This nineteenth century pair of pistols were produced by Jalabert Lamotte of St. Etienne, France, circa 1820-30. The Lamotte family produced high end firearms from the 18th century well into the 19th century. A pair of pistols were made by Jalabert Lamotte and purchased by Alexander Hamilton circa 1790. This pair has swamped octagon barrels. The lock of gun A is marked "Jalabert/Lamotte" below the bolster, and gun B is marked "A St. Etienne". Both locks have floral motifs at the front and rear and laurels around the markings. Other floral designs are on the buttplate and trigger guard. The bolsters have clean out screws and are fenced. The underside of the barrels have "crown/HR" proofs. The hammers have extended spurs. The trigger guards have spur extensions. The stocks are attractively figured French walnut with an oiled finish, shell carvings on the forend, checkering on the grips, and raised relief carved floral designs on the edges of the round butts. They come in a hardwood case with green felt lined interior that is fitted to the pistols and the following included accessories: oiler, powder flask, bullet mold, nipple wrench, ball puller, ramrod, mallet, and adjustable canon shaped powder measure. There are also compartments in all but the upper right corner.

Very fine as converted to percussion. The barrel retains 95% plus of the original finish with some slight scratches, a few dings at the breech, and light edge wear. The lock and remaining fittings have an aged patina with slight traces of the original case colors. The stock is also very fine with excellent checkering, some light bruising and small scratches. The action is functional but needs some adjustments as the current arrangement has led to broken percussion nipples. The markings are crisp. The case is fine and has some loose fittings, the lid for the lower left compartment absent, and some cracks. The interior has some fading, pressure marks, stains, and tears. The accessories are very good.

As discussed in A.

Very fine as converted to percussion. The pistol retains 95% of the original blue finish on the barrel with some light edge wear and minor scratches and a small nick on the barrel near the bolster. The remaining components have a gray patina with some slight traces of the original case colors. The stock is also very fine with sharp checkering, some pressure marks, a few small nicks, and a hairline cracks extending down from the bottom of the lock towards the trigger guard and at the front of the lock wrapping around to the left flat. The action is fine, and the markings are crisp throughout.