Web exhibitions

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One of the earliest and most successful minstrels troupes were the Ethiopian Serenaders who, in 1844, performed at the White House for the family and friends of President John Tyler. Their show was so well-received that the troupe decided to permanently "upgrade" the tone of their performance as a means of distinguishing themselves from other, more raucous, troupes such as the Virginia Minstrels. In 1846 they travelled to London where their concerts at St James's Theatre were so successful that they gave morning as well as evening performances. They were also invited to give private performances at the mansions of the British aristocracy, and they were finally called to Arundel Castle by special command of Queen Victoria.

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Christy's Minstrels were formed in Buffalo, New York in 1843, by Edwin Pearce Christy who had almost certainly heard of the recent success of the Virginia Minstrels in New York City. Christy's group was instrumental in the solidification of the minstrel show into a fixed three-act show. In addition to Christy himself, the group's original line-up included Christy's stepson, George Christy, who is often regarded as the greatest blackface comic of all time. In this cover, a portrait of George is included at the top of the page. The group were so successful that for seven years they were a permanent fixture at New York's Mechanics' Hall on lower Broadway.

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This song, popularly known as "Swanee River", was written by Stephen Foster "the father of American music". Foster signed a contract with the Christy Minstrels around 1849 and was determined to make blackface music respectable as well as profitable. This song successfully fused blackface with the nostalgic sentiments so common in contemporary parlour music, and became as popular in middle-class homes as in minstrel shows. Unfortunately for Foster, however, he sold the right to be credited as the author to E.P. Christy for $15 and it is for this reason that Christy appears as song's author in its earliest editions.

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First published in 1852, Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe sold 300,000 copies in that year alone, and became the bestselling novel of the nineteenth century. Determined to cash in on its success, minstrel troupes in both the United States and Great Britain immediately incorporated elements of the novel into their routines. However, although Uncle Tom's Cabin condemned slavery, it did not clearly state the case for racial equality. Reflecting this ambiguity, some minstrel shows portrayed the slaves sympathetically, while others veered so widely from Stowe's intent as to be positively proslavery.

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Following the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin, the number of ballads lamenting the condition of slaves rapidly increased. This one is typical in its description of the loneliness felt by a slave whose friends have either been sold or have escaped without being caught.