Historical bowie knife pictures

[Lee D]

Agreed. The (limited) research I have done, indicates that Jim's knife most likely resembled today's common kitchen knife, and looked very little like what we "wish" it looked like with swedges, guards and deep clip points.

 

[Arathol]

Agreed. The (limited) research I have done, indicates that Jim's knife most likely resembled today's common kitchen knife, and looked very little like what we "wish" it looked like with swedges, guards and deep clip points.

LOL.....Jim Bowies knife was made by a blacksmith in Louisiana.
Todays Bowie knife was made by some prop guy in Hollywood....

 

[ferider]

Love some old Bowies!

This is more modern - issued in Vietnam. Western W49 that I refurbished recently. A beast of a knife that would do well in the woods.

There was a very similar model issued in WW2.

View attachment 2011735View attachment 2011737View attachment 2011738

Thanks for posting that pic. Never seen a picture of a wood-stock M14 tanker in the wild before.

 

[Arathol]

Thanks for posting that pic. Never seen a picture of a wood-stock M14 tanker in the wild before.

Looks more like an M1 Carbine with the barrel cut off.....

 

[helobite]

This Gravely and Wrecks is one of the earliest "identifiable" bowie knives. Whether Jim Bowie used one like it is never going to be proven, and I believe, he did not. But ads from the 1830's show this being sold as a bowie.

I could not afford an original, so I made do with a modern version

or two: Black Ash Burl

or three: Madrone wood

The lack of a guard make these knives more useful in other roles, than the ones with big cross guards.


In my opinion the best book on Bowie knives is The Bowie Knife: Unsheathing an American Legend by Norm Flayderman. It is too expensive to buy, so borrow one through inter library loan from your public library. I frequently get books to read this way. Call the Circulations or librarian desk and find out what you have to do. You will have to get a library card, and you will have to physically pick the book up from the library. But that's OK by me, as I love the library.

What Mr Flayderman shows are an amazing number of period Bowie knives by epoch. You can see in the original knives, more or less stylistic patterns that are characteristic of that time. It is impossible and incorrect to call any one type of knife "the Bowie" knife. The San Fransico bowies are distinctly different from the East Coast versions. The Sheffield Bowies were probably the most common till the American Civil War. And there are master knife smiths who made distinctive bowie knives.

I think this is more of a utility knife, but, it is early.

 

[Triton]

Here is the bowie that is as near a copy of the original Sandbar knife according to historians any way. Forged 5160, distal taper, .25" spine, Greco handmade sheath I bought for it. Been used a ton in the kitchen and a bit of stump shooting. I liked it so much I purchased another one identical save for the handle wood. This is a rosewood handle and a modern piece of steel instead of a file used for the original. As close to measurements on the knives as possible to make a fine facsimile. stay safe

PS simple is better in most cases I have found also these were purchased here on the BF's several yrs ago when this fella was selling them, off shore made but absolutely first rate craftsmanship.

Also looks a lot like the Forest Bowie, thanks for sharing!

 

[Triton]

Fun fact, the first Bowie knife was supposedly made about 1 mile down the road from my house in Bunkie, LA. Jim Bowie's brother, Rezin Bowie, had a house 1 mile away and supposedly a blacksmith made the first Bowie knife at that house. Growing up, we went squirrel in the area and I had walked through the remains of the old house. I never knew the history of the house site until many years later. The house site is now very overgrown.

That is really cool!

 

[Triton]

This Gravely and Wrecks is one of the earliest "identifiable" bowie knives. Whether Jim Bowie used one like it is never going to be proven, and I believe, he did not. But ads from the 1830's show this being sold as a bowie.

I could not afford an original, so I made do with a modern version

or two: Black Ash Burl

or three: Madrone wood

The lack of a guard make these knives more useful in other roles, than the ones with big cross guards.


In my opinion the best book on Bowie knives is The Bowie Knife: Unsheathing an American Legend by Norm Flayderman. It is too expensive to buy, so borrow one through inter library loan from your public library. I frequently get books to read this way. Call the Circulations or librarian desk and find out what you have to do. You will have to get a library card, and you will have to physically pick the book up from the library. But that's OK by me, as I love the library.

