Mexican Joe's Wild West Show, 1889

Mexican Joe ran a disreputable Wild West Show which toured Britain in the 1880s and 1890s. Unlike the spectacular shows of Buffalo Bill, Mexican Joe's shows were smaller, cheaper, and attracted a rougher element. Fighting was common, with one Apache performer in particular, Running Wolf, often involved in brawls when the cast and audience mixed in local pubs. On 22nd October 1889, the show appeared at the Agricultural Hall in Norwich, where newspapers touted a programme that "bristles with daring adventures, and the mounting and riding of the bucking and kicking horses shows what tenacious 'stickers on' these men are." The most expensive tickets were three shillings (roughly equivalent to about £10 now), while the cheapest were sixpence (about £1.65 now).