Cody William


"Buffalo Bill and His Indians" Vintage, Oversized Photograph





Vintage oversized sepia-colored photograph of Wild West entertainer William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846-1917) and some of his Wild West Show performers. Inscribed in stone at lower left: "Buffalo Bill and his Indians," and at lower right: "Copy by F. J. Hiscock." This formal group portrait depicts Cody flanked by eight members of the Pawnee and Lakota tribes, ca. 1886. Lightly pencil inscribed along bottom margin. Expected surface wear including light scuffs, a few areas of minor loss, and isolated stains, else very good to near fine. 13.875" x 10.875".







Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, led by the charismatic showman of the same name, dazzled American and European crowds alike for more than 30 years. This colorful traveling circus featured Cowboys, Indians, Bandits, and other motley characters. Performers like Sitting Bull and Calamity Jane reenacted famous events, staged stunts and tricks, raced on horseback, and circled their Conestoga wagons on demand.







In the context of the show, Buffalo Bill usually cultivated an image of the rough-riding frontiersman. Here, he is shown in a wide-brimmed hat, bandana, fringed jacket, wide-cuffed leather gauntlets, and thigh-high leather gaiters, likely posing with "Lucrezia Borgia," his Springfield Model 1866 rifle. Four Pawnee tribesman stand to Cody's right, and four Lakota warriors stand to his left. Eventually, tensions between the two Plains tribes led to the former's exclusion in the Wild West Show when it toured Europe the following year.







This photograph was taken at Erastina, Staten Island, in 1886. Erastina was one of the country's first modern tourist traps, originally conceived of as an income-generator for ferry and railroad service investors. Restaurants, live entertainment, and baseball games were just a few of the area attractions, but Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show quickly became the major draw. In 1886, approximately 1-2 million metropolitan New Yorkers flocked to Erastina to see "Hon. W. F. Cody with a number of his braves, squaws, vaqueros, and cow-boys" (Richmond County Advance, July 3, 1886.)







Local northwestern Wyoming artist and photographer F.J. Hiscock (1873-1951) captured many moments in Buffalo Bill's life. The Buffalo Bill Center of the West has 35 photographs in its digital collection taken by F.J. Hiscock mostly in the early twentieth century. Hiscock's photographs feature portraits, group shots, and candid views of the entertainer exploring attractions like Frost Cave and the Irma Hotel.







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