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Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Guide to the George and Hart's Up To Date Georgia Minstrels Scrapbook
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NMAH.AC.0576
- Creators:
-
George, J. Edward (manager)Up To Date Georgia Minstrels (performers)San Diego Historical SocietyHart, G. E. (manager)
- Dates:
-
circa 1876-1901
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
0.1 Cubic feet1 box, 1-map folder
- Repository:
Scrapbook contains articles and ephemera relating to an African American troupe of thirty five minstrels who performed in the Pacific Northwestern United States.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The scrapbook offers documentation of the troupe's activities dating from 1876-1909 in the Pacific Northwestern United States. It contains articles, ticket stubs, newspaper and magazine clippings, and programs. Also included are brief biographical sketches of Billy Williams, the contortionist, and Harry Gillam, the "Hebrew acrobat," and an article about the managers of the Up To Date minstrels, J. Edward George and G. E. Hart. In addition, there are business cards from other minstrel performing groups including, Cissel and Mines and Oliver and Gilliam, with accompanying pictures. There are loose materials which were probably once part of the scrapbook, including programs and letterhead stationery. There are also photographs of the troupe taken in Missouri in 1900 standing outside a train car as they travelled from one location to another. The materials are arranged first by type and then in chronological order.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in one series.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
George and Hart's Up To Date Georgia Minstrels were an African American troupe of thirty-five entertainers about whom this scrapbook was created. In 1901, these minstrels were described as "the only colored show running for thirty years." The troupe, which began circa 1866, was billed as "the most popular" troupe of performers from California to Montana to Washington to New Mexico to Colorado to Minnesota. They performed standard minstrel acts and included a contortionist, an acrobatic act, and a male impersonator. This form of theater entertainment was used by African American dramatic performers for consistent employment with reasonable wages. The Up To Date Georgia Minstrels were said to have been the "highest paid" performers in the area, making five to fifteen dollars a week. The troupe was managed by George Hart.
Administration
Author
Ida Jones, Deborra Richardson, and Vanessa Broussard-Simmons
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The material was donated to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History by the San Diego Historical Society on March 11, 1997. The Society has no further information about the scrapbook which was outside the scope of its collecting policy.
Ownership and Custodial History
Donated by the San Diego Historical Society. The initial contact was between Sally West, San Diego Historical Society Assistant Archivist, and National Museum of American History Chief Archivist, John Fleckner.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Ida Jones, archivist, May 1997; Deborra Richardson, archivist, May 1997; and Vanessa Broussard-Simmons, archivist, 2015.
Using the Collection
Preferred Citation
George and Hart's Georgia Up To Date Minstrels Scrapbook, circa 1876-1901, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Related Materials
Related Materials
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Subject Categories: Theater, NMAH.AC0060
John B. Rogers Producing Company Collection, NMAH.AC0245
Hazen Collection of Band Photographs and Ephemera, NMAH.AC0253
Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 3: African-American Music, NMAH.AC0300
Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 11: Entertainment, NMAH.AC0300
Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 4: Songwriters, NMAH.AC0300
Ernie Smith Jazz Film Collection, NMAH.AC0491
Donald J. Stubblebine Collection of Musical Theater and Motion Picture Music and Ephemera, NMAH.AC1211
Peter Marks Minstrelsy Collection, NMAH.AC1328
Hooker-Howe Company Papers, NMAH.AC1475
Henry "Buddy" Graf and George Cahill Vaudeville and Burlesque Collections, NMAH.AC1484
B. Thomas Smith Minstrel Show Posters, NMAH.AC1490
Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
Ralph Rinzler Papers and Audio Recordings, CFCH.RINZ
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2002 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, CFCH.SFF.2002
Monitor Records Business Records, CFCH.MONI
Moses and Frances Asch Collection, CFCH.ASCH
Keywords
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453
archivescenter@si.edu
