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Blackface minstrelsy, which derived its name from the white performers who blackened their faces with burnt cork, was a form of entertainment that reached its peak in the mid-nineteenth century. Using caricatures of African Americans in song, dance, tall tales, and stand-up comedy, minstrelsy was immensely popular with white audiences. These caricatures usually featured the uncultured, parochial, happy-go-lucky southern plantation slave (Jim Crow) in his tattered clothing, or the urban dandy (Zip Coon or Dandy Jim), frequently presented as slow-talking, mischievous and gaudily overdressed. Both were dim-witted, lazy, and were intensely fond of both watermelon and chicken. For several decades these two stereotypes remained the most enduring of American minstrelsy.

Playlist

Five recordings from Library of Congress collections

The classic age of blackface minstrelsy began in the late 1830s, when performers began to regularly form duos, trios, and occasionally quartets. By the 1840s, the show typically was divided into two parts: the first concentrated largely upon the urban black dandy, the second on the southern plantation slave.

Primrose & West's Big Minstrels. N.Y. : Strobridge Lith. Co., c1896. Prints and Photographs Division, Reproduction Number:LC-USZC2-1773

A significant change in minstrelsy was the development of troupes composed of black performers. Whereas the few that had existed in the early days had not been considered important, the impact of black companies was realized after the Civil War. The troupes provided a showcase for the talents of black musicians. In addition to plantation scenes and caricatures popularized by white performers, black troupes often incorporated African American religious music in their shows. The more popular included the Original Georgia Minstrels, Haverly's Colored Minstrels, Sprague's Georgia Minstrels, and W.S. Cleveland's Colored Minstrels. By the turn of the century most professional troupes had turned from classic minstrelsy to burlesque, the predecessor of the Broadway musical, and a form only marginally connected with minstrelsy. Nevertheless, among amateur performers and producers, minstrelsy continued as a popular form of American entertainment well into the 1920s.

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Minstrel Songs | Popular Songs of the Day | Musical Styles | Articles and Essays | The Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America | Digital Collections | Library of Congress

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Blackface minstrelsy, which derived its name from the white performers who blackened their faces with burnt cork, was a form of entertainment that reached its peak in the mid-nineteenth century. Using caricatures of African Americans in song, dance, tall tales, and stand-up comedy, minstrelsy was immensely popular with white audiences.

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Are stereotypes truly harmful?: Blaxploitation

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A week ago, during a casual visit to YouTube, I came across a video about Pam Grier and some of the juicy scandals that she went through in her life. Near the middle of the video, the creator went off on how much of an important figure Grier was during the Blaxploitation era of film.…

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Tropic Thunder: Why RDJ's Blackface Wasn't Controversial

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Robert Downey Jr.'s blackface in Tropic Thunder should have sparked controversy, but it didn't - here's how RDJ used blackface for social commentary.

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Kimmel said he believed he had "evolved and matured"

US TV host Jimmy Kimmel has apologised for using make-up to impersonate black stars like Snoop Dogg, Oprah Winfrey and basketball player Karl Malone.

Kimmel said he had thought of his performances as "impersonations of celebrities and nothing more".

But, looking back, he admitted they were "embarrassing" and described them as "thoughtless moments".

He said sorry "to those who were genuinely hurt or offended by the make-up I wore or the words I spoke".

Kimmel fronts a late-night talk show on ABC and hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018.

Delay 'a mistake'

Kimmel said he had been reluctant to speak about his sketches, however, because he thought that "would be celebrated as a victory by those who equate apologies with weakness and cheer for leaders who use prejudice to divide us". He added: "That delay was a mistake."

In a statement on Tuesday, he explained that he did an impression of former NBA star Malone on his radio show in the 1990s, and continued to impersonate the sportsman when he moved onto TV.

"We hired make-up artists to make me look as much like Karl Malone as possible," he said.

"I never considered that this might be seen as anything other than an imitation of a fellow human being, one that had no more to do with Karl's skin colour than it did his bulging muscles and bald head.

"I've done dozens of impressions of famous people, including Snoop Dogg, Oprah, Eminem, Dick Vitale, Rosie, and many others. In each case, I thought of them as impersonations of celebrities and nothing more.

"Looking back, many of these sketches are embarrassing, and it is frustrating that these thoughtless moments have become a weapon used by some to diminish my criticisms of social and other injustices."

He added that he believed he had "evolved and matured" over the past two decades.

"Thank you for giving me an opportunity to explain and to those I've disappointed, I am sorry," he concluded.

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Jimmy Kimmel: TV host sorry for blackface sketches

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US presenter Jimmy Kimmel apologises for impersonating stars like Snoop Dogg and Oprah Winfrey.