Leather More Art

Edward Bohlin silver mounted parade saddle. Black Leather. Great Bohlin Stamp. Cowboy Saddle, Western Saddle. 1940s 50s one of his most desirable periods. Bohlin of Hollywood California. He made all of the saddles and other related western gear for the movies but mostly to ride in the "Tournament of Roses Parade" Rosebowl in California. The Corona was custom made using the original Corona as the sample to copy. Here is a little provenance on this saddle: This is a rare saddle. We think there were only five made. They were marketed to Texas Buyers when in reality there wasn't a big market in Texas. The majority of these works of art were mostly purchased by California buyers. This saddle was formerly owned by L.D. Brinkman. After his death it was acquired by a friend of mine. I purchased it from him Jan. 1, 2024, and sold it to one of my good friends and customer Jan. 3, 2024. Sadly, he recently passed away and the saddle is on the market again. This Saddle is depicted in the Bohlin Catalog "The Lone Star Saddle" Lloyd Donald Brinkman (1929 – July 4, 2015) was an American businessman, cattle breeder, civic leader and art collector. He was the owner of "the largest floor covering distributor in the US," and 350 pizza parlors with Gatti's Pizza. He bred Brangus cattle, and he was a significant collector of Western art. Brinkman was born in 1929 in near Dagmar in Sheridan County, Montana. His grandparents were Danish immigrants who became homesteaders in the county. Brinkman graduated from Pascagoula High School in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He attended Pearl River Community College, and he graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned a bachelor's degree in marketing in 1952. Brinkman initially worked in the flooring industry, even starting his own business in Dallas, Texas in 1960. It eventually became "the largest floor covering distributor in the US." Brinkman was also the owner of Gatti's Pizza, which operated 350 restaurants by the time he sold the business for $24 million in 2004. Brinkman was also a breeder of Brangus cattle. Brinkman was a co-founder of the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville. He served on the board of directors of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. He also served as the chairman of the public utility board of Kerrville, Texas. He was honored as the "Citizen of the Year" by the Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce in 1984. Brinkman was a collector of Western art. He owned paintings by American artists like Joe Beeler, E. Irving Couse, Frank Tenney Johnson, Gerald Harvey Jones, Robert Lougheed, Howard Terpning, and Olaf Wieghorst. Brinkman was married seven times. He had a son, L.D. "Don" Brinkman Jr., and a daughter, Pamela Brinkman Stone. Brinkman died on July 4, 2015. Biography of Edward Bohlin Edward Bohlin (1895-1980) Edward H Bohlin Company (Established 1920) Saddlery-Saddle Maker 1895-1980 Born in Sweden Hollywood, CA. Born in Sweden in 1895, Edward Bohlin ran away from home at age 15, working his way to America on a huge four-mast schooner with dreams of Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West in his head. Ed worked cattle drives around Montana before opening his first saddle shop in Cody, Wyoming where he did rope tricks in front of his shop to draw business. He met Tom Mix while performing at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood and Mix convinced Ed to stay and produce silver and leather items in the Los Angeles area. From his humble beginnings to his fame in Hollywood for high-end pieces, Ed crafted more than 12,000 Bohlin saddles...