Annie Oakley
A professional markswoman who turned extraordinary rifle and shotgun skill into a global stage career.
Photo: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division via Wikimedia Commons[1].
Public domain[2].
Profile
- Born
- August 13, 1860
- Birth place
- Darke County, Ohio, United States
- Died
- November 3, 1926
- Death place
- Greenville, Ohio, United States
- Nationality
- American
- Role
- Markswoman and performer
Firearms connection
Born Phoebe Ann Moses, Annie Oakley used her marksmanship to help support her family, won a shooting match at age 15, and became a featured performer with Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West. Her act made precision shooting visible to large audiences in the United States and Europe.
Why Annie Oakley matters
Oakley became one of the most recognizable women in a male-dominated shooting profession. She also supported orphan charities, raised money for the Red Cross through shooting demonstrations during World War I, and later taught shooting to women.
Life and firearms
Annie Oakley was born Phoebe Ann Moses in rural Darke County, Ohio, in 1860. As a girl, she helped support her family by shooting game and selling it. At fifteen, she won a shooting match against touring champion Frank Butler; they later married and built a professional partnership.
Oakley joined Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West in 1885 and became famous for feats that included splitting cards, snuffing candles, and shooting corks from bottles. Her performances in the United States and Europe made a woman with a rifle one of the era’s most recognizable public images.
Her work continued beyond entertainment. Oakley gave money to orphan charities, offered to organize female sharpshooters during World War I, and instead raised Red Cross funds through demonstrations at military camps. She later gave shooting lessons to women.
Photos of Annie Oakley with Guns
Photo: World Telegram staff photographer via Wikimedia Commons[3].
Public domain[2].
Photo: Unknown photographer via Wikimedia Commons[4].
Public domain[2].
Photo: Watson & Wilson via Wikimedia Commons[5].
Public domain[2].
Known Annie Oakley Quotes About Guns
“I’ve made a good deal of money in my time, but I never believe in wasting a dollar of it.”
– Annie Oakley, quoted by PBS American Experience.
“You must have your mind, your nerve, and everything in harmony.”
– Annie Oakley, quoted in Shirl Kasper’s biography, University of Oklahoma Press.
“Don’t look at your gun; simply follow the object with the end of it.”
– Annie Oakley, quoted in Shirl Kasper’s biography, University of Oklahoma Press.
“Nobody ever taught me to shoot.”
– Annie Oakley, as recalled by biographer Shirl Kasper in PBS American Experience.
“A love of the gun was just born in me.”
– Annie Oakley, as recalled by biographer Shirl Kasper in PBS American Experience.
“I for one feel confident that your good judgement will carry America safely through without war.”
– Annie Oakley, letter to President William McKinley, April 5, 1898.
“I am ready to place a company of fifty lady sharpshooters at your disposal.”
– Annie Oakley, letter to President William McKinley, April 5, 1898.
Sources
Footnotes
- commons.wikimedia.org Back to reference 1
- creativecommons.org Back to reference 2
- commons.wikimedia.org Back to reference 3
- commons.wikimedia.org Back to reference 4
- commons.wikimedia.org Back to reference 5
- www.womenshistory.org Back to reference 6
- www.garstmuseum.org Back to reference 7
- www.pbs.org Back to reference 8
- www.oupress.com Back to reference 9
- docsteach.org Back to reference 10