A Brief History of Blackface

Recently one of my children asked me about blackface. Had I told him about it when he was young and why hadn't he learned about it in school? Probably I had not told him about it, and he probably hadn't learned about it in school, either. Well, his question woke me up to the fact that I didn't really know that much about the history of blackface either. So, after a bit of research, here's some information on the history of blackface and racist black stereotypes. Blackface is much more than just an actor applying burnt cork makeup. It is a style of entertainment based on racist black stereotypes that began in minstrel shows and continues to this day. The stock characters of blackface minstrels have played a significant role in disseminating racist images and perceptions around the world. Many immigrant groups were stereotyped on the music hall stage in the 19th century, but the mocking caricatures of the blacks and the belief that blacks were racially and socially inferior to whites was fostered by both white and black performers in blackface. Blackface makeup was either a layer of burnt cork or cocoa butter or black grease paint. Early on, exaggerated red lips were painted around the mouth, like a clown. Later, the lips were painted white or unpainted. Costumes were either gaudy formal wear, swallowtail coats, striped trousers and top hats. The white man's characterizations of plantation slaves and free blacks during the minstrel era (1830-1890)took such a firm hold on the American imagination that audiences expected any person with dark skin, no matter what their background, to conform to one or more of the stereotypes: Jim Crow, Zip Coon (eventually merged into a single stereotype, "coon."), Mammy (better known as Aunt Jamima), Uncle Tom, Buck, and Pickaninny (bulging eyes, unkempt hair, red lips, and wide mouths into which they stuff huge slices of watermelon) were just some of the stereotypes. White audiences in the 19th century wouldn't accept black entertainers on stage unless they performed in blackface makeup. One of the first blacks to perform in blackface for white audiences was William Henry Lane, aka Master Juba, who invented tap dancing. He became so famous that he was finally allowed to perform without makeup. The American minstrel show was effectively dead by WW1, yet some of the old-timers continued to peddle blackface stereotypes later in vaudeville, films and television. The stereotypes that blackface peddled, continued to exist through the first half of the 20th century, in vaudeville, blackface on Broadway, silent movies, race movies, racist cartoons, and radio. The Amos and Andy characters were created by two white actors with blackface and vaudeville experience, and became an immediate success. Portraying blackface racist stereotypes on radio was a bit of a challenge because there were no visuals. The voices were even more exaggereated to help listeners distinguish between characters. In 1951, Amos 'n' Andy ranked 13 in the Nielsen ratings and in 1952 won an Emmy. The NAACP responded by initiating a boycott of its sponsor, Blatz beer. The Civil Rights Movement was underway, yet it took a dozen years to eliminate it from most network schedules. Although blacks have made tremendous strides in our society, many of the stereotypes from the 19th century exist to this day. The Cleveland Show is basically Family Guy in blackface with a lot of negative black stereotypes thrown in. Even Tyler Perry, the most prolific and successful black producer/director/actor, has a recurring mammy character, Mabel "Madea" Simmons in much of his work. Blackface helped create negative stereotypes that exist to this day.