PAINTED TIN DRUM US MILITIA CANTEEN 1830s – 1840s

PAINTED TIN DRUM US MILITIA CANTEEN 1830s – 1840s

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$395.00

Quantity Available: 1

Item Code: 1273-98

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A nice example of a pre-war militia canteen, tinned iron sheeting, 4-1/2” in diameter and 1-1/2” wide, flat back and slightly convex face, with three strap brackets and spout secure and in place. Painted a glossy black with a large “A” in gold at center of the convex face and a small “No. 4” lightly painted in gray on the upper reverse. The feet of the “A” were given straight horizontal serifs that were supplemented with three curving strokes that could be taken as arrowheads or intended to create something of a star at the end of each leg. The letter is likely the official company letter designation within a militia regiment and the number on the back is likely that of the individual militiaman. The canteen’s small capacity obviously would not suit field service, but it still satisfied technically the requirement of a canteen among a militiaman’s equipage.

The condition is very good, with some minor dings, scrapes and wear spots to the painted finish as shown, but with the gold “A” on the black ground largely unaffected. The uniformed volunteer companies of militia saw themselves as a cut above the general, common enrolled militia composed of all eligible adult male citizens, and competed with one another in dress and drill at parades and musters. Mandatory membership in the enrolled militia faded in the 1840s, but companies of the “elegant elite” persisted and gained some renewed energy as the sectional crisis deepened in the 1850s. Regardless of those elements, prewar militia material has always combined history and eye-appeal in a collecting category of its own that shares a lot with American folk art. [sr][ph:L]

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