The blacked-up character in Mummers plays, noted by Peter Freshwater, was the Turk - probably a link to the Christian crusades.
Jeff
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Message Received: Nov 19 2016, 08:55 AM
From: "MSherwood"
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc:
Subject: Re: black face and Spain etc
There is an article in Burlington Magazine, 1940, vol. 76 on Queen Lizzie's
visit to Kenilworth Castle. If I recall correctly (as I cant find my
copy!!!) one of the paintings included is of women with blacked faces having
a party. And I do recall reading about this elsewhere - that 'blacking up'
was popular.... The other pic has a band of musicians in the background -
all Africans.
-----Original Message-----
From: The Black and Asian Studies Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Peter Freshwater
Sent: 18 November 2016 18:12
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: black face and Spain etc
I seem to remember that blacked-up characters occur in some of the mumming
plays in the English folk tradition, and some of these go back to the C15 or
C16. Sweeps Days may be the next stage on after those; and of course sweeps
at weddings were considered lucky, like black cats.
Peter Freshwater
