Striking a nostalgic chord with vintage cowboy guitars
At a time when cowboys were the heroes of 1930s radio programs and later westerns on television, children and adults alike dreamed of the charms of the idolized cowboy life, represented by many things, including cowboy guitars.
By Steve Evans
There was a time when youngsters dreamed of being a cowboy or cowgirl. Their desires were fueled by the action-packed cowboy movies and fascinating radio shows of the 1930s through the 1950s.
During that era, big mail- order catalogs offered “cowboy guitars.” Sears & Roebuck
guitars were made by the Harmony Company and came with stencil painted art, while models sold by Montgomery Ward and Spiegel were made by multiple manufacturers (Kay, Regal or Richter) and featured vivid silk-screen painted artwork.
The attractiveness of cowboy guitar art often has to do with the smallest of details. Look inside the trailing wagon of the “Pioneer Days” scene. This portion of the art shows the silhouette of a woman wearing a bonnet and reading (her Bible?). Maybe she is praying for protection and courage for their trip West.
Take a look at the art of the “Singing Cowboys” guitar. It shows a bright red campfire with the rest of the scene stenciled in cream-colored paint. This two-color scene appears to be illuminated by the fire during the night. It’s really beautiful!
The guitars shown in this article were made in America, but cowboy guitars were also produced in Canada, Australia, Germany, Holland and South Africa.
Interest in cowboy guitars declined around 1955 when Elvis Presley and rock & roll music hit the stage. Some people actually painted over the artwork of their cowboy guitars or simply discarded them. Today, cowboy guitars are usually un-playable because of their advanced age, but some nostalgic folks choose to hang them on their walls to artfully remember the good old days. To view these guitars in person, visit the Jacksonville Guitar Museum, 1105 Burman Drive in Jacksonville, Arkansas.
