-Collection of Phil Lobred
Photography by Pointseven Studios unless otherwise noted.
www.pointsevenstudios.com
All rights reserved. | Gold rush! San Francisco, 1850s.
The first American renaissance of custom cutlery. A time when prosperous gentlemen of San Francisco were not dressed until they added a fine dress knife to their attire, like one would add a fine tie today. Prominent San Francisco knife makers such as Hugh McConnell, Frederick Kesmodel, Herman Schintz, Will & Finck and Michael Price created magnificent new styles of dress bowies and daggers, using local products like gold, silver and finely inlayed abalone shell, or carved walrus ivory. So creative were these early California makers that their knife styles are still copied today. This “art knife” renaissance would not be matched for another 100 years.
While several original antiques are included, most of this collection represents both traditional and more contemporary knives of this “San Francisco style” by some of the best makers of the last 30 years.
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