Oakley, Annie. (1860 - 1926)
Original Photograph
Cabinet card photograph with facsimile signature of the greatest of all female sharpshooters, perhaps the greatest regardless of gender, a legend in her own time, who toured for many years with William Cody's Wild West Show. Her many feats astound merely in their retelling, such as splitting the thin edge of a playing card at 90 feet, then hitting it five or six more times before it hit the ground. Cabinet card with recto imprint of photographer Stacy of Brooklyn, showing Oakley posed with a display of shooting medals at her feet, a single shot Stevens rifle held over her shoulder and a shotgun leaning against the wall to her left. Original studio mount. Pinhole to upper edge, bottom edge of mount trimmed, image toned and scuffed, else fine. 4 x 6 inches (10.2 x 15.3 cm.).Oakley developed an amazing proficiency with firearms early on. As a child she hunted game with such success that she was able to sell enough game to pay off the mortgage on the family farm in Ohio. When she was fifteen she won a shooting match in Cincinnati with Frank E. Butler, a vaudeville marksman; several years later they were married. For seventeen years she was one of the star attractions of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. She never failed to delight her audiences. (19041)
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