Colt Model 1851 Navy Percussion Revolver, Serial Number 29705, with Case and Accessories 1828 - 1879

Curator: We're looking at a Colt Model 1851 Navy Percussion Revolver, crafted sometime between 1828 and 1879. The metal and wood are displayed beautifully in this photographic rendering, and the object resides here at the Met. Editor: My first impression is the overwhelming sense of history—the weight and darkness of the piece contrasting so vividly with the light backdrop. Curator: Indeed. The formal aspects are compelling. Note the strong horizontal line of the barrel countered by the graceful curve of the handle. This creates a powerful tension. Then, there's the interplay between the matte textures of the metal and the polished wood, a tactile contrast rendered exquisitely in the photographic medium. Editor: I'm drawn to think about the labor, and by extension, the culture surrounding it. The United States at the height of westward expansion, and industrial revolution! Consider the material realities involved in sourcing the metal, the carving of the wooden handle. Who were the artisans involved in producing and then embellishing this? Curator: Good points. The engraved details on the metal frame suggest a deliberate elevation beyond mere utility. Look closely, and you'll see scrollwork. There is a visual language here, signifying power, wealth, or status—even civilization. The object, photographed in a modern way, plays with how we should approach this object. Editor: And thinking about the accessibility made possible via photography, it shifts our interaction with this object of power, death, industry, and art. How was the product marketed, consumed, mythologized? Was this gun owned? Cherished? Curator: Photography allows us to examine details the human eye might miss in person— the artist can focus your gaze in ways that change our reading. Its design offers more than just deadly utility; there's elegance, a stark symmetry, creating a compelling paradox. The weapon possesses a kind of brutal beauty. Editor: And the social consequences inherent to that brutal beauty… Curator: The photo captures how objects represent more than their material reality. They gain a potent afterlife of semiotic meaning. Editor: And it allows the artist to further the conversation—a beautiful object laden with contradictions.