An exhibition of unsurpassed historic firearms and related works of art, Samuel Colt: Arms, Art and Invention presents a broader view of this unusually influential figure in nineteenth century America.

Samuel Colt was the Bill Gates of his day who, at the age of 16, whittled a model of the first practical revolver. Colt later established production lines six decades before Ford and invented machinery for making interchangeable parts. His marketing savvy produced the first celebrity endorsements, introduced “new and improved” as an advertising motto, and demonstrated the value of branding. 

The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is presently one of four museums in the country and the only Texas venue to host this exquisite exhibit, organized by the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut. 

Shown above:
Top: Number 5 Holster Pistol, 1840
Middle: Whittier Patent Revolving Rifle, 1837-38
Bottom left: Richardson Four-Barrel Percussion Cap Pistol, 1825-30
Bottom middle: Prototype Revolving Pocket Pistol, 1835
Bottom right: Comblain Pepperbox, 1855