Little Sure Shot, Annie Oakley by Morgan Weistling

I have long admired the life of Annie Oakley and have always wanted to pay homage to her in a painting. I decided to depict her doing what made her famous, shooting in the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Born Phoebe Ann Moses in 1860 rural Ohio, it was her 16-year run, from 1885 to 1901, with the Wild West that cemented Annie Oakley’s place in Western American folklore. None other than Lakota Chief Sitting Bull gave his fellow Buffalo Bill’s Wild West star the nickname of “Little Sure Shot.” Sitting Bull joined the show for a while and became close friends with Annie. She was amazing and the list of trick shots she could do flawlessly brought her fame around the world. She always preserved her virtuous reputation in the midst of what was a bawdy world of traveling shows.  In this painting I have chosen to capture her in the early part of her career with the Wild West show and in the background, you can see Bill Cody and Sitting Bull on horseback watching her amazing skills. Oakley’s enduring legacy was demonstrating that a woman could be as capable as any man when given the opportunity to prove herself. She is not only a role model for young women but for anyone who loves the history of the Wild West.