This is an amazing, tooled leather Olsen Nolte Saddle made in San Francisco circa 1936 to 1950’s. Al Nolte was born in Los Angeles but grew up in San Francisco where he learned the art of saddle making while apprenticing at Main and Winchester. He went to work for Visalia’s Dave Walker but grew restless drifting to the Denver based saddleries of J H Wilson and Hermann Heiser before returning to the Bay Area where he joined with businessman John E. Olsen to form the Olsen-Nolte firm in the 1937. An instant hit, the partnership became one of the top-ranking saddleries overnight, necessitating an expansion, which ultimately overtaxed Nolte’s capabilities and resulted in his sale to Olsen in 1939 though he did stay on as a saddlemaker until his death in 1942. Before switching to retail in the 1980s, the company, which was founded by Al Nolte and John Olsen, focused on producing high-quality, customized equipment. This saddle features intricate, floral design tooling and is marked on the seat rise with the makers mark reading, "Olsen-Nolte Makers / San Francisco, Calif". It also shows a maker’s stamp on the skirt. The tooling can be seen on the fenders and carries into the leather tapaderos. It shows various sizes of cut leather conchos and features wood stirrups. It shows good condition overall with some wear present from its age and use over the years but no major signs of damage is noted. It measures 24 3/4" L x 16" W x 17" H and has a seat measurement of 13 1/2" L. It has a total weight of 30 pounds.