf Wieghorst, Joe Beeler, Michael Coleman, John Hampton, Tom Ryan, Gary Niblett, Harley Brown and many others. Snuff’s home was filled with art from his cowboy artist buddies. It was also filled with movie posters. Framed original lithographs hung floor to ceiling, featuring the antics of Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, Rex Allen and the others. Every room in Snuff’s house was a testament to his many passions. 

Of his many famous friends, Roy Rogers and Snuff had a particularly special relationship. Snuff grew up on Hollywood cowboys and he worshipped Roy. When, as an adult, he met and worked with Roy, the two became fast friends. Frequently Snuff referred to Roy as a “father figure.” It was clear in the way that Snuff emulated Roy (from his suits to his boots), that he had great respect for the man. They remained dear friends for life.  

Snuff was an avid collector, and not given to restraint in any way. In the 1980s he bought the then-struggling Bohlin Company after Ed passed away. He has a whole lot of Bohlin buckles to show for it. He was a member of the exclusive Charlie Russell Riders, and prized his Riders collection. But the best part about Snuff’s collecting – whether gifts from famous friends, rare movie posters, silver spurs, or anything else for that matter -- is that he did it out of love. He loved this stuff, and he took great pleasure in living with it every day. Snuff’s heart was as big as his personality.

We are honored (though saddened) to offer items from the Estate of our fu*#%ing friend, Snuff Garrett. The collection is extensive and impressive, and more pieces will be offered at our June auction in Fort Worth. Many of Snuff’s collectibles are personalized, or personal, or just plain cool. Like he was.  

If you’d like to learn more about Snuff Garrett, we recommend you do an Internet search for the Sept. 3, 1998 “Phoenix New Times” article about Snuff by Gilbert Garcia. It’s titled, “Happy Trails.”

Lot 38: Roy Rogers' Personal Eagle Boots, a gift from Roy to Snuff.
Brian Lebel's Mesa Auction - January 21, 2017
Sold $7,670

Lot 130: 18K Gold Edward H. Bohlin Buckle Set with Snuff's initials in Rubies, and  Exotic Belts with Extra Tips.
Brian Lebel's Mesa Auction - January 21, 2017
Sold $8,850

Lot 272: Cattle Brand Engraved Colt Single Action. Bohlin marked sterling and 14K gold grips with high relief steer head. Sold $18,150
Lot 273: Edward H. Bohlin Two-Tone, Sterling Gun Rig. Sold $7,865
Brian Lebel's Mesa Auction - January 21, 2017

Lot 194: One of several lots by Snuff's friend Olaf Wieghorst
Brian Lebel's Mesa Auction - January 21, 2017
Sold $1,534

Lot 43: Pair of Tom Mix Circus Original Lithograph Posters.
Brian Lebel's Mesa Auction - January 21, 2017
Sold $2,242

The Jackie Coles Collection

Lot 34: Dennis Anderson (1940-2005)
Sold $236

Lot 46: Glenna Goodacre (b. 1939)
Sold $590

Lot 41: Sherry Sander (b. 1941)
Sold $826

Lot 35:Dennis Anderson  (1940 - 2005)
Sold $472

We are honored to offer items from the Jackie Coles Collection. Mrs. Coles was a long-time patron and docent volunteer at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. One of her passions was contemporary western art, which she pursued vigorously throughout her life. In 2009 the Jacquelyn L. Coles Revocable Trust donated a portion of her western art collection to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum for the expressed wishes of generating funds to be used for educational programs, collection conservation, exhibitions and the creation of a special “Jackie Coles Art Award.” The sale of her artwork is a condition of that portion of the gift. Being sold to benefit the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Program and Acquisition Funds.