What Mr Flayderman shows are an amazing number of period Bowie knives by epoch. You can see in the original knives, more or less stylistic patterns that are characteristic of that time. It is impossible and incorrect to call any one type of knife "the Bowie" knife. The San Fransico bowies are distinctly different from the East Coast versions. The Sheffield Bowies were probably the most common till the American Civil War. And there are master knife smiths who made distinctive bowie knives.

I think this is more of a utility knife, but, it is early.

Thanks! Love the second and third ones!

 

[Barman1]

Found this painting from the 1860's.

 

[Triton]

Found this painting from the 1860's.
View attachment 2015061

Seems unlikely but still pretty neat!

 

[Barman1]

Seems unlikely but still pretty neat!

Why unlikely? I'm not much of a history buff...

 

[3fifty7]

Fun fact, the first Bowie knife was supposedly made about 1 mile down the road from my house in Bunkie, LA. Jim Bowie's brother, Rezin Bowie, had a house 1 mile away and supposedly a blacksmith made the first Bowie knife at that house. Growing up, we went squirrel in the area and I had walked through the remains of the old house. I never knew the history of the house site until many years later. The house site is now very overgrown.

I guess it’s time I say welcome neighbor.

I’m sitting a bout a mile from the site right now, in the pouring rain. You know cane harvest and all of that going on right now. I assume you’ve read this article but if not here is a good link.

Bowie Knife

By Jerry LaFleur, October 2009

www.holmesvillela.com

 

[Albin]

I guess it’s time I say welcome neighbor.

I’m sitting a bout a mile from the site right now, in the pouring rain. You know cane harvest and all of that going on right now. I assume you’ve read this article but if not here is a good link.

Bowie Knife

By Jerry LaFleur, October 2009

www.holmesvillela.com

I'm trying to find the Rezin Bowie plantation site on GE. Could you give me coordinates or better address? Thanks,

 

[3fifty7]

I'm trying to find the Rezin Bowie plantation site on GE. Could you give me coordinates or better address? Thanks,

This first map is linked from my earlier post. The coordinates are a pin I dropped on the highlighted area in the satellite photo.

The former mayor who was referenced in the article tried to get the site listed on the historical preservation registry and a historical marker placed but the current land owner was not interested.

 

[msierant]

That is some GREAT info, 3fifty7. Really interesting. Who here wouldn't give anything to actually know what the "real" bowie looked like. Something I guess the world will never know. I'm leaning more toward a heavy butcher type. Maybe a guard, maybe not. Don't think we're talking "IRON MISTRESS" type. Best regards to all.
Mike

 

[lambertiana]

Remember that there is a difference between Bowie knives and bowie style hunters, which came later. If the handle has a straight taper to the butt end it is a bowie style hunter and dates to no earlier than the 1870s. BRL did not consider them to be true Bowie knives.

 

[tltt]

On the Forrest knife, here's a good talk the current owner did on it a few years ago -

.

I don't have a time stamp, but around the middle he gives dimensions and shows off the tapering, etc..... It's a far more complex knife than people give it credit for. We'll never know what the actual knife looked like, but the Forrest is probably the closest. Rezin was the knife man of the family, and the knives he was known to have a hand in all have a straight back or very mild clip to them.

This Chevalier is probably the clippi-est of the Rezin knives -

.

 

[Triton]

Why unlikely? I'm not much of a history buff...

They are throwing their bodies knives at a tree, something that was sure to damage a valuable and irreplaceable tool on the trail west. At least that was my thought.

 

[skilledhunter]

For your viewing pleasure...a pair of W.S. Butcher Coffin Hilt Bowies.

 

[DocJD]

Agreed. The (limited) research I have done, indicates that Jim's knife most likely resembled today's common kitchen knife, and looked very little like what we "wish" it looked like with swedges, guards and deep clip points.

Yeah...welp, hard to capitalize on the Bowie legend, if it's just a big a$$ kitchen / butchers knife !

Plus , IMO , many of the modern spin offs are probably more interesting and fun than the historical accurate ,but disappointingly boring originals .