Although Negro minstrelsy, a uniquely American creation, enjoyed worldwide popularity for many years, there has yet to be a comprehensive history dedicated to this subject. While there exist some books like "Monarchs of Minstrelsy," which mainly focus on biographical aspects, and "Gentlemen Be Seated," a concise and popular treatment, the literature on this subject remains limited to individual book chapters and articles. The current work represents a significant regional addition to the existing bibliography. Nevertheless, the task of crafting a definitive history chronicling the ascent and decline of Negro minstrelsy is a challenge that awaits a future historian.TABLE OF CONTENTS
MINSTRELSY
PAGES PART I (1849 - 1879) 1-112
Antecedence 1
Beginnings of Blackface 3
Miniature Jim Crow 4
The Initiation of Troupes 4
Titles and Showmanship 5
Parades, Small Boys, and Drum Majors 6
In the Tradition 7
Noise Makers 9
Bones and Tamho in 1849 12
Participation of Tom Maguire 14
Concerning the Origin of "Jim Crow" 15
Early .'"linstrel Songs 17
Strolling Minstrels 19
Arrivals of the Serenaders 22
Commentary 24
Rise and Spread of Minstrelsy in the West. ... 26
Desperate Ventures . 27
Of Edwin Booth, Minstrel 28
Maguire Anticipates A Trend 34
Fame of Charles Backus 35
Minstrelsy or Promenade? 37
Enter Tom Briggs 38
Poor Tom Briggs 39
The Saga of Eph Horn 41
Adventirres in California 44
"Old Dan Tucker" 44
Christy-Backus Minstrels 45
Minstrelsy -- 1850-1860 47
Variations of Opera 49
Bryant's Blackface Corps . ...... 50
Lotta Crabtree, Minstrel ..... 51
Maguire 's Disinterest 52
Females in Blackface ....... 53
Festival 54
Minstrelsy Heyday Begins . ., 55
Saga of Johnny De Angelis 56
Something About Backus and Billy Birch 60
Minstrels in San Francisco and the Interior. . . 61
Minor Houses 63
Brudder Bones 64
Variety Apes tjia "Cakewalk" 65
Lotta Crabtree Again 68
Into the Washoe 70
Wit, Ballad, and Song 71
"Marfa's Wedding DayV 72
"Agah : We Come, 'We Cornel" 73
The Fabulous George Christy , 74
Christy's Troupe 75
Box and Oox 76
The Grand Manner 78
"No Roses in Kansas" 80
More Nonsense 82
Emerson and Maguire 83
Versatile Impersonators . 85
Genial Funny Business 87
"A Joy Bird Sat on a Hickory Limb" 87
Supremacy of Emerson's Minstrels 88
"King of Them All" 90
An Odd Contrast 91
Of the Sun Flower and Queen Victoria 92
A Scalped Railroad Ticket 93
British Blondes 95
Ascendancy of Women Minstrels 96
Fight Between Nigger Singers 97
The Rentz Female Minstrels 100
Not Very Naughty; Not Very Nice 101
"Forty -- Count «Em — Forty" 103
Havorly's Sensation 103
Two Bottles of Wine 105
Harrigan and Hart 106
Team Work 108
A Critic's Appraisal 109
Forty-Nine I Forty-Nine 1 110
PART II (187y - 1922) 113-220
The Palmy Days 113
Reminiscences of Mr, Sawyer . 115
Coffee Dan's 118
The Big Bonanza ..... 120
Plantation Darkies and "Ham Fatters" 120
Slapstick and Variety 121
The Quaker 123
Banjos, Ballads, and Clog Dancers 124
Legend of Billy, the King 125
The Rascal's Nonsense 126
Emerson's Oddities 127
New Alhambra Theatre 127
Minstrel King -- Theatrical Monarch 129
Comraent by an Historian 131
They Go on Forever , 132
Haverly's Fanfare , 133
A Brief Critique 135
Colonel Jack 136
Hooley, Morton, and Homer 138
Haverly and Emerson 141
A Grand Climax 142
Emerson Reopens the Standard Theatre ....... 143
Topics of the Day 144
More Slapstick Comicalities 144
King of Them All 145
Callcnder's Genuine Negroes 146
Opening Night at the Standard, 148
Subsequent Appearances 149
Callender's Minstrels and Col, Haverly 149
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" or Billy Emerson? 150
One Hundred and Eight Weeks 151
Charlie Reed's Burlesques 152
Added Novelties 153
Greco-Roman Business 154
Courtwright and Hawkins' Minstrels ........ 155
Emerson Receives an Offer, 156
"California" 156
The King Departs 157
Enigma 157
Charlie Reed's Dilemma 158
Loon and Cushman Present a Novelty , 160
The Plain Comedian 161
The World Fair Minstrel Company 162
Who Ovms the Theatre? 164
Billy Sv;eatnam and Carroll Johnson 165
Advent of the Debacle. 167
Talc of the Schoolmaster 167
Charles Backus, Chaperon 169
Impersonations, Insurance, and Mimicry 170
Reed's Bolero l''''^
Performance Milltaresque ....<> 173
The Pinafore Boom 1'74
Piracy of H. M, S. Pinafore in San Francisco , . , 176
Gilbert and Sullivan in Nev; York 177
The Pirates of Penzance 177
More Light Operas in San Francisco 178
"Mickey-boo" — A Burlesque 179
Reed's "Pa-Quit-Her" 180
Billy Birch, "in the Yellov/ of His Leaf 181
Charlie Reed, Apologist 182
"Nan-Off,'' "t'lacbreath," and Conundrums 183
Labor Trouble 183
Murphy and Mack 185
The Refined Minstrels 185
Reed Performs in White Pace 187
Band's Minstrels 187
Boycott of the California Theatre 188
Female Minstrels •«• ..... 189
Decadence, 190
Lew Docks tader 191
Emerson and the Kaverly-Cleveland Troupe .... 192
City of a Thousand and One Nights 193
Saga of Gustav 'Salter 194
Rise of the Orpheum 195
Shades of Shakespeare 195
Edward Harrigan. 197
Dearth of Minstrelsy 198
Haverly Stages a Revival 199
An Intervlev/ with Billy Rice . 200
What Became of The Pioneers? 203
Call for Billy Sheppard 203
Last Appearance of the King 206
The Black Troubadours 207
William West's Minstrels 208
Death of the King of Blaclcface 210
Reminiscences 211
Amateur Minstrels, 213
Shade of Wambold 213
Obit by Porter Garnett ..... 215
The Last Stage 217
From Mountebank to Star 218
Envoy. 218
BIBLIOGRAPHY 221
NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS 222
APPENDICES 224-298
ILLUSTRATIONS Thomas D, Rice, "Daddy of American Minstrels", • Frontispiece
FOLLOWING PAGE
Original Buckley Serenaders 23
Charlie Backus 35
Billy Birch 35
Dave Wambold 35
William H. Bernard 35
Eph Horn 41
Christy's Melodies 46
Typical Minstrel Song Design 71
Eugene 75
The Only Leon 75
The Great Ricardo 75
Billy Emerson, "King of Them All" 125
Colonel "Jack" Haverly 125
Bert Williams 125
Lou Dockstader 125
William Henry Rice in a Wench Role 186
Minstrelsy's Last Stand 218
Original Title Page of "Dixie" 246
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