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Two items signed by Annie Oakley and William F. Cody, two of the most celebrated attractions of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World. The first is a vintage ink signature, “Annie Oakley, July the 29th 1905,” on a trimmed 3.25 x 5 book page featuring a printed portrait of “Miss Annie Oakley, Expert Lady Pistol Shot,” which is affixed by its top edge to a slightly larger backing sheet.
The second is a French-language book entitled (translated) ‘The Life, History, and Adventures of Colonel William F. Cody (‘Buffalo Bill’) by Rene d’Hubert, ‘Based on documents and information provided by his friend Col. W. F. Cody,’ published by the Partington Advertising Company of Paris in 1905, 5.25 x 7.5, 286 pages, hardcover with red boards and gilt designs and text, signed and inscribed on an opening page in bold ink, “With the Compliments of the subject, W. F. Cody, ‘Buffalo Bill,’ To Master White, Jr., Sep. 29th 1905.” The title page, which identifies the book as a ‘New Edition,’ bears a printed caption which reads: “This book was specially written on the occasion of Colonel Cody’s 1905 journey through France with his ‘Rough Riders of the World.’” Oakley is in fine condition; Cody has light staining and foxing to the signed page. Book condition: G-/None, with edgewear, chipping and repairs to the spine, and scuffing and rubbing to boards.
After arriving in Paris in March 1905, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World established an enormous encampment on the Champ-de-Mars, presenting twice-daily performances beneath a massive tent reportedly measuring 125 meters long by 40 meters wide. Contemporary accounts describe immense crowds throughout the engagement, with millions attending during the show’s two-month Paris run alone. From there, Cody’s company embarked on an ambitious provincial tour through more than 100 French cities between April and November 1905, traveling virtually nonstop by rail and presenting elaborate frontier reenactments, cavalry exhibitions, and international riding demonstrations featuring hundreds of performers from numerous nations.
Annie Oakley joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West in 1885 and quickly became its most celebrated performer after Cody himself. Renowned for her astonishing marksmanship, she achieved international fame during the troupe’s enormously successful European tours of the late nineteenth century, including appearances surrounding the 1889 Paris Exposition, which helped establish her as America’s first female superstar. Oakley’s career with Buffalo Bill ended after she suffered serious injuries in the organization’s devastating 1901 train wreck, though she remained a prominent public figure through later stage appearances, exhibitions, and advocacy for women’s shooting instruction.
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