By Joy S. Kasson (NHC Fellow, 1996–97) Canada, and Europe. Crowds cheered as cowboys and Indians–and Annie Oakley!–galloped past on spirited horses, sharpshooters exploded glass balls tossed high in the air, and cavalry troops arrived just in time to save a stagecoach from Indian attack. Vivid posters on billboards everywhere made William Cody, the show's … Continued
By John F. Kasson (NHC Fellow, 1980–81; 2009–10) Her image appeared in periodicals and advertisements roughly twenty times daily; she rivaled FDR and Edward VIII as the most photographed person in the world. Her portrait brightened the homes of countless admirers: from a black laborer’s cabin in South Carolina and young Andy Warhol’s house in … Continued
Lindbergh’s daring flight — and his modest response to global fame — reassured Americans that their nation’s traditional values remained strong despite the tumultuous changes of the Roaring Twenties that were reflected in wild youth, rampant consumerism, celebrity worship, and political corruption.
Between 1883 and 1916, “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” — an extravaganza of riding, roping, shooting, Indian attacks, and stage coach robberies — gave audiences throughout the world a vivid image of the American West. In the process William F. Cody, as Buffalo Bill, established himself as one of the most famous Americans of his era. … Continued