The William F. Cody Archive: Documenting the life and times of Buffalo Bill

AMERICANS ABROAD.

OUR REPRESENTATIVES AT THE COURT OF QUEEN VICTORIA.

A Novel Enterprise of "Our Own Buffalo Bill" Which is Attracting the Attention of the Britishers from Queen to Peasant.

Our gallant and somewhat erratic countryman, the Hon. William F. Cody in one character, "Buffalo Bill" in another, has attracted almost as much attention in London as a prince royal from some monarchy might, [drawing] JOHN R. WHITLEY. [1] and we present herewith pictures of some of the men and animals who have helped make his show famous. Mr. John Robinson Whitley, of London, is director general of the American exhibition there, and exerted himself to make Cody's "Wild West Show" an important part of it. Capt. Burnet Landreth, of Philadelphia, did the organizng work in America; he is one of the noted firm of D. Landreth & Sons, dealers in seeds, and won his military title by hard and honorable service in the war for the Union. He was also chief of the bureau of agriculture in the Centennial exhibition. The Indians, the scouts, the riders [drawing] CAPT. BURNET LANDRETH. [2] and horses are known to fame in this country. Even the tawny aborigine, Red Shirt, is a noted character in London for his quaint and ready replies to the questions asked by visitors. Mr. Gladstone took a special interest in him, and complimented his intelligence so far as to ask him what he thought of the British and Americans as brothers, to which the cautious aborigine rejoined that he "had not noticed the brotherhood to any great extent." Not only do the illustrated papers in London give much space to this feature of the exhibition, but the humorists and comic poets have taken it up; Punch and Judy, the Puck and Judge of London, revel in this new material for humor, and popular songs about the red [drawing] "BUFFALO BILL." Americans are sung in the concert halls. In short, few American ventures abroad have received so much gratuitous advertising.

Mr. Cody first became noted for having killed 4,280 buffaloes in one year, and thereafter it was the thing for every titled foreigner who visited the plains to employ him as a guide. But he soon proved himself far more than a hunter--an accomplished gentleman and man of the world. After an adventurous career as hunter, trapper, scout and guide, he became a citizen of Nebraska, member of the legislature, colonel of militia and aide de camp to the governor. Then followed an era of life on the stage as hero in dramas portraying wild western life and displays of skill in shooting. Through it all he preserved his dignity, and by a gentle and affable manner made many friends; so Americans have a right to feel pleased at his success in London, and that his show has been patronized by the queen and Prince of Wales and [drawing] "NIGGER." has excited the lively interest of Gladstone. The American exhibition covers an area of twenty-four acres in the very heart of residential London. Besides the Wild West show there are the gardens, covering nearly half the grounds, exhibiting American plants as completely as climate will allow, and the large building in which are specimens of American art and machinery. The whole affair has proved a very gratifying success.

Speaking of the show, The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press says:

Red Shirt, of the Wild West show, has "put his foot" into it again. After the performance in London before Queen Victoria and [drawing] RED SHIRT. Princess Louise, he was presented to her majesty, and under the genial influence of the royal favor, thawed out oratorically. He said that he had "come a long way to see her majesty. He had heard of the great mother, but never expected to see her." He was glad to see "the squaw who was bigger than any man." As Victoria's proportions are by no means of the spirituelle order, Red Shirt's flow of compliments was cut short at this point by a nudge from Hon. Mr. Cody.

Two of the the most noted of the group with the show are Buck Taylor and his Texas horse and "Nigger," a horse with a long tuft of mane growing out of the middle of his back, as shown in the accompanying cut.