1. Bibliography sources
  2. Primary Documents: Blackface Performance General News Items

Primary Documents: Blackface Performance General News Items

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The following bibliographic sources were used in JUBA's research. Specific bibliographic sources are also linked from individual person, event, venue and troupe pages.

The Bibliography contains all sources used to compile the Early Blackface Minstrelsy in Britain Database. At this stage of our data entry, most documentation you will find here will be from nineteenth century daily and weekly British journals, searched by our Research Participants; all such entries are linked to one or more of the database entries: Event, Individual, Troupe, Venue, Documentation.

Theatrical Journal (London) December 27, 1845: 412:1.
Info in Record: Description/review of the Christmas Pantomime at the Victoria Theatre, which is entitled Tippitywitchet; or, Harlequin Tim Bobbin and the Witches of Lancashire” (perhaps in reference to the minstrel song?)
Theatrical Journal (London) January 21, 1843: 23:2.
Info in Record: In the Chit Chat column under the title “Advice Gratis,” there is this note: “We advise Mr. Rice, of Jim Crow notoriety, to keep his Yankee Notes in his pocket, they not being fit for English circulation.”
Theatrical Journal (London) February 25, 1843: 64:1.
Info in Record: In the Chit Chat column under “Good Farming:” “Sambo, is your master a good farmer?” O, yes, massa, fuss rate farmer – he make two crops in one year.” “How is that Sambo?” “Why, he sell all his hay in de fall, and make money once; den in de spring he sell de hides of cattle dat die for the want of de hay, and make money twice.”
Theatrical Journal (London) November 18, 1843: 368:1.
Info in Record: Note about Jim Crow Rice in the “Chit Chat” column: “It is possible that Jim Crow Rice would consent to play Drury Lane for ten pounds a night, but it is not probable that Mr. Bunn will engage him for even ten pence.”
Theatrical Journal (London) February 7, 1846: 43:2-45.
Info in Record: ”Tales of the Drama, By an Old Stager. No. IV. – The Jealous Husband”. The first installment of a (seemingly fictional) story about a jealous, Othello-like actor.
Theatrical Journal (London) February 13, 1851: 53:1, 54:1-2.
Info in Record: “Anecdotes of the Stage:” The story of pranks Cook and Cartwright played on each other, including one when Cook was playing Othello, and Cartwright covered Cook’s face with “whiting” and his wig with flour. Cartwright was declared drunk and the performance was canceled for the evening in spite of a house “filled to the ceiling.”
Theatrical Journal (London) February 28, 1846: 68:2-69:1.
Info in Record: Piece bemoaning the furor for ‘popular’ American entertainments, including dioramas, risqué tableaux vivans, exhibitions of dwarves, etc. The author claims, “more troops [sic[ of trans-Atlantic melodists (as if one had not heard and seen enough of them ere this) still come pouring in to inundate the metropolis with their Yankee ditties”.
Theatrical Journal (London) February 28, 1846: 69-70.
Info in Record: An anecdote about a stage-struck boarding school boy from the author’s youth. Amongst other things, the author claims, this boy disturbed his classmates by blacking up and playing out the murder scene from Othello.
Theatrical Journal (London) March 21, 1846: 96:2.
Info in Record: A brief piece under the heading ‘To Correspondents’, which reads as follows: “Jim Crow. – You are right, my sable hero, your dingy brethren are finely gulling John Bull, the banjo is the ascendant. We confess ourselves astonished at the success of many of the imitation of blacks. Sweeny was the best nigger melodist of the lot until the arrival of the Ethiopian Serenaders. They are undeniably clever.”
Theatrical Journal (London) June 9, 1852: 183:2.
Theatrical Journal (London) July 11, 1846: 223:1.
Info in Record: A brief mention of T.D. Rice’s recent performances at the Greenwich (seems to be in New York).
Theatrical Journal (London) September 13, 1849: 290:2.
Info in Record: Short ad in the column: “American Theatrical.” Notes that "Christy's Minstrels are giving concerts at Fort Hamilton".
Theatrical Journal (London) August 15, 1846: 263:1.
Info in Record: ’Chit Chat’ item, which claims that “Mr. Rice, the celebrated ‘Jim Crow,’ has been deprived of speech and the use of his limbs, by a stroke of paralysis.”
