[WILD WEST SHOWS]. Dr. W.F. Carver, Evil Spirit, Scout, Wild West. Melbourne, Australia: Melbourne Daily Telegraph, ca 1891.

4 1/2 x 7 in. printed broadside (toning, small pinhole in upper margin, light edge wear). Small advertisement featuring an illustration of Doc Carver with his rifle on the front and a review and description of his show from the Melbourne (Australia) Daily Telegraph on the reverse. RARE: OCLC locates one copy.

Born in Winslow, IL, William "Doc" Carver (1840-1927) first trained as a dentist, but relocated in 1872 to Nebraska, where he began to develop frontier skills including hunting, riding, and, most notably, marksmanship. In 1876, Carver launched his career as a national showman, styling himself as the "Champion Rifle Shot of the World." He toured Europe in 1879, which included a residency at London's Crystal Palace. In 1883, Carver partnered with William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody in an early version of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, billed as "Hon. W. F. Cody and Dr. W. F. Carver's Rocky Mountain and Prairie Exhibition." It only lasted one season, as the two showmen apparently had a clash of egos. They divided assets, and Cody partnered with Nate Salsbury to form his iconic Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Carver also called his new show "Wild West," and the two fought for years over naming rights and the division of the earlier company. The economic depression of the early 1890s and competition from many other "Wild West" shows finally seemed to destroy Carver's show, but he continued to hold shooting matches until about 1896.

[WILD WEST SHOWS]. Dr. W.F. Carver, Evil Spirit, Scout, Wild West. Melbourne, Australia: Melbourne Daily Telegraph, ca 1891.