Forsyth Patent Second Model Sliding Primer Over-and-Under Pistol with Case and Accessories

Forsyth Patent Second Model Sliding Primer Over-and-Under Pistol with Case and Accessories

Alexander John Forsyth

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Reverend Alexander Forsyth, a Scottish clergyman, gunmaker and amateur chemist, invented and patented the first percussion lock in 1807. The most consequential firearm invention since the flintlock, the percussion system was a forerunner to the modern center-fire cartridge. As a means of ignition, percussion mechanisms utilized a highly combustible chemical compound called fulminate, which burns more rapidly than gunpowder when struck with force. This example features a priming reservoir that slides on a track over the pan when the hammer is cocked, depositing loose fulminate powder into the pan and covering it, snapping forward out of the way when the trigger is pulled, so that the hammer may strike and ignite the fulminate. Firearms technology advanced at a rapid pace in Europe in the early nineteenth century. London’s elite gunmakers, intensely focused on optimizing accuracy, handling, and speed to meet the expectations of England’s sporting gentry were at the forefront of its development. Building on design advancements made in the 1780s and 1790s, particularly the refinement of the flintlock ignition mechanism, they secured in the next three decades dozens of patents for a variety of new technologies ranging from improved lock mechanisms to novel barrel-making techniques, competing to protect and market their inventions. Handmade with precision, many London firearms of the period display great mechanical ingenuity, in addition to being elegantly designed. This creative push in the firearms field may be framed within the broader context of the Industrial Revolution in England—a period marked by the glorification of technological advancements and the celebration of individual inventors and engineers.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Forsyth Patent Second Model Sliding Primer Over-and-Under Pistol with Case and AccessoriesForsyth Patent Second Model Sliding Primer Over-and-Under Pistol with Case and AccessoriesForsyth Patent Second Model Sliding Primer Over-and-Under Pistol with Case and AccessoriesForsyth Patent Second Model Sliding Primer Over-and-Under Pistol with Case and AccessoriesForsyth Patent Second Model Sliding Primer Over-and-Under Pistol with Case and Accessories

The principal goals of the Arms and Armor Department are to collect, preserve, research, publish, and exhibit distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker. Arms and armor have been a vital part of virtually all cultures for thousands of years, pivotal not only in conquest and defense, but also in court pageantry and ceremonial events. Throughout time the best armor and weapons have represented the highest artistic and technical capabilities of the society and period in which they were made, forming a unique aspect of both art history and material culture.