1886 William F Buffalo Bill Cody Double Signed Letter Start Price USD 5,999.99 Current Price USD 5,999.99 Time Left 8 days 10 hours 35 minutes Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, September 18, 2008 End Time Friday, January 16, 2009 Location Maryland, USA See more about '1886 William F Buffalo Bill Cody Double Signed Letter' Description Snyder's Treasures is pleased to offer An Original and Authentic 1886 William F "Buffalo Bill" Cody Double Signed Letter Lillian Smith Girl Sharpshooter Framed Lot This is a truly stunning lot. It is framed and ready to hang in your den as a centerpiece of conversation and admiration. This letter is especially attractive since it is completely handwritten and has BOTH the Buffalo Bill (in the body of the text) and W.F. Cody signature at the end. It is also very early in the career of the Wild West Show (it having started in 1883). There are a number of pieces shown, each will be described below. A little background is in order for those unfamiliar with Lillian Smith. She was a young (15 years old) California girl brought into the Wild West Show. She remained a fixture with the show -- along with the crack shot Annie Oakley (who allegedly took 5 years off her own age to appear younger when Lillian Smith joined the show!) She would later gain notoriety as the "Princess Wenona of the Sioux" (also seen Winona Vonohl). She was criticized for dying her skin to resemble an Indian while performing with Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show in the early 1900s, and later as a sideshow attraction at the 101 Ranch. There was no denial about her singular ability to shoot, however. The letter from Buffalo Bill is to commission a poster for the upcoming two seasons of the Wild West Show, (just prior to the 1887 Wild West Show tour of England). The text of the letter is below (periods, punctuation, and spelling are shown as written): Denver. Apr. 7th .86A. Hoell & CoBaltimoreMd. By this mail. I send you a photograph of. Miss Lillian Smith. the Champion Girl Shot. I wish you would make a lithograph pf her as soon as pos-sible. She is to be a member of the Wild West for the next two years. and we want to advertise her all we can. She is a wonderful Shot. Put on the litho. Miss. Lillian. Smith The California Girl Shot With Buffalo Bills. Wild West. Send them along woth our other lithographs when ready. I will leave it all to your judgement how to get them up. Yours Very Truly W.F. Cody Page 1 Close-up Page 2 Close-up The letter is written on Hamilton embossed lined stationery. It has been initialed on both sheets as shown. There are creases from where the letter was folded twice for mailing. The stationery measures 6 by 9 inches. A close-up of the signature block is shown here. At the top of the frame is a photograph of Miss Lillian Smith between two of her World Championship targets. One is labeled "No. 4. 20 shots 1 minute 20 seconds Score 96" The other target is also labeled, but virtually unreadable. It is 10 shots, all but one in the bull's eye. This photograph measures 12 by 6-1/2 inches. This photo is in near excellent condition. The center of the frame has an original photograph of Buffalo Bill in profile, wearing his famed fringed buckskins. The photograph is in near excellent condition. The bottom of the frame has the photograph of Lillian Smith that was used for the top photograph, and for the artwork of the proposed lithograph. It is in near excellent, slightly faded to sepia condition. It measures 5-1/2 by 8 inches. To the left of that photograph is an original concept sketch of the poster. Note the error in the spelling of Lillian Smith's name as "Lilian" This may be the only reason this piece of art survived, as it was retained with the original letter and not sent to Buffalo Bill for approval. The sketch has some damage. There is a sharp crease that has cracked at the top quarter of the page. There are a couple of other more minor tears and scars. There is some yellowing and fading from age. It measures 7-3/4 by 11 inches. The frame measures 25-1/2 by 34-1/2 inches. It is in near excellent condition, with some very minor wear to the edges. It was professionally framed in Prescott, AZ within the last 20 years. All of the pieces are floated under double mats. The glass is UV resistant plastic. Shipping and handling to US places is $25 I have been in the business over 40 years and most collectors on the East Coast know me. I have been a Militaria Show promoter most of that time. I am a fair and honorable person. Winning bidder pays stated shipping and handling charges. Unless otherwise stated, there is a minimum $2.00 charge for insurance. If you DON'T want insurance, PLEASE tell us. Please make arrangements for payment within 10 days of the closing of the auction. 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