The Wild West Show at West Brompton. The Company forming in line.

Engraving of Buffalo Bills Wild West show in ENgland.

The 1887 American Exhibition was the first time that William Cody’s Wild West show came to London. Transporting Buffalo Bill’s Wild West from New York to the UK represented an enormous undertaking, bringing to London a large number of people and animals. Performers included Oakley, 97 indigenous people, mostly people from the Sioux tribes, including Black Elk and Chief Red Shirt, as well as African-American and Mexican or Mexican-American people. The Wild West brought into the UK a large number of animals — “180 horses, 18 buffalo, 10 elk, 5 Texan steers, 4 donkeys, and 2 deer” as well as 10 mules.

From the original edition of The Graphic.