Gypsum Dust and Ginger Aile
Welcome to the world of Gypsum Dust and Ginger Aile - town sheriff and saloon owner, respectively. They’re the principle characters in our own imaginative drama concerning life in Shinbone, Montana. A totally fictional place, by the way, as far as we known
Gypsum’s story began with a memory of a grade-school field-trip to a gypsum mine; I was talking about wandering around, as a kid, “in the gypsum dust” - and Ashley observed that “Gypsum Dust” sounded like a fine name for a Wild West character.
That character quickly became a rough-and-ready sheriff who, in his own words, is “tough on outlaws, but gentle with his lady.” His lady, of course, is Ginger Aile, whose saloon offers a variety of treatments “to fix what Ailes you,” she says, with a clever play on her last name, as well as a hint at the nature of the medicine to be supplied.
The Aile Saloon is a center of activity in Shinbone and a likely place for rough characters to stop as they pass through town. Some of these ruffians are more trouble than they’re worth - “jack-wagons,” as Gypsum calls them. They often need to be removed from the premises, or perhaps removed from town altogether.
“Sometimes,” Gypsum says, “a jack-wagon or two will cause a ruckus, and that’s when I grab ‘em by the scruff of the neck, escort ‘em to the county line, and toss ‘em over that line.” If a dismissed jack-wagon unwisely turns up in town again, he’s likely to be greeted with a flurry of Gypsum’s fists.
Whatever villains he might face, Gypsum has it all under control. As he often reassures Ginger: “Not to worry, Ma’am - just keep readin’ your Bible and wearin’ your silky stuff, and don’t you worry ‘bout a thing.”
Snake-oil salesmen also inspire Gypsum’s ire. 1868, he recalls, was an especially active year for snake-oil salesmen plying their wares in Shinbone. “Those colon-cleansers were the worst,” says Sheriff Dust; “We had people flushin’ out their orifices within sight of the general public all over town that summer, and I just can’t abide that. I tossed many a snake-oil peddler over the county line that year.”
Ashley’s outfit consists of a saloon-era costume corset that we acquired for this shoot, a black skirt that she already owned, a black lace shawl that she added over the skirt for extra texture, an iridescent shawl for her arms, a black feather to wear in her hair, and a wig for just a little extra volume. She also wore earrings and a choker-style necklace, and applied bright red lipstick and a false “beauty-mark” to complete her look.
My Gypsum Dust outfit came to life through a combination of some real stuff and whatever else was at hand. My Stetson hat and leather duster are real Western-wear that I bought during our honeymoon vacation in Yellowstone earlier this year, and the gun is a real twin-barrel shotgun that we borrowed. I’m also wearing the black vest and bow-tie from my wedding tuxedo, while the silver chain is from a real pocket-watch that Ashley gave to me last year. There’s also a fake sheriff’s star, of course, which we bought online. The grey scarf was part of last year’s pirate costume. The tall leather boots are Ashley’s boots - I had no tall boots of my own. Yeah, the fit was a bit tight, but not too bad.
As you can see in our original photos, we posed on the stairs of the front porch of our house. The saloon backdrops behind us in the two finished images were purchased online, and then Ashley used her considerable Photoshop skills to cut-and-paste us into each scene. She did an amazing job, I’m sure you’ll agree.
This was outrageous fun, and we hope that all of you enjoy these pictures as much as we do…!