Collection documents Wild West Shows in Oklahoma and Washington, particularly the career of Lewis Frederick Foster who was known for his showmanship and skills.
Scope and Contents:
Consists of two scrapbook albums documenting the career of Lewis Frederick Foster. Materials also relate to western shows, rodeos, Buffalo Bill Cody, Pawnee Bill, and the 101 Ranch Wild West Show. Many other individual showmen, including American Indians, are also represented. Information in the collection indicates that Foster was an amateur photographer. It is unclear if the photographs are the work of Foster or if he assembled the album himself.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Lewis Frederick Foster was born in Newton, Middlesex, Massachusetts to James Foster and Elizabeth T. Frederick on September 19, 1861. He married Leona [Rosamond] Stockman on September 30, 1890 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Fosters had one daughter Leona Rosamond born in 1897. Foster
performed on horseback in shows across the West including the Wild West Show in Oklahoma, the Frontier Show in Cheyenne, Washington, and the 101 Ranch Wild West Show. He was known as a 'Rough and Fancy Rider' and a 'Revolver Expert'. Foster died on March 4, 1924 at the age of sixty- two in Modesto, Stanislaus County, California and is buried in Acacia Memorial Park.
Related Materials:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Archives Center Wild West Collection, NMAH.AC.1466
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, NMAH.AC.0060
Sonora Carver Papers, NMAH.AC0.521
Provenance:
Donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1933 by Foster's sister, Louise T. Foster, and his brother, John H. Foster.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Consists of the continued pages of scrapbook album number one and also contains newspaper clippings and photographs from the 1910s. The newspaper clippings are from the newspaper The Billboard. The clippings are affiliated with the Miller Brothers; Zack T. Miller, George L. Miller, and J. C. Miller, the 101 Ranch Wild West Show, and The Young Buffalo Show. Photographs are connected to the 101 Ranch Wild West Show, Young Buffalo Show, and the performers. The performers in the show include Buffalo Bill, Jimmie Blue Bird, Florence La Du, Lone Star May, Cheyenne Bill, Annie Oakley, and others. Letters to the editor of Billboard are clippings of reviews from the show when it traveled across country. In addition, there is biographic information about Tom Mix.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
L.F. Foster Wild West Scrapbooks, Photographs, and Copy Negatives, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Contains photographs and newspaper clippings. from the 1910s. The newspaper articles are mostly related to the cowboy competitions in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Pendleton, Oregon. The Cheyenne Frontier Days competition and the Pendleton Roundup are particularly featured. The photographs are largely connected to the 101 Ranch Wild West Show. The ranch owners, the Miller brothers, are in the photographs. Performers in the show are also documented, including Buffalo Bill, Oglala Lakota Chief Iron Tail, Lulu Bell Parr, Buffalo Vernon, the Tantlingers, Ada Somerville, Sam Garrett, L. F. Foster himself, and others.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
L.F. Foster Wild West Scrapbooks, Photographs, and Copy Negatives, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
