1914 Tompkins' Real Wild West: Riders, Roping, and Gunfire
The Vintage Map Shop, Inc.
Regular price $45.00
Unit price per
By: The Donaldson Litho.
Date of Original: 1914 (circa) Newport, KY
Size of Original: 28 x 42 inches
This is a fine print reproduction of a scarce chromolithograph broadside advertising the Tompkins Real Wild West show, issued by the Donaldson Lithograph Company around 1914.
The image stages a tumultuous display of western horsemanship, bringing together cowboys and cowgirls in acts of trick riding, horse jumping, cattle wrangling, bronco breaking, and gunfire. Dust rises across the foreground and smoke drifts through the air, while covered wagons and low mountains frame the distance. At lower right, a sun-bleached steer skull reinforces the frontier setting.
Wild West shows were widely popular from the late 19th into the early 20th century, rising to prominence with Buffalo Bill’s shows around the 1893 Columbian Exposition and declining with the onset of World War I. The Tompkins Wild West show operated from 1913 to 1917 with the Cooper-Whitby Circus, touring Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey during the summer before moving through Maryland and Virginia in the fall. Performers included Charles and Mabel Tompkins, Chief Running Deer, Hank Drake, Dixie DeVere, Owasso, Bulldogger, and Lafe Lewman.
Charles H. Tompkins, born in Round Rock, Texas in 1873, began working as a ranch hand at twelve and later joined several cattle drives, including one that moved 25,000 head from Dalhart, Texas to Montana. After winning first prize in a Chicago roping contest in 1895, he earned recognition as a skilled rider and roper and later directed the Congress of Champion Ropers and Riders at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
It stands as a vivid summary of Wild West show spectacle, blending motion, danger, and frontier myth into a single dramatic composition.
#92053
About Our Prints
Our prints are fine art reproductions created from original antique maps and vintage posters in our collection, dating back to over 500 years. Each image is professionally scanned, in some cases digitally restored, and carefully printed to preserve the detail, tone, and character of the original work.
- Printed from original maps and prints in our collection
- High-resolution scans for exceptional clarity and detail
- Produced on premium archival paper for long-lasting quality
- Rich color and sharp definition suitable for framing
- Includes a 0.25 inch margin for trimming or matting
- Made to order and securely packaged for safe delivery
Returns and Exchanges
Our prints are made to order, so returns and exchanges are handled within a simple 14-day window. If you need to return or exchange a print, we ask that it be sent back in its original, undamaged condition.
- Returns accepted within 14 days of delivery
- 25% restocking fee on non-damaged returns
- Buyer pays return shipping
- Refunds issued to the original payment method
- Size exchanges available, with shipping and applicable fees paid by the buyer