Who are these gentlemen?

[Drew Hause]

Budd, DuBray, Tucker?

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1373/6511424/19974446/397199514.jpg

And this rotund fellow? Destry? :)

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1373/6511424/19974446/397199513.jpg

[Drew Hause]

A report of the Parker exhibit

http://books.google.com/books?id=rblIAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1114&lpg

[Drew Hause]

Per Ed Muderlak's Parker Guns, the Old Reliable; the shooter is Parker salesman A. W. Du Bray, the puller is S. A. Tucker, and the man in the brown coat under the tent with his arms folded is C. W. Budd.

[Christopher Lien]

Drew,
Just going on my experience with facial recognition of high profile shooters in old photos from the late 1880's through the early 1900's, I would say:.... Top image, at far left with that (jay-leno) chin, looks like a young Fred Gilbert... In the middle standing with his arms folded, looks very much like Dubray.....

Second image:... The portly fellow toeing the 28-yd line with the derby head gear and relaxed suspenders, appears to be the revered Omaha shooter Frank Parmalee who preferred his Parker's configured sans doll-head... I have an original old photo showing Frank seated with his Parker and a cigar here on the wall, I'll try and post an image later today...

Best, CSL
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[Drew Hause]

Thanks Chris.
Fred was an unknown when he won the first DuPont Grand Smokeless Championship Handicap Live-bird Tournament in 1895, and used a Smith. He took delivery of a Parker BH in 1896, but didn't use it in competition until after the 1899 GAH.
Parker shooters at the DuPont tournament in 1895 were:
Wm. Wagner, D.M. Porterfield, Budd, Woodruff, "Wellington", W.B. Cockney, D. Heiskell, J. Esterley, and H.S. Coldren
http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1895/VOL_26_NO_06/SL2606012.pdf

Here's an earlier image of Budd with his Smith

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1373/6511424/21690841/357565398.jpg

I don't recall any of the 'Top Guns' with a beard

[Drew Hause]

Shooters and guns used at the 1896 'E.C.' Cup, which included Parmelee
http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1896/VOL_27_NO_08/SL2708020.pdf

[Jeff Kuss]

Drew,
The Chicago Public library has one of the largest collections for the 1893 Exposition. I contacted them at one time to see if they had any pictures of the Parker Booth. They didn't have anything.
Jeff

[Christopher Lien]

Drew,
Here are 3 images from an original photo showing Parker shooter Frank Parmalee (at-far-left) as part of a 5-man squad that equaled a world record in 1899... On Frank's immediate left is another shooting legend I'm sure you will recognize, Charles (Sparrow) Young... Not sure if Frank is the same person as the likeness shooting the 28-yd line on the Parker trade card, but he does bare a resemblance... One of the reports related to this old shooting photo read as follows:

"May 4-1899-Lincoln, Neb.--The world's record for a squad of five men, shooting at 20 targets each, made at Peru, Ind., May 3, was equaled by a squad at the Nebraska State shoot by the 5 man team of George Rogers, Lincoln, Neb.; A. B. Daniels, Denver, Col.; W. S. Duer, Hastings, Neb.; C. A. Young, Springfield, O., and F. S. Parmelee, Omaha, Neb. made a world's record of 100 straight."

Best, CSL
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http://www.webpak.net/~cslien/1Parmalee3.jpg
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http://www.webpak.net/~cslien/1Parmalee2.jpg
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http://www.webpak.net/~cslien/1Parmalee1.jpg
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.

[Drew Hause]

Well done Chris!

Using a L.C. Smith, "Sparrow" had the Long Run on Targets for 1899 with 211 straight May 8 at Peoria, Ill. and used a Smith at the 1899 GAH at Live Birds.
Using the nom de plume of “Robin Hood” (as a rep for the Robin Hood Powder Co.) he used at Smith in April 1900 at the GAH at Live Birds, then broke 25 straight at the Grand American Handicap at Targets in June 1900 with his own Young Repeating Arms Co. pump.
When that effort failed, he was a demonstrator for Baker Gun & Forging (W.R. Crosby having left Baker for Hunter Arms in 1899), a trade representative for Peters, and in 1907 he was shooting a Parker.
In the 1908 GAH Preliminary Handicap, now using a Winchester 1897 he tied the winning Amateur Score, 95x100.
He won the 1926 GAH with an Ithaca SBT.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1373/6511424/19974446/381190148.jpg

[John Dallas]

Drew - To refer to Destry as "Rotund" is to do him a disservice. After having lost about 70#, he might be more accurately described as resembling Slim Pickins

[Drew Hause]

The figment of his former self Destry? :shock:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1373/6511424/22919279/384725320.jpg

[charlie cleveland]

never seen destrey so thin and looks like he has bought a new pipe.....looks like hes still shooting the higgins.... charlie

[Bill Murphy]

Our hero, Destry, was headed for Argentina with a squareback and a backup.

[Christopher Lien]

Drew, That is good early time-line info you provided on Young...

Given the date of this photo and the appearance of his double gun, I would say it is indeed a Smith that Charles is holding... In the 2 images below you can see Chas was certainly a snappy dresser at competition shoots, his Smith looks to have a thin recoil pad and also a leather hand protector on the barrels... You can also see the shooter sitting next to him has a higher grade straight grip Parker with the original style SSBP... I wonder if O'l Sparrow was shooting a Smith Pigeon grade during that 1899-1900 time period?...

Best, CSL
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http://www.webpak.net/~cslien/1Parmalee4.jpg
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http://www.webpak.net/~cslien/1Parmalee5.jpg
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.

[Drew Hause]

Chris: Dr Jim is currently doing a bit of Smith international missionary evangelism but upon his return I might be able to pursuade him to check the records to see if "Sparrow" received a Pigeon gun.
BTW: DGJ should publish Smith Pigeon Gun infro soon. We'll see if some of the interesting rib images made the final edit :cuss:

[Bill Murphy]

Isn't the extra "hitch" on the back of the grip checkering a clue to its grade?

[Drew Hause]

Good eye Bill! :shock:

Probably an A1 (offered 1892-1898) rather than a Pigeon.

[David Noble]

Drew,
Second image:... The portly fellow toeing the 28-yd line with the derby head gear and relaxed suspenders, appears to be the revered Omaha shooter Frank Parmalee who preferred his Parker's configured sans doll-head... I have an original old photo showing Frank seated with his Parker ...... I'll try and post an image later today...

Best, CSL
_______________________________

Sometime ago.. about 1987 or '88 I was set up at the Dallas gun show with my now deceased friend Lawton Williams who was displaying for sale a BH 12 guage Live Bird gun with the doll's head removed from the barrel and permanently installed in it's slot in the receiver. The gun had all floral and scroll engraving. Could it have been....?

[Bill Murphy]

Mark Conrad once had a BH, scroll engraved pigeon gun with no doll's head. I don't think it had a removed doll's head in the receiver, however. It is now owned by another PGCA member.

[George M. Purtill]

And where were these fellows shooting?
There seems to be a grand stand in the left background and quite a house, lake and sailboat(s) in the right background?