Another period reference for Garibaldi Damascus – this time from 1881, and this one may actually tell us something about what the name meant.
Richard Brandeis, in his Die moderne Gewehrfabrikation: Praktisches Hand- und Lehrbuch für Büchsenmacher und Gewehrfabrikanten (1881), writes:
“Ausser diesen kommen dem Büchsenmacher auch noch andere verschiedene Damastbezeichnungen vor, z. B. Moiré damast, Garibaldidamast, Epheudamast und viele ähnliche, welche jedoch entweder eine der besagten Damastsorten oder nur eine unbedeutende Abweichung von derselben bezeichnen.”
Translation:
“Besides these, the gunsmith will encounter various other Damascus designations, e.g. Moiré Damascus, Garibaldi Damascus, Ivy Damascus and many similar names, which, however, either designate one of the previously mentioned types of Damascus or merely a minor variation thereof.”
This seems particularly important. As early as 1881, Brandeis clearly knew Garibaldidamast as a gunsmithing term, but apparently did not regard it as a fundamentally separate type of Damascus. He considered such names either alternative designations for established Damascus types or relatively minor variations of them.
This fits remarkably well with our 1879 Liège price list, where Garibaldi-Damast is offered commercially. We therefore now have two independent references only two years apart.
It may also explain why Garibaldi is absent from some of the later systematic lists and illustrations of Damascus patterns.
We still don't know what Garibaldi Damascus actually looked like – but Brandeis has brought us one step closer. 😎
Source: Richard Brandeis, Die moderne Gewehrfabrikation: Praktisches Hand- und Lehrbuch für Büchsenmacher und Gewehrfabrikanten, 1881.
