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This is a list of entertainers known to have performed in blackface makeup, whether in a minstrel show, as satire or historical depiction of such roles, or in a portrayal of a character using makeup as a racial disguise, for whatever reason.
Blackface is the practice of performers using burnt cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment.
The first minstrel shows were performed in 1830s New York by white performers with blackened faces (most used burnt cork or shoe polish) and tattered clothing who imitated and mimicked enslaved Africans on Southern plantations.
5 lip 2020 · White performers would darken their skin with shoe polish and cork, dress in tattered clothing, and exaggerate the movements to look like a stereotypical “Black person” in the eyes of the audience and performers.
12 sie 2020 · Ernest Hogan, Bert Williams, George Walker, Bob Cole, and Billy Johnson all began their careers performing in blackface: Black men, painting their faces Black to transform into the White idea of bumbling, stumbling, comedic, rural caricatures.
13 lut 2019 · The portrayal of blackface–when people darken their skin with shoe polish, greasepaint or burnt cork and paint on enlarged lips and other exaggerated features—is steeped in centuries of racism.
6 paź 2024 · The history of blackface dates back to the American minstrel shows of the 19th century, in which white performers caricatured black characters in a derogatory way, perpetuating harmful racist stereotypes and openly mocking Black culture.
