Gary Zaboly is one of my favorite historical illustrators. His work on Rogers Rangers and the Alamo are the gold standard for authenticity of historical interpretation. He recently posted a 2009 work that punches out the x-ring of the Frontier Partisan aesthetic:
Uniform and equipment for a proposed corps of mounted United States riflemen to serve on the country’s southwestern borders against a possible Mexican invasion, 1836. Buckskin was recommended as the dominant “fabric.” The Mexican influence is everywhere. (2009 drawing, for AN ALTAR FOR THEIR SONS).
I dig everything about that badass…
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Lane Batot scouted up a fanciful portrait of “Young Annie Oakley” by Santiago Michalek.
As Lane noted, she looks familiar…
Hey, I ain’t gonna revoke that artistic license. Ah, Emmylou…
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Back in 2011, when The Cimmerian blog went dark, Howard Andrew Jones invited me to write for The Black Gate, a fantasy literature blog. I turned him down because I was launching Frontier Partisans. But ai was honored that he asked. We Frontier Partisans owe Howard Andrew Jones a debt for bringing Harold Lamb’s Khlit the Cossack stories back into print in complete collections. He’s a fine writer in his own right, too. On Thursday I heard from Paul McNamee that Jones has been diagnosed with a terminal brain cancer. Terrible news — and a reminder that tomorrow is not promised.
Matthew says
Terrible shame about Jones. It was service to reprint Harold Lamb’s adventure stories. I sent in a story to his Tales of the Magician’s Skull Magazine and while it was not accepted he sent back encouraging words.
Mike says
I can’t help but think about the lance in the illustration. Boggles my mind that it wouldn’t have been entirely out of place almost a century later at the Marne or might have been carried by Poles in 1939 (albeit not against Panzers as myth would suggest).
Quixotic Mainer says
I feel like my moniker makes voicing my approval of the lance redundant! Rifle armed light dragoons that could also make quick pounces and raids with the lance would be lethal though. Not so sure about those wood stirrups though!
The Ames “rifleman’s knife” is quite a thing of beauty though, that was the white weapon that those fellas eventually got. If I could come up with an excuse for needing one, I’d love to have one someday.
JimC says
Hah! Well played. And I’m guessing you could come up with a pressing need much less an excuse if you put your mind to it… Just playing me enabler role here….
Nalyec says
Dear Howard, I hope you’ll complete your bucket list and make the most of it. May you and your loved ones be at peace.