Lots 31 - 46

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016

Lot 36: Nicholas Wilson (b. 1947)
Sold $826

Gerard Curtis Delano (1890 - 1972)

Lot 247

Gerard Curtis Delano (1890 - 1972)
In Canyon de Chelly
Oil on board
12 1/4" x 15"
Signed lower right: Delano
Framed to 19" x 22"

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $20,060

Edward H. Bohlin Boots and Spurs

Lot 120 - Rare and early Edward H. Bohlin silver-mounted iron (not stainless) spurs with Bohlin-made silver repoussé boots. Artistically and intricately engraved, Cheyenne heelband clearly influenced by Ed's tenure in Cody, Wyoming; silver overlaid rowels, classic Bohlin two-piece maker-marked straps with silver conchos and three-piece Bohlinmade ranger buckles. Spurs are fine, 100% original condition, boots show some wear along the bottoms and are 11" toe to heel. Circa 1929.

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $27,600

Hollywood and Native Arts

413 - Autographed and Inscribed Hollywood Photographs (over 100 total)
Sold $5,175

We are once again thrilled to offer art and artifacts from the collections of Iron Eyes Cody and his neighbor, artist Clarence Ellsworth, through the estate of Victor Buck.

Iron Eyes Cody (1904-1999) began his acting career in the 1930s and worked in more than 200 films. But it's his portrayal of the "Crying Chief" in the now infamous "Keep America Beautiful" television advertising campaign that keeps his image in the forefront of our minds. The environmental commercial showed Cody shedding a tear after trash is thrown from the window of a car and it lands at his feet. 

Clarence Ellsworth (1885-1961) was a self-taught artist who traveled extensively throughout the American West. For a time he called Denver home, working as a staff artist for the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News. It wasn't long before Hollywood beckoned and he and his wife headed West to continue his artist career, this time as title artist for the studios. 

After his death, Iron Eyes Cody's collection (which included a lot of Ellsworth's artwork and effects), went to this manager and estate executor Victor Buck, a successful entrepreneur and antiques dealer who often rubbed-elbows with Hollywood's elite.

If this story seems familiar to you, perhaps you are a fan of the History Channel's American Pickers. An episode that aired in 2015 shows Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz making a stop in Arizona to purchase a few items from the Victor Buck estate.

Lots: 61, 253, 368, 369, 370, 372, 373, 385, 413, 414.

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016

Lot 373 - Collection of San Ildefonso & Santa Clara Pottery
Sold $605

Wonderful Sioux Pictorial Beaded Jacket

Lot 257: Sioux Pictorial Beaded Jacket

Wonderful Sioux beaded and fringed jacket or scout coat. On native tanned hide, with extraordinary pictorial elements on both front and back. With fringe and beads at the seams, and fastened with U.S. military brass buttons. Wonderful pictorial beadwork includes pipes, morning stars, dragon flies, buffalo, birds, and other symbols and images. Areas of red ochre pigment along shoulders and in protected areas. Beaded in a geometric design at the color, cuffs, down the arms and along the bottom. Sinew sewn. A fine example. Circa 1890s. 

Pictured: “A Beading Heart - The Bob and Lora Sandroni Collection,” page 130.

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $69,000

The Arthur Bernhard Western Pulp Art Collection

Western “pulp” art began with the dime novels of the late 1800s – tales of lurid and exciting exploits of rough heroes, dastardly villains and buxom damsels, with illustrations designed to capture the action of the story and the attention of the public. The era of American western illustration art had begun. By the mid-20th century, pulp paperbacks and magazines were the rage, and every book was judged by its cover, which held the promise of the excitement to be found inside. Arthur Bernhard was an Arizona publisher of mid-century pulp paperbacks, but he was also a collector. When hiring artists to illustrate the covers, Bernhard negotiated deals so that he got to keep the original art from which the covers were taken. Descended through his family, the pieces that follow are some of the original works he collected.    

