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exceptionalism that was sweeping the nation. Larger and grander than other world’s fairs of the past, the six month running fair was attended by more than 27 million people and showed the world that Chicago had risen from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. At the fair Smith & Wesson exhibited spectacular decorated handguns, including those manufactured in conjunction with Tiffany & Co. The exhibition engraving on the revolver is indicative of S&W’s rich quality and style established by the Young family members, arguably the greatest family dynasty in the 19th century American engraving: Gustave, Oscar and Eugene.
In the accompanying factory letter S&W historian Roy Jinks clearly points out the significance of this revolver which cannot be overstated. Jinks wrote, “Your revolver is unique because of the panel scenes which are engraved on the side of the frame. I have only seen these panel scenes on five other Smith & Wesson revolvers of various models. You might be interested in noting that the serial range in which this gun falls contains shipment of special guns to many famous individuals such as Walter Winans, Frank E. Butler (husband of Annie Oakley) and D.B. Wesson.
Olson, Duluth, Minn., who at Walnut Hill, June 30, 1903, using a SMITH & WESSON .38 caliber military revolver, fixed sights, four pound pull, full charge factory ammunition, scored 554 out of 600, beating twenty-nine other men, American and French, who used every refinement of arm or ammunition their individual taste suggested.”
When the factory letter was written in early 1988, Jinks’ asserted the revolver was engraved by Oscar Young. Over 30 years have passed since Jinks wrote that letter, and these years have given time for study and reflection. In the most recent publications featuring this revolver such as the 2004 edition of David Chicoine’s “Smith & Wesson Sixguns of the Old West” (page 393) and the 2017 edition of “Guns of the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum” (page 231) credit for the engraving has been bestowed to Oscar’s father, Gustave Young. In “Smith & Wesson Engraving,” where the revolver is pictured on page 84, author Michael Kennelly proclaimed that the revolver “can only be thought of as a Young family tour de force.”
The revolver is identified by serial number in Smith & Wesson’s Exposition catalog “Description and Prices of Finely Decorated Revolvers Prepared for World’s Fair at Chicago, 1893.” The revolver is listed on page 3 as one of “2 Single Action Revolvers,
44 calibre, blue finish, pearl stocks, and finely engraved, Nos. 27916 and 27917, each $43.00.” It is not often that we catalog firearms identified by serial number as being exhibited at a World’s Fair. In this case, however, the S&W exposition catalog makes for definitive evidence that this prestigious and historically significant New Model No. 3 was among the highly finished revolvers S&W exhibited at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. These exceptionally rare World’s Fair showpieces are the embodiment of the high art firearms scene in the late 19th century.
Although held in 1893, the Chicago World’s Fair celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s landing in America (1492) and became a symbol of American
Needless to say, it is unusual that the factory ships direct to any individual, as is the case in your revolver. This is generally done only in very special cases or where the individual is a prominent person. Smith & Wesson sales were handled through its network of distributors, a policy that D.B. Wesson enforced vigorously.”The factory records indicate the revolver was shipped from the factory on November 11, 1893 to Oscar I. Olson.
This shipment occurred less than a month after the Columbian Exposition closed on October 30, 1893. Considering the exhibition embellishment and shipment directly to an individual, it is likely this revolver was a factory presentation piece, and Oscar Olson made for a prime candidate to receive S&W’s finest target revolver. Oscar I. Olson was a world champion target shooter of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His exploits were captured in The United States Revolver Association publication “Bullet Holes:
A Record of Records” complied by S&W co-founder D.B. Wesson. As detailed in the publication, “One of the best performances with a practical revolver is that of Oscar I.