Lot Essay
Edward H. Bohlin (1895-1980), the nephew of the Swedish painter Anders Zorn, arrived in the United States in 1910. He worked first as a cowhand in Montana before opening a shop there selling tooled leather goods and tack. Subsequently he joined a traveling horse show as a trick roper, continuing to do leatherwork to supplement his income. The story of his introduction to his first great customer is legendary. When Bohlin was performing in Los Angeles in 1922, someone in the audience called out, "Hey kid, how much do you want for the coat?" Without hesitation, Bohlin called back "35 dollars!" The buyer was Tom Mix, who at the time was the most famous of the celluloid cowboys. Bohlin stayed in Hollywood and in time his shop, specialising in western leatherwork, magnificent saddles and other tack became famous throughout the world. Many of the leading Hollywood stars of the day commissioned saddles from Bohlin including Will Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Monte Montana, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.