Bernhard's lots: 69 - 76

Lot 73 - Fred Rodewald (1905 - 1955)
Sold $354

Starr's Silver Shop, Reno, Nevada

Lot 125 - Sterling Parade Chaps and Vest Set

Striking, brown leather and sterling parade vest and chaps. Dazzling Starr's Silver Shop, Reno, Nevada maker-marked, two-tone brown, matching floral carved Vest and Batwing Chaps, exquisitely and artistically adorned with hundreds of heavy gauge sterling silver mountings, filigreed corners and gold horseheads. Custom designed by the renowned Nevada silversmith in the early 1950s for a most discriminating parade participant, the fully lined leather Vest is mounted with deeply engraved domed silver conchos in graduated sizes, spaced with sterling spots forming a stylized and regal 6-pointed star leading to a raised solid gold horsehead center. The Vest front has double exterior pockets and is fully trimmed with silver conchos and spots. The corners of the vest are artfully adorned with engraved filigreed silver plates below matching gold horseheads. The long and impressive Batwing Chaps are fully and beautifully floral carved and trimmed in sterling silver conchos and spots while featuring three 6-pointed stars down each leg formed with round, domed silver conchos in graduated sizes. The belt is attached via three-piece buckle set maker-stamped with the Starr saddlery stamp. This parade outfit is unquestionably one the most elegant, opulent and artistic that we have ever had the pleasure to sell -- comparable to  work from the most prestigious period Hollywood shops like Edward Bohlin and John McCabe.

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $34,500

Benefitting the Museum and its Collections

Lot 343 - 19th Century Mexican Officers Saddle
Sold $4,235

The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History began in 1941 as the Fort Worth Children’s Museum. Its Museum School, begun later that decade, is legendary. In 1968 the museum changed its name to its current name so that adults might feel compelled to join in the fun too. We are proud to offer a number of items from the collection of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, the sale of which will directly benefit the museum and its collections.

Lots: 154, 339 - 351.

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
 

Lot 349 - Kingsville Lumber Co. Holster with Belt
Sold $3,835

Dennis Farina (1944-2013)

We are  proud to announce the sale of the Dennis Farina Western Art Collection as part of its 27th annual Old West Show & Auction weekend event, June 11-12, 2016 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, TX. Approximately ten pieces from the popular actor’s estate will cross the block, consisting primarily of early-to-mid twentieth century Western illustration and pulp art, and featuring action-packed scenes of cowboys, lawmen and bank robbers, by artists such as Buck McCain, Olaf Wieghorst and Richard Lillis. 

Dennis Farina (1944-2013) was a familiar face in both film and television. A busy actor, he is probably best known for his role as Detective Joe Fontana on “Law and Order.” Frequently cast as either a mobster or a cop, he was “discovered” while working in the burglary division of the Chicago Police Department. Though his characters were cops and robbers, Dennis, like so many men of his generation, wanted to be a cowboy. In a 2005 “TV Guide” article he was quoted as saying, “I would love to play a real old-style cowboy like Rooster Cogburn.” 

Brian Lebel, auction owner (and fan of western pulp and illustration art himself), is thrilled to be offering the actor’s collection. “I always liked the characters Dennis played,” Lebel says. “He could be both serious and comedic at the same time. The art in his collection is like that too.”   

The Dennis Farina Art Collection: Lots 77 - 84.

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
 

Lot 77 - Harry Kane Kirchner (1912 - 1988)
Untitled: Poker Game
Sold $182

Lot 79 - Richard Lillis
Untitled: Gunfight
Sold $188

Lot 82 - Keith Christie (b. 1935)
Sold $708

The Mexican Revolution, as depicted by Joe Beeler

Joe Beeler (1931 - 2006)
A founding member of the Cowboy Artists of America, Joe Beeler was a pioneer in contemporary western art and was accomplished in both painting and bronzes. Born in 1931 in Joplin, Missouri, Beeler grew up with cowboys, ranchers, and the Native Americans who would later inspire his art. Always with sketchbook in hand, he developed an appreciation for each culture, giving his work a definite level of authenticity.

It was not until 1958 that Beeler received his first big break when the University of Oklahoma Press hired him to illustrate some of their various western and historical publications. Within two years, the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, held a one-man exhibition for him. The following year the Montana Historical Society also gave Beeler a one-man show. In 1965 he founded the Cowboy Artists of America, which lead to his one-man show at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, becoming the first contemporary artist to achieve this feat.

