On November 1, 1894, sharpshooter Annie Oakley (1860-1926) visited Thomas Edison’s New Jersey Black Maria Studio.

Annie Oakley 
Part of the Legends of the West
Issued by USPS in 1994 
Designer: Mark Hess

Cinematographer William Heise used Edison’s kinetograph to capture Oakley for 90 seconds while she displayed her renowned shooting skills. She was assisted by her husband, Frank E. Butler, also a member of the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.

Oakley was an excellent markswoman from an early age. Born Phoebe Ann Moses, she grew up in a large family where money was scarce. Her father died when she was still a child, leaving behind seven children and one struggling widow. To help the family survive, Oakley began shooting game to sell to a local Ohio shopkeeper. As she got older, she entered contests—most famously, one against Frank Butler, a traveling sharpshooter. The showdown is now the stuff of legend—Oakley’s de facto origin story. 
How Annie Oakley Defined the Cinema Cowgirl – JSTOR Daily

 “Champion lady shot of the world giving an exhibition of rifle shooting. The smoke effects are very fine.”