A Look Back at Minstrelsy

During the 19th century, it became a popular pastime to spend an evening at a minstrel theater. Minstrel entertainment was widespread in the Northern cities among immigrants, the unskilled, and it appealed to some in the middle and upper class. The early blackface minstrels were white performers who mimicked blacks. They colored their faces and used makeup to give the impression of big lips and large eyes. While it was entertainment, the main attraction for white audiences was that it was a declaration of white superiority.

Emergence of Minstrelsy

The popularity of minstrel shows emerged just as social changes in Northern cities were occurring. Up until the early 19th century, it had been common for whites and African Americans to participate in celebrations together. The Pinkster celebrations of New Jersey and New York provided a forum for black performers, and whites were often present at these gatherings. Laws began to discourage biracial celebrations and blacks were driven from festivities. By the 1830s, common celebrations had been eliminated. It was just as African American performers and celebrations disappeared that blackface became a prevalent pastime.

The popularity of blackface minstrel performance was partly due to the emergence of a class system. Minstrel entertainment was able to provide a common thread for the lower, middle, and upper class. All whites could feel superior and unified, while at the same time stereotyping African Americans.

Minstrelsy first emerged in 1822. English actor Charles Mathews performed a one-man show called "A Trip to America" in blackface. However, it was Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice who popularized the minstrel show in 1828 with his performance that became known as "Jim Crow." Rice's character was a crippled plantation slave who danced and sang.

Rice and other performers also used this forum to respond to the anti-slavery movement with proslavery renditions about happy-go-lucky slaves. They also criticized emancipation, civil rights, and the Freedmen's Bureau activities. For white audiences, these viewpoints were easy to accept.

African American Minstrel Performers

Some black minstrel performers emerged during the Civil War, but they became more prevalent after 1865. Black performers rose in popularity and they formed into troupes. Unlike white performers, black entertainers did not always perform in blackface, but by the late 19th century, audiences insisted on it.

Many of the San Francisco minstrels became local stars because of their talent and originality. Walter Thompson writes about the many black minstrels of San Francisco in his 1916 article "Among the Merry Men of Minstrelsy". He remembers the talent of those that formed into the San Francisco Minstrels, but he especially admires the greater talent that came later. The emergence of Billy Emerson, a talented singer and dancer, brought life to a new minstrel character, the dandy. It replaced the Jim Crow plantation slave with a character that sang new songs, which provided a new kind of rhythm for dancing. Thompson also remembers Charley Reed, Emerson's partner, who brought a comic flair to the stage; Tommy Dixon, a talented singer; and several other minstrels who were gifted comedians, singers, and dancers.

Some blacks owned and managed troupes, but they were often limited to performances in smaller towns and cities. Billy Emerson was one of the few who owned and managed his own theater, which became a popular entertainment spot in San Francisco. However, in general, whites owned and managed the most prosperous troupes. By the 1870s, white ownership was dominant. It was also the white owned troupes that traveled throughout the United States and around the world.

Decline of Minstrelsy

Professional minstrelsy declined in the 20th century, but its appeal continued on in the South. Despite its racist stereotypes, some good came out of minstrelsy. It provided a foundation for black performers to learn from; many that emerged after the decline of minstrelsy were able to use the experience they had gained as minstrel entertainers. W.C. Handy, Bert Williams, Ma Rainey, Dizzy Gillespie, and Jelly Roll Morton were just a few of the performers who started out in minstrelsy. In addition, the unique style of minstrel performance introduced a form of African American performance style to a wide audience.

References:

Roediger, David. The Wages of Whiteness: Race and the Making of the American Working Class. New York: Verso, 1991.

Thompson, Walter. "Among the Merry Men of Minstrelsy". San Francisco Chronicle. November 12, 1916.