Difference between revisions of "Blackface"
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[[Blackface]] refers to the practice of a singer and/or comedian appearing as a black person by painting the face. | [[Blackface]] refers to the practice of a singer and/or comedian appearing as a black person by painting the face. | ||
| − | The practice originated as a performance tradition in America in the 1830s, quickly becoming popular globally, and would be most commonly associated with the [[minstrelsy]] tradition. Early white performers in blackface used burnt cork and later greasepaint or shoe polish to blacken their skin and exaggerate their lips, often wearing woolly wigs, gloves, tailcoats, or ragged clothes to complete the transformation[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface]. Later, black artists also performed in blackface. Variations of blackface performance are also found in a number of associated performance traditions, e.g. in the Mardi Gras tradition in the USA (see Staub) and the [[Coon Carnival]] in South Africa. | + | The practice originated as a performance tradition in America in the 1830s, quickly becoming popular globally, and would be most commonly associated with the [[minstrelsy]] tradition. Early white performers in blackface used burnt cork and later greasepaint or shoe polish to blacken their skin and exaggerate their lips, often wearing woolly wigs, gloves, tailcoats, or ragged clothes to complete the transformation[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface]. Later, black artists also performed in blackface. Variations of blackface performance are also found in a number of associated performance traditions, e.g. in the Mardi Gras tradition in the USA (see Staub, 1992) and the [[Coon Carnival]] in South Africa. |
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| + | == Sources == | ||
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface | ||
| − | Staub, A. | + | Staub, A. 1992. "The social uses of festival: Transformation and disfiguration", ''[[South African Theatre Journal]]'' (''[[SATJ]]''), Volume 6:1, pp. 4-24. |
Revision as of 06:00, 27 September 2018
Blackface refers to the practice of a singer and/or comedian appearing as a black person by painting the face.
The practice originated as a performance tradition in America in the 1830s, quickly becoming popular globally, and would be most commonly associated with the minstrelsy tradition. Early white performers in blackface used burnt cork and later greasepaint or shoe polish to blacken their skin and exaggerate their lips, often wearing woolly wigs, gloves, tailcoats, or ragged clothes to complete the transformation[1]. Later, black artists also performed in blackface. Variations of blackface performance are also found in a number of associated performance traditions, e.g. in the Mardi Gras tradition in the USA (see Staub, 1992) and the Coon Carnival in South Africa.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface
Staub, A. 1992. "The social uses of festival: Transformation and disfiguration", South African Theatre Journal (SATJ), Volume 6:1, pp. 4-24.