Theatrical Journal (London) October 24, 1846: 341:2.
Info in Record: Brief mention of recent performances by “The Ethiopian dancer, John Diamond” at the Greenwich Theatre in New York.
Theatrical Journal (London) October 31, 1846: 351:1.
Info in Record: Brief piece which notes that “the taste for American talent, or Anglo-American talent, is evidently on the increase”. The author lists several performers currently performing or engaged to perform (presumably in England) in support of this contention.
Theatrical Journal (London) November 21, 1846: 371:1-2.
Info in Record: Piece on the history of Othello (describes the source material from which Shakespeare drew the story).
Theatrical Journal (London) February 21, 1850: 56:2.
Info in Record: notice that “Jim Crow Rice (the original Crow) is playing an engagement at the New York Museum”
Theatrical Journal (London) November 28, 1846: 378:1-2.
Info in Record: Continued description/discussion of Othello (the text itself, rather than any specific production of it).
Theatrical Journal (London) December 5, 1846: 385:1-386:2.
Info in Record: Continued description/discussion of Othello (the text itself, rather than any specific production of it).
Theatrical Journal (London) January 27, 1844: 32:1.
Info in Record: Performers Listed: “Ole Bull” Other: audience, description/review
Theatrical Journal (London) May 22, 1847: 161-2.
Info in Record: Piece entitled ‘The English Serenader’, which compares British Ballad singers to blackface minstrels. Notes the popularity of minstrelsy at the time, and lists 10 blackface troupes currently performing in London.
Theatrical Journal (London) February 3, 1844: 39:2.
Info in Record: ”Things that are not true: It is not true that Yankee Rice is to have a statue raised to his memory by the subscriptions of the London flats”
Theatrical Journal (London) June 12, 1847: 190:1.
Info in Record: Performance Type: Dramatic Days & Times: announced for the coming season Venue Name: “Leeds Theatre” Program Info: “The Black Doctor”
Theatrical Journal (London) March 16, 1844: 87:1.
Info in Record: Description of a dinner in honour of R.W. Pelham (at Mr. Cooper’s Fighting Cocks, Moseley), following his recent performances in Birmingham.
Theatrical Journal (London) June 19, 1847: 193-194.
Info in Record: Detailed (and rather negative) description of the recent “minstrel craze”.
Theatrical Journal (London) March 23, 1844: 93:2.
Info in Record: mention of a performance by the American minstrels in Boston, on the previous Wednesday
Theatrical Journal (London) June 26, 1847: 206:1.
Info in Record: A piece entitled “Extracts From the Diary of Mr. Bob Larkin” contains the following: “It seems to be the fashion now to be mad about something or another. It was the Ethiopian Serenaders a little time ago. Now the people are all mad about Jenny Lind…”
Theatrical Observer (London) September 11, 1844: 1.
Info in Record: Lengthy description of the fiddle playing style of "a man out in Mississippi named Carey".
Theatrical Observer (London) May 1, 1844: 1.
Info in Record: Comment that "Ole Bull" the Fiddler is a greater sensation than "eminent tragedian Macready".
Theatrical Observer (London) January 24, 1844: 2.
Info in Record: Mention that "Ole Bull" and his violin all the rage in America, playing to large crowds.
Theatrical Observer (London) January 20, 1844: 1.
Info in Record: Description of performance of "Ole Bull, extraordinary genius of the violin" followed by positive review from Philadelphia.
Theatrical Observer (London) January 3, 1844: 2.
Info in Record: Small editorial on the Macready’s empty houses and the public predilection for musical artists.
Theatrical Observer (London) May 1, 1844: 1.
Info in Record: Discussion of the state of the Theatre in America
Theatrical Observer (London) November 8, 1844: 1.
Info in Record: Author describes meeting the original Jim Crow in Cincinnati; gives info on some minstrel songs, etc.
University of Bristol, Kathleen Barker Collection KB/3: Grey Horse Playbill, Aug. 20, 1844
Info in Record: Performance Type: Variety Performers Listed: “assisted by a real and natural Nigger” Days & Times: “will shortly be produced” (sometime after August 20, 1844) Venue Name: Grey Horse Concert and Ball Room, High Street Program Info: “The Nigger Minstrels is in course of Rehersal [sic[“ Other: (surrounding acts at venue)