Social Victorians/1887 American Exhibition/Shooting Match

Logistics

• 6 May 1887
• Earl's Court

Related Events

Prior Events

• 5 May 1887: "A Private Entertainment for the Prince of Wales"
• The American Exhibition, which opened on 6 May 1887

The Event Itself

Shooting Match between Annie Oakley and Michael, Grand Duke of Russia, 6 May 1887

On 6 May 1887, the day after the visit by the Royal family, there was a shooting match between Annie Oakley and Michael, the Grand Duke of Russia.

As Holbrook says,

<quote> Next day Buffalo Bill received a note: "Sir: Will the little girl Annie Oakley, who shoots so cleverly in your show, object to shooting a friendly match with the Grand Duke Michael of Russia? We will arrive at Earl's Court at 10:30 this morning." It was signed "Edward."

Bill Cody was upset. He believed, and with reason; that no matter how good a marksman the grand duke was, little Annie would shoot rings around him. And, when asked, Annie said that was exactly what she would do. Buffalo Bill thought it would be quite terrible to have a grand duke outshot by a commoner and a woman at that. Annie was not to be moved. While the argument was going on, four whole carriage loads of assorted royalty and nobility rolled up to Earl's Court and the shooting match started. The duke was a better-than-good marksman but not in Annie's class. He missed 15 out of 50 targets, Annie only 3. The incomparable Major Burke announced to reporters and cabled back to the U.S. that the grand duke had really come to England to win a British princess in marriage and had even progressed to the engagement stage, but that his losing the shooting match to a woman had caused him also to lose face. Hence the engagement was broken by the princess. "How magnificent this little woman of the Great Plains!" marveled Burke. "She and her magic gun won two matches from the grand duke — the shooting trophy and the hand of the princess." Even Annie Oakley came to believe it.</quote> (71 Col. B – 71 Col. A)

Cushman says that Annie Oakley

<quote> could hit the thin edge of a playing card in midair and shoot a cigarette from the lips of her husband and manager, Frank Butler. In 1887 the show went to London and she won a contest with Grand Duke Michael of Russia, a famous marksman, to discover who could smash the most glass balls thrown in the air. She hit forty-seven out of fifty to the duke's thirty-five. On this occasion her target in the cigarette trick was the German emperor. Because she could perforate a playing card five times in midair her name was used to describe any punched theater ticket.</quote> (Cushman 310)

Who Was Present

In alphabetical order for lack of a better way to organize this:

• Annie Oakley
• Michael, Grand Duke of Russia
• Edward Albert, Prince of Wales
• Major Burke
• "four whole carriage loads of assorted royalty and nobility" (Holbrook 71 Col. B - 71 Col. A)

Bibliography

• Cushman
• Holbrook