Call NumberNS-30Datecirca 1893SummaryWilliam Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody stands in front of a tent where King Leopold of Belgium (with beard) stands with three young boys and two men. A stuffed buffalo is on each side of the tent's entrance. Additional stuffed buffaloes are placed in front of the two nearby tents. Nate Salsbury, owner and manager of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, leans against a fence post in the left midground. A sign reading: "Jule Keen, Treasurer" hangs on the tent at the far left. The group is gathered outside the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Salsbury leased land at the exposition's entrance for the wild west show to be housed.Physical Description1 copy photonegative ; 9 x 11 cm (3 1/2 x 4 1/4 in.); 1 photoprint : black and white ; 20 x 25 cm (8 x 9 3/4 in.) on mat 26 x 31 cm (10 x 12 in.)Born-Digital or AnalogAnalogSubjectWild west showsBuffalo Bill, 1846-1917Léopold II, King of the Belgians, 1835-1909Buffalo Bill's Wild West ShowWorld's Columbian Exposition (1893: Chicago, Ill.)CollectionPhotographs - Western HistoryRelated MaterialImage File: ZZR700105030Type of MaterialFilm negativesPhotographic printsOriginal Material Found in CollectionSalsbury collection, Buffalo Bill's Wild West ShowNotesBuffalo Bill's Wild West - Chicago World's Fair In front of right tent with long beard - King Leopold of Belgium, Buffalo Bill, stuffed buffalo. In front of center tent - Nate Salsbury - owner and manager, Left tent - Jule Keen - treasurer handwritten on back of print. "The chair in front of Cody's tent was used by Harry Tarleton, his attendant - who told me (Rebecca Salsbury, Nate Salsbury's daughter), the following 2 stories in Aug. 1935 at Taos, N.M. where he now owns and runs a garage. 1. Coming in late one night he found a black wallet in front of Keene's tent containing $15,000 -traced owner and found it was the Belgian ambassador. Returned it and got $100 reward. 2. To the left of Keene's tent was the man who allowed people to come in or not. Tarleton told me they got no wages but got as much as $1500 a day each in tips. People would wrap $2.00 bills around their calling card to speak [?] to Cody or Salsbury. At least 20 schoolteachers a day would [illegible word] to speak to Cody, saying they had taught him when he was a boy. Cody never went to school! (very much)" handwritten on back of print. Image also identified as "F22518."; Photographers' stamp is in the lower left corner of front side of mat and reads: "The Allgeier Co., Photos, Chicago; " several phrases are penciled on edges of mat, including "King Prince Leopold of Belgium World's Fair," "1893 World's Fair of Chicago," "1st Jule Keene 2 Salsbury 3 Cody," "stuffed buffalo," "Belgian Ambass kids [?] lost 15,000 in cash front of [?] tent - found by Salsbury [?] and returned" and "chair is Tarleton's [?]; " words continued on back of print and read: "[?] gave Tarleton and Sherman Cornfield, Cody's sister, $100 from purse of $18,000 they found; " an "x" with the word "wallet" is on the left side of the mat board. Title supplied by cataloger. R7001050309
William F. Cody in group in front of tent (circa 1893). Denver Public Library Digital Collections, accessed 11/12/2025, https://digital.denverlibrary.org/nodes/view/1124157
