Social Victorians/1887 American Exhibition/Cody in London

Related Events

• The American Exhibition, which opened on 6 May 1887

The Event Itself

Cody Attended a Number of Events in London, 1887–1888

After the "Wild West" arrived in Earl's Court, Cody says,

<quote>Then commenced a long series of invitations to breakfasts, dinners, luncheons, and midnight lay-outs, garden parties and all the other attentions by which London society delights to honor what it is pleased to call the distinguished foreigner. I began to feel that life is indeed sometimes too short to contain all the gayety that people would fain compress into its narrow limits. A reference to my diary shows that amongst other receptions I visited and was made an honorary member of most of the best clubs. Notably the Reform Club, where I met the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, and a coterie of prominent gentlemen. Then came a civic lunch at the Mansion House with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress; a dinner at the Beaufort Club, where that fine sportsman, the Duke of Beaufort, took the chair; and a memorable evening at the Savage Club, with Mr. Wilson Barrett (just back from America) presiding, and an attendance comprising such great spirits as Mr. Henry Irving, John L. Toole, and all that is great in literary, artistic and histrionic London; at the United Arts Club I was entertained by the Duke of Teck; and at the St. George's Club, by Lord Bruce, Lord Woolmex, Lord Lymington, Mr. Christopher Sykes, Mr. Herbert Gladstone and others; subsequently I dined at Mr. Irving's, Lady McGregor's, Lady Tenterden's, Mrs. Chas. Matthews, (widow of the great actor), Mrs. J. W. Mackay's, Lord Randolph and Lady Churchill's, Edmund Yates', and at Great Marlow; also with Mrs. Courtland Palmer, U. S. Minister Phelps, and again at the Savage Club with Gov. Thos. Waller. Then came invites from Mrs. J. Tandell Phillips, the Hon. Cecil and Mrs. Donovan, Mr. and Mrs. Brandon; from Chas. Wyndham, at the Criterion; from Mr. Lawson, of the Daily Telegraph, to meet the Duke of Cambridge. I was dined also at Lady Monckton's, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Wilde's; the Burlingham Club, Mme. Minnie Haukde Wartegg's, Lady Ardelsun's, Miss Mary Anderson's, an enthusiastic Wild Wester, Emma Nevada Palmer's, and at Mrs. Brown Potter's, who was very active in personal interest. I visited Mr. Henry Labouchere on the occasion when Mr. and Mrs. Labouchere gave their grand garden production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Then I remember riding in great style with Lord Chas. Beresford in the Coaching Club parade in Hyde Park, and received an invitation to a mount with the Hon. Artillery Co. of London (the oldest volunteer in the kingdom), in the parade in honor of Her Majesty's the Queen's birthday. This last, business prevented my accepting.</quote> (724–725)

Cody dictated his Story of the Wild West and Camp-fire Chats while he was in London for the Exhibition

According to a note in the 29 June 1888 Science, Cody dictated his Story of the Wild West and Camp-fire Chats (identified as Camp-fire Stories) while he was in London for the 1887 American Exhibition: <quote> It is not altogether about his own frontier experiences that Mr. Cody has written, but of those of Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, and other pathfinders. The manuscript, which makes seven hundred printed pages, was dictated to a stenographer during 'Buffalo Bill's' English trip </quote> (Notes 312).

Bibliography

• "Buffalo Bill" [Cody, William F.] Story of the Wild West and Camp-fire Chats. R. S. Peale, 1888. Google Books https://books.google.com/books?id=YUtJKvueg4YC (accessed January 2019).