At the moment I'm trying to do some pretty thorough research into the past of Phoebe Ann Mosey (Annie Oakley), a curious couple of years in her childhood, and a smattering of secondary players in her life relevant to the history of Darke County, OH, where she was born and raised.
I run into a lot of contradictory and spurious information, as well as places where there are just plain gaping holes in the historical record I'm trying to fill. So imagine my surprise when I find a link to what should be a no-brainer: annieoakley.org
".Org", I think, "Non-profit." Perhaps some organization (Aside from the "Annie Oakley Foundation") dedicated to keeping her memory alive?
No. It's a Sarah Palin fansite that compares her to Annie Oakley.
...
For those who don't know, let me help. Well above being an expert markswoman, Annie valued being a proper Victorian lady. If she rode, she always rode sidesaddle. She wouldn't be caught dead in pants, but always long skirts with leggings so as not to reveal too much. When bicycles became en vogue, she fashioned snaps that would keep her skirt down while riding, so there would be no "wardrobe malfunctions". She was meticulous about the way she presented herself, and despite her poor farm origins, cultivated a public image of herself as a genteel lady of class and breeding, quite unlike other showgirls and cowgirls of the time (an image which, unfortunately, too often went by the wayside when various plays, musicals and movies were based on her). When hunting game, her ethics demanded a clean kill and quick pursuit if she only wounded her prey, so it would not suffer. In sport, she demanded it be sporting, and required the proper season for grassing birds, such that they'd be "first-class flyers". And frankly, she questioned the value of women's suffrage.
I think it's fair to say she'd be appalled by the comparison to Sarah Palin, who gracelessly attacks opponents, is an aggressive distortionist, hunts wolves from helicopter and compares herself to a pitbull.
I think the brash former beauty queen would be more aptly compared to the boastful Calamity Jane or any of countless cowgirls or showgirls of the era. Perhaps it wouldn't be the most flattering comparison, but at least it would be honest.
I run into a lot of contradictory and spurious information, as well as places where there are just plain gaping holes in the historical record I'm trying to fill. So imagine my surprise when I find a link to what should be a no-brainer: annieoakley.org
".Org", I think, "Non-profit." Perhaps some organization (Aside from the "Annie Oakley Foundation") dedicated to keeping her memory alive?
No. It's a Sarah Palin fansite that compares her to Annie Oakley.
...
For those who don't know, let me help. Well above being an expert markswoman, Annie valued being a proper Victorian lady. If she rode, she always rode sidesaddle. She wouldn't be caught dead in pants, but always long skirts with leggings so as not to reveal too much. When bicycles became en vogue, she fashioned snaps that would keep her skirt down while riding, so there would be no "wardrobe malfunctions". She was meticulous about the way she presented herself, and despite her poor farm origins, cultivated a public image of herself as a genteel lady of class and breeding, quite unlike other showgirls and cowgirls of the time (an image which, unfortunately, too often went by the wayside when various plays, musicals and movies were based on her). When hunting game, her ethics demanded a clean kill and quick pursuit if she only wounded her prey, so it would not suffer. In sport, she demanded it be sporting, and required the proper season for grassing birds, such that they'd be "first-class flyers". And frankly, she questioned the value of women's suffrage.
I think it's fair to say she'd be appalled by the comparison to Sarah Palin, who gracelessly attacks opponents, is an aggressive distortionist, hunts wolves from helicopter and compares herself to a pitbull.
I think the brash former beauty queen would be more aptly compared to the boastful Calamity Jane or any of countless cowgirls or showgirls of the era. Perhaps it wouldn't be the most flattering comparison, but at least it would be honest.