Lot 309: Joe Beeler's Mexican Revolution, Watercolor.

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $1,888

Exceptional Trail Saddle

Lot 264: Early Texas Trail Saddle

A rare 1850s Texas style stock saddle. Exposed and chased rawhide tree, leaf design tooling in the earliest style. The pommel has red leather decoration within the rigging. The horsehair anquera which formed the rear skirts has been trimmed. The saddle includes a pair of very scarce pommel holsters with matching tooling and finish. The flaps have been removed and attached is the original ball pouch. The holsters fit a large frame revolver such as the Colt Walker or Dragoon. Very hard to find these accessories intact. The buckles and rigging rings have original leather coverings. The quilted and padded seat shows some insect damage. The original tapaderos cover fine-condition, leather covered and tooled stirrups. The fenders are in excellent condition and show little if any use. A very similar saddle is shown in both, “Fine Art of the West” by Byron Price, page 22 & 23; and “Cowboys and the Trappings of the Old West” by William Manns and Elizabeth Clair Flood, page 111.

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $7,475

Rare Scout Jacket

Lot 254: Sioux Quilled Jacket

A very seldom seen example of an early Scout jacket. With finely executed quilled designs in bright colorful designs and symbols including birds, flowers, crosses and crossed American flags on the sleeves. Trimmed in fringe, with remnants of blue silk trim at the edges. Cotton lining. Wonderful fringe along the arms, shoulders and down the center of the back.  Circa late 19th century, 30" tall, 15" wide, 22" sleeves. Front shows fading to quillwork, but the back is bright and beautiful. 

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $3,540

John L. Clarke, aka Cutapuis – The Man Who Talks Not

J.L. Clarke (1881-1970), also known by his Blackfeet name Cutapuis – The Man Who Talks Not – was born in 1881 in Highwood, Montana. After suffering from Scarlet Fever as a child, he was left permanently deaf and mute. He was, however, highly educated, including St. John's School for the Deaf in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he learned to carve. Clarke was a multi-talented artist, working in a variety of mediums, including oils, watercolors, clays, but his reputation as an artist was built on his ability to carve bears, mountain goats, and the other wild animals of Glacier National Park.

Although Clarke is considered self-taught, he briefly attended the Chicago Art Institute but returned to East Glacier Park in 1913 and opened a studio, which he operated until his death in 1970. During his early years as an artist, Clarke signed his name as Clark, but sometime after 1920, he began to spell his name Clarke. By 1925, his work came to the attention of W. Frank Purdy of the American School of Sculpture. Purdy was so impressed, he arranged for Clarke’s work to be exhibited The Palace of Fine Arts and The New York Academy of Design. Over the years, his work would be shown in numerous shows and galleries across Europe and America, eventually earning a listing in Who’s Who of American Art. Earlier in his life, Clarke had developed a friendship with Charles Russell, who once told him, “Your work is like mine, many people like to look at it but there are few buyers…” and like Russell, Clarke’s wife became his marketing manager. Clarke’s patrons included: President Warren G. Harding, John D. Rockefeller, Charles Russell, and Louis W. Hill, the CEO of the Great Northern Railroad, among others.

Lot 168: J.L. Clarke "Glacier" Grizzly Bear Lamp. 

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $3,540

Karl’s of Seattle

Karl’s of Seattle was owned by Karl L. Raab who employed one of the premier silversmiths on the west coast, Don Ellis (1913-1969), to manufacture mountings for their coveted line of parade saddles. Don grew up in Seattle where he was a self-taught silversmith and engraver. During his younger years as a rodeo rider, Don created his first rodeo trophy buckle for Ellensburg, Washington rodeo events. By the 1940s he was making silver saddles as well as gold and silver buckles. In the early 1950s Don created the lavish gold and silver presentation buckles for the Rodeo Cowboy Association and completed his crowning achievement, the Wes Williams’ saddle that is on display at the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. Don is often referred to as the “Ed Bohlin of the Pacific Northwest” when, in fact, his exquisite style of engraving met or exceeded the best that the renowned Hollywood Saddle Maker to the Stars ever had to offer.

Lot 7: Karl’s, Washington State, Parade Saddle with Don Ellis Silver Mountings.

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $4,130

Fine Northern Plains Artifact, Ready to Dispay

Lot 161: Northern Plains Beaded Rifle Scabbard

Nicely constructed beaded rifle scabbard on native tanned hide, with classic geometric beadwork in two shades of blue, white, red and yellow. With remnants for blue cotton cloth at seam. 48" long without fringe; 7" wide at widest point. Circa 1880-90s. Includes custom wall mounts.

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $8,850

From the Walls of an Iconic Las Vegas Casino

Lot 30: Set of Four Murals from Binion's Westerner, Las Vegas.

Hand-painted large murals from the walls of Binion’s former "The Westerner" casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The set of 4 murals are painted in the WPA style, and depict various scenes of the American Frontier West: miners with misbehaving mules, Conestoga wagons on the prairie, pioneers with oxen, and of course, a stagecoach robbery. They work very well together or could be used separately and still make a great statement. They are unsigned, though appear to have possibly been painted by two different artists. All four are oil on canvas, mounted to board. Four feet high and twelve feet wide, each measures 48” x 144 1/4". Two are framed to 146 3/8" x 50 1/4"; the other two are unframed. 

The famous Benny Binion of Fort Worth and Dallas fame (and later Las Vegas), opened "The Westerner: Saloon-Gambling House-Restaurant" on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas in 1950. A Western-themed casino, it was just next door to the iconic Pioneer neon cowboy. Binion sold it in less than a year to open his soon-to-be famous Horseshoe Club.

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $17,250

Impressive Saddle Bags

Large and finely beaded Northern Plains/Sioux saddle bags. Red and blue bars on a white field with red and blue bordered, stepped triangles in dark green. Edges are beaded and fringed along the back of the bags. On native tanned hide. Beaded panels measure 11 1/4" x 11". These impressive bags are 80" in length overall, which includes the 16" bottom fringe. 

Lot 164: Sioux Fringed Saddle Bags

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $10,890

Little Sure Shot

Lots 153: Annie Oakley’s Personal 20 Gauge Parker Brothers Shotgun

Annie Oakley Parker Brothers Shotgun manufactured by Parker to Annie’s specifications. *S/N 181313, 20 gauge, 27” barrels, with special safety device mounted on left side of receiver, 15 1/4" buttstock, steel front bead, GH Grade. CONDITION: Bright bores, 95% barrel blue, 40% case color on frame, checkering and engraving still strong, walnut stock cracked and repaired at wrist. Brass inscription plate on stock reads: “Annie Oakley to Curtis Liston 12, 25, 18.” Curtis was a fellow Buffalo Bill’s Wild West performer, and friend of Annie and Frank Butler. She gifted him the gun for Christmas 1918. 

PROVENANCE: Ex: Michael Del Castello Collection

Literature: Pictured, page 137, “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West; An American Legend” by R. L. Wilson with Greg Martin, Random House, New York, 1998. Pictured: “US Steel News”, October 1950, in an article about Curtis Liston that includes an image of him holding the shotgun (publication included in lot). 

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $195,500

Lot 152: Annie Oakley’s Personal Hotel Trunk

A classic travel trunk from Annie Oakley’s personal collection, descended through her family. Stenciled on top: “Annie Oakley. / Hotel.” Iron-bound hardwood, 13 1/2" x 38" x 21". 

PROVENANCE: Ex: Don Blakeley Collection (Annie was his great-aunt); to Cody Old West Auction 2009; to current owner.

Brian Lebel's Old West Auction - June 11, 2016
Sold $19,550

FORE!

Lot 80: Kiowa Golf Bag

Native tanned hide with traces of yellow ochre. Beaded bands and stripe designs in Kiowa red, gold, blue, green, black and white beads. Circa 1890s-1900s, 41" overall, including fringe. 

Brian Lebel's High Noon Auction - January 23, 2016
Sold $1,298