Buffalo Bill Cody

Cody had earned his name by working for a buffalo hunting company in which he killed more than 4,000 buffalo in the two years he worked for them. For Fanny's son George Shepherd, “Bill Cody epitomized the vanishing West of Indians, buffalo, and white hunters. His breed hurried on the demise of the buffalo and the emergence of a cattle kingdom on the American plains” (6).

Cody’s shows made audiences believe they were witnessing an authentic reproduction of life abroad, made possible through performances by Indigenous peoples and animals of North America and foregrounded by colourful sets of the western frontier. His troupe was formed of more than 800 people, “180 horses, 18 buffalo with which Cody recreated his legendary days as a buffalo hunter, and elks, mules and Texas longhorns adding the finishing touches to the authenticity of his exhibition.” In the United Kingdom, Buffalo Bill visited “Hull, Nottingham, Sheffield, Burton upon Trent, Lancaster, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds, and Glasgow.” Among his celebrated viewership was Queen Victoria herself. 

Source: Sheffield National Fairground and Circus Archive