Montana Cowboy Boots - 1885
Pen & Ink on Antique Map

 The vaquero-style boot brought to the Americas from Spain in the 1600s originally inspired the cowboy boot itself. The tall shaft, loose fit and lack of laces were features that helped prevent a cowboy from being dragged. If bucked off a horse his body weight could pull his foot out of the boot while the boot remained stuck in the stirrup.
 
Spurs have been used since ancient times. It is thought that the earliest spurs were probably made from bone or wood. Iron or bronze spurs were also used throughout the Roman Empire based on archaeological finds in England, left by the Roman Legions of Julius Caesar. As early as the 5th century the Celts, as well as the ancient Roman military used spurs during combat to steer their horses, leaving the riders hands free to fight. Medieval knights wore gilded or silver spurs using them as a symbol of Knighthood.
 
I have combined antique maps with my version of stippling into my own creative perspectives. The background for this drawing of cowboy boots is on an original map of Montana that was published in 1885 in a Mast, Crowell & Kirkland Atlas. It measures 16 X 20