Shared artwork in Wild West show posters reveals subtle differences
May 23, 2024
Shared artwork in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show posters reveals subtle differences
A Museum Minute
By Olivia Weitz
Wyoming Public Media
May 23, 2024
A 1-minute audio snapshot highlighting a museum object from the collection of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
A special exhibition that ran at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in 2024 considered why some printers made small, but meaningful, tweaks to the posters used to advertise Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.
Two of the featured posters, one by an American printer and one by a French company, looked almost identical. Buffalo Bill Museum Curatorial Assistant Sam Hanna said that’s because sometimes the printers that made the posters shared artwork.
“What’s notable about these posters is that the art is modified in the French version to place the French soldier more centrally in the image and closer to Buffalo Bill. I find these interesting, because at first glance, they appear to be almost duplicates. But there are subtle differences upon examination that make them all more special,” he said.
The exhibition, Advertising the Frontier Myth: Poster Art of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, was on view from May 24, 2024–January 12, 2025.
Written By
Olivia Weitz
Olivia Weitz is a Multimedia Journalist for Wyoming Public Radio. She works out of a recording studio inside the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody. She covers Yellowstone National Park, wildlife, and arts and culture throughout the region. She produces the “Museum Minute” series, which features objects from the Center of the West’s collections.
You May Also Like
Museum Minute: Elk Teeth on a Crow Dress Displays Importance of Children
Jun 12, 2025
Listen: Elk teeth are sewn onto a child's wool dress....
The Draper Museum documents pinyon jays in Wyoming
May 05, 2025
The Draper Museum documents pinyon jays in Wyoming A Museum...
There’s a pocket gopher in the Draper’s research collection
Mar 06, 2025
There’s a pocket gopher in the Draper Museum’s research collection...
Museum Minute: Beadwork on a Horse Mask Shows Bond Between Blackfeet Owner and Animal
Jun 12, 2025
Museum Minute: Beadwork on a Horse Mask Shows Bond Between...
Ice patch exhibit shares objects from the past
Feb 12, 2025
Draper museum ice patch exhibit shares objects from the past...
Brushstrokes of a Nation: Golden Gate, Yellowstone
Jun 30, 2025
Thomas Moran's "Golden Gate, Yellowstone National Park," 1893. 4.75...
Buffalo Bill’s Greatest Prop: The Storied Ride of the Deadwood Coach
Jun 24, 2025
William Cody's Deadwood Coach. Gift of Olive and Glenn E....
Museum Minute: A cradleboard tells the story of a flower and a Blackfeet legend
May 14, 2025
Museum Minute: A cradleboard tells the story of a flower...
Museum Minute: Beaded bag is ‘both art and utility’
May 15, 2025
Museum Minute: Beaded bag is 'both art and utility' A...
The northern flicker in the Draper Museum is a unique member of the woodpecker family
Apr 28, 2025
The norther flicker in the Draper Museum is a unique...
Draper museum puts bones back together to share about Yellowstone-area wildlife
Feb 06, 2025
Draper museum puts bones back together to share about Yellowstone-area...