"Peacemaker" Colt Single-Action Army Revolver, serial no. 4519

Art Historical Context

Step into the riveting world of American ingenuity with the "Peacemaker" Colt Single-Action Army Revolver (serial no. 4519), crafted in 1874 by Samuel Colt's famed Hartford, Connecticut factory. This iconic pistol, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Armor Department, exemplifies the pinnacle of 19th-century firearms design. Measuring 13 inches overall with a 7½-inch barrel and chambered in .45 caliber, its robust steel and iron frame paired with wooden grips reflects masterful industrial craftsmanship—balancing lethal functionality with elegant engineering. Nicknamed the "Peacemaker" for its role in taming the Wild West, this revolver became the U.S. Army's standard sidearm after 1873, arming soldiers, lawmen, and frontiersmen alike. Produced during Colt's heyday, it symbolized American expansion and the Colt company's revolutionary mass-production techniques, which made reliable, high-quality revolvers accessible. Its single-action mechanism required manual cocking for each shot, demanding skill and precision that defined an era of gunfighters and settlers. A gift to the Met from John E. Parsons in 1959, this piece invites reflection on how functional objects like firearms shaped national identity, blending utility, artistry, and history in the unyielding steel of the frontier.

About the Artist

Samuel Colt · 1814–1862

Samuel Colt was born on July 19, 1814, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Christopher Colt, a textile manufacturer, and Sarah Caldwell. His early years were marked by family tragedy, including the death of his mother from tuberculosis when he was six, after which his father remarried. At age 11, Colt was indentured to a farmer and later worked in his father's textile mill in Ware, Massachusetts, where h...