Ralph Doubleday and the American Rodeo
Posted on February 7, 2008 by admin Filed Under Articles, Celebs, Fun | Leave a Comment
Famed rodeo historian Foghorn Clancy called Ralph Russell Doubleday “the undisputed World’s Champion Rodeo Photographer”. His photographs, postcards and prints from negatives played a tremendous role in advancing the sport of rodeo. According to Clancy, “Ralph was the first noted rodeo photographer because, in those days, there were not many photographers who would risk camera and film, not to mention life and limb, trying to get action pictures”.
Doubleday’s story is chronicled in articles compiled by the Donald C. and Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma. Doubleday’s photos capture the thrill, excitement and real danger of the sport and beg the question, ‘where the heck was he standing–perhaps under the steer–when he snapped that shot’? They also remind viewers why western belt buckles, as stylish as they’ve become, are more necessity than fashion statement: They keep your pants on, cowboys, when a buckin’ bronco is doing all he can to throw you.
Top Five Westerns of All Time
Posted on February 6, 2008 by admin Filed Under Celebs, Fun, Top Fives | Leave a Comment
1. High Noon- Gary Cooper, Lloyd Bridges and Grace Kelly in the most contentious showdown ever.
2. Stage Coach- Booze, gambling, outlaws and danger. Classic.
3. True Grit- John Wayne as Rooster Coburn. “Howdy Pilgrim”.
4. Unforgiven- Clint Eastwood said this film “summarizes everything [he] feels about the western”. I agree.
5. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid- Robinhood and his loner sidekick. And it made Redford a superstar.
**honorable mention: Dances with Wolves and Desperado. Costner created a compelling film and Desperado?…wit, humor, romance and the battle between light and dark.
Eastern Belt Buckles
Posted on February 3, 2008 by admin Filed Under Articles, History, History of the Western Belt Buckle, Special Buckles | Leave a Comment
Ciao Canada! We’re heading East for a brief lesson on the origins of belt buckles. According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, belt buckles were an indispensible part of the equipment worn by Roman and Greek warriors. Metalsmiths took great pride in ornamenting them with intricate designs.
An incredible specimen ca. 400 was found in the tomb of a mercenery soldier in Vermand, France. Though Romans considered those living outside the Empire to be barbarians, they often relied on these exiles and foreigners to protect the Empire’s borders. This particular soldier is suspected to have been very high-ranking; his set of belt buckle and three spear shaft mounts is gilded and richly inlaid with patterns of scrolls and rosettas.
The buckle, in particular, resembles many modern western belt buckles. Its careful metalwork and geometric design alongisde two eagle-like creatures, most likely Phoenixes, resting on the buckles clasp, mark it as an obvious precursor to the belt buckles that would later develop in the West.
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