Annie Oakley
from Cowboys and Indians

Medium: Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Year: 1986
Sheet: 36×36 inches (91.4 x 91.4 cm)
Edition: 250
Artist’s Proofs: 50 AP
Printer’s Proofs: 15 PP
Hors Commerce: 15 HC
Other: 10 numbered in Roman numerals
Trial Proofs: 36 TP in unique color combination
(see Feldmann & Schellmann IIB.378)
Publisher: Gaultney, Klineman Art, Inc., New York
Printer: Rupert Jasen Smith, New-York
Literature: Feldmann & Schellmann II.378

Signed and numbered in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp and the artist’s copyright inkstamp on the reverse

Annie Oakley is part of Cowboys and Indians
(Click on picture below to access the Catalogue entry)

 

Born Phoebe Ann Mosey in 1860, Annie Oakley rose to fame through her exceptional marksmanship, becoming a star attraction in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. Her prowess not only entertained audiences worldwide but also challenged gender norms of the time, positioning her as a symbol of female empowerment in a predominantly male arena. Throughout her career, Oakley advocated for women’s participation in traditionally male-dominated activities and supported charitable organizations, leaving a lasting legacy on American culture.

Annie Oakley, pictured (left) by British photographer Anthony Percival in 1891, appears here decorated with her numerous sharpshooting medals. Renowned for her immense accuracy, Oakley was a star performer in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West traveling show from 1886 to 1902. Rising to prominence at age fifteen, after defeating famed sharpshooter Frank E. Butler in a shooting competition, she earned the monikers “The Little Sure Shot of the Wild West” and “The Peerless Lady of Wing Shot.”

Portrait of Annie Oakley by Anthony Percival, 1891

Warhol’s vibrant Annie Oakley revivifies Oakley’s nineteenth century fame, emphasizing her position not as the damsel in distress architype typically seen in Westerns, but as an active agent. Warhol’s portrait of Oakley further complicates the murky distinction between the imagined west and the realities of life on the American frontier. She was an entertainer like John Wayne but fired a rifle like General Custer. Her medals are earned in competition but serve the purpose of costume. Warhol effectively leverages this striking image to deepen his exploration of performance and its relation to U.S. westward expansion.

Utilizing his signature screen-printing technique, Warhol transforms a historical photograph of Oakley into a contemporary pop art piece. The application of bold, non-representational colors and simplified forms strips the image of its original context, aligning with Warhol’s exploration of mass media’s role in shaping public perception. This approach not only modernizes Oakley’s image but also invites viewers to reconsider the narratives constructed around historical figures.

Warhol’s Annie Oakley serves as both a tribute and a commentary on the mythologizing of the American West. By placing Oakley alongside other iconic figures in the Cowboys and Indians series, Warhol highlights the blend of fact and fiction that characterizes popular interpretations of history. This work encourages reflection on how media and art contribute to the construction of cultural legends, cementing its significance in both Warhol’s oeuvre and the broader discourse on American identity.

 

 

 

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Auction Market Overview

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Regular Editions

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ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
ANNIE OAKLEY (FELDMAN/SCHELLMAN II.378), from Cowboys and Indians, 1986
Color screenprint on Lenox Museum Board
Signed and numbered 190/250 in pencil

Sotheby’s London: 26 September 2023
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 60,000
GBP 53,440 / USD 64,882

ANDY WARHOL (1928 – 1987)
Annie Oakley, from Cowboys and Indians, 1986
Screen-print in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil and numbered 202/250

Sotheby’s New-York: 26 October 2019
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000 
USD 50,000

ANDY WARHOL
ANNIE OAKLEY (F. & S. II.378), from Cowboys and Indians, 1986
Screen-print in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil and inscribed ‘HC 11/15’
An hors commerce impression aside from the numbered edition of 250 plus 50 artist’s proofs

Christie’s New-York: 20 April 2018
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000 
USD 47,500

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Annie Oakley, from Cowboys and Indians, 1986
Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered 158/250

Annie Oakley (81/250)
Sotheby’s New-York: 19 July 2018
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 52,500

Annie Oakley (234/250)
Sotheby’s London: 27 March 2018
Estimated: GBP 18,000 – 20,000
GBP 31,250 / USD 44,255

Annie Oakley (29/250)
Freeman’s Hindman: 23 May 2017
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 40,000

Annie Oakley (199/250)
Christie’s New-York: 2 November 2016
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 32,500

Annie Oakley (158/250)
Phillips New-York: 25 April 2016
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 35,000

 

 

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Trial Proofs

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Annie Oakley (TP 34/36), 1986

Sotheby’s London: 24 September 2025
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 60,000
GBP 88,900 / USD 119,605
TRIAL PROOF

ANDY WARHOL (1928 – 1987)
Annie Oakley, from Cowboys and Indians (see F. & S. IIB.378), 1986
Screenprint in a unique color combination on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, inscribed and numbered TP 34/36
A unique trial proof aside from the numbered edition of 250 plus 50 artist’s proofs

Annie Oakley (TP 24/36), 1986

Sotheby’s New-York: 31 October 2014
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 68,750
TRIAL PROOF

ANDY WARHOL
Annie Oakley (F. & S. IIB.378), from the Cowboys and Indians portfolio, 1986
Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, inscribed ‘TP 24/36’
A unique color trial proof aside from the numbered edition of 250

Annie Oakley (TP 14/36), 1986

Christie’s London: 19 March 2014
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 50,000
GBP 37,500 / USD 62,370
TRIAL PROOF

ANDY WARHOL
Annie Oakley, from: Cowboys and Indians (F. & S. IIB.378), 1986
Unique screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered TP 14/36
A trial proof aside from the edition of 250