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Catalog Data

Depicted:
Wallick, James H.  Search this
Maker:
Great Western Printing Company  Search this
Physical Description:
paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements:
image: 39 1/2 in x 13 1/4 in; 100.33 cm x 33.655 cm
Object Name:
engraving
Object Type:
Engraving
Place made:
United States: Missouri, Saint Louis
Date made:
n.d.
Description:
This black and white wood engraving is colored with a blue tint overlay and was used as a theater poster or advertising billboard. Reading from top to bottom, the poster states, “The Sensational Event/ Jas. H. Wallick’s Bandict King / Jas. H. Wallick / Roan Charger and Bay Raider / Popular Prices.” At the center is an oval bust portrait of the actor Jas. H. Wallick. Above and below this portrait are two rectangular scenes, one showing Wallick with his two horses and the other depicting a performance of <i>The Great Bowie Knife Fight on Horseback</i>. The "Roan Charger" and the "Bay Raider" refer to the very expensive horses that purportedly once belonged to Jesse James.
James H. Wallick (ca 1839-1908) was born in Hurley, New York. Sources have suggested varying possibilities for his birth name, including Patrick J. Fubbins, James Henry Wheeler, or James H. Fubbins Wallick. There has also been speculation that he took the last name Wallick to link himself to the actor James William Wallack, Sr. James Wallick appeared in melodramas and circuses before achieving his best-known success in <i>The Bandit King</i>, a touring Wild West show loosely based on the life of outlaw Jesse James, recast as an anti- hero named Joe Howard. After the death of James in 1882, Wallick created, produced, and starred in the drama, originally titled <i>Jesse James, The Bandit King,</i>. The production featured the typical Wild West genre like horses, buffalo, trick riding and an impressive sharpshooting demonstration. The show was comprised of 6 acts and 8 tableaux and sometimes featured Robert J. Ford, James's real-life killer. <i>The Bandit King</i> made several tours across the country from 1882 to about 1902. Wallick’s other productions included <i>The Cattle King</i> and <i>The Mountain King</i>. He made and lost several fortunes over the course of his career and suffered from heavy debt. He committed suicide in 1908.
Jim Bowie (ca 1796-1836) was a Kentucky-born frontiersman, who became legendary for surviving a fierce knife duel known as the Sandbar Fight. The style of knife he carried became known as the Bowie knife, named in his honor. He was killed fighting at the Battle of the Alamo in Texas in 1836.
This lithograph was produced by the Great Western Printing Company of St. Louis, Missouri, which was eventually bought by the National Printing and engraving Company of New York.
Location:
Currently not on view
Subject:
Horses  Search this
Theater  Search this
Credit Line:
Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection
ID Number:
DL.60.3011
Catalog number:
60.3011
Accession number:
228146
See more items in:
Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
Clothing & Accessories
Advertising
Art
Peters Prints
Domestic Furnishings
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a4-12d1-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_325287