Two-Fisted Pistol-Packing Mama

This very effective ca. 1900 studio portrait of an unknown woman sharpshooter, (or possibly even stage actress) highlights the importance of the “Wild West” as a genre of performance. Wild West Shows began with Buffalo Bill in 1883 and perhaps ended when he went out the last time for the season of 1913. The advent of cowboys on the big screen may have also helped usher in the end of these shows starting with The Great Train Robbery in 1903.