Cowboy Boots -- Clippings

Amazing! 257 images and counting. How many pixels is that?

Many thanks to "treasguy" and "mbstinky" for their generous posting of vintage cowboy boot ads on the photo-sharing site, Flickr.

Poke around. You'll find the "Big 3," but you'll also find ads for Paul Bond, Joe Hall, M.L. Leddy, and Champion Boot Companies.

Play a game of hide-n-seek ...and look for the ad that matches your latest vintage pair.

Cowboy Boots: Vintage Advertising

Cowboy Boots: Vintage Advertising

Acme women.
They've got the world by the reins.
Confident. Self-assured. Dressed for success.
Complete with the boots to prove it.
Acme.
Western boots for every fashion.
Every ambition.
Boots for today — cut from the Old West.

Cowboy Boots: Vintage Advertising

Cowboy Boots: Vintage Advertising

Cowboy Boots: Vintage Advertising

I buy vintage cowboy boot advertising because the stitches inspire me.

This is an original 1965 print ad for Tony Lama cowboy boots, with photos showing 12 stitch styles, and several famous wearers of the boots: Slim Pickens, Buck Owens, Harry Charters, Ardith Bruce and many other back-in-the-day rodeo stars. (Click to zoom pages 1, 2, 3, & 4.)

Here, my favorite stitch patterns are THE STOCKMAN (p. 3) and THE FANCY FOOT (p. 2). They fill the tops with good angles and curves.

I think THE BULLWHIP on page 3 is a dud. Yuck. It's boring, and bet you anything, those boot tops are going to sag and wrinkle because of the sparse horizontal stitching at the ankle... but that's just my opinion.

Here are the eBay searches I use most often:

• cowboy boot advertising
• cowboy boot catalogs

Cowboy Boot History for Sale on eBay

A rare find. A pen and ink drawing signed by Harry Olsen. The image is great... a wild bronc bustin' out of a corral of art deco typography. (photos)

Olsen-Stelzer created beautiful cowboy boot catalogs way back when. Illustrated the margins with sunsets and cactus... a pen and ink was all you needed to imagine adventure in high-def.

(Photo courtesy of eBay seller Texas36. Thanks to Marshall C. for the heads-up.)

More Cowboy Boot Labels

I've added a bunch "new" labels to the "Makers' Marks" Photo Pool on Flickr. Now, there are more than 70 custom and store-bought cowboy boot labels... and yes, there's plenty of room for more!

(P.S. I've alphabetized my photos.)

Cowboy Boot Ephemera

Click on the image and read the about the thrilling adventures of the "Popsicle" Kids in the Nevada Bad Lands.

(Spoiler... the boot ring saves the day!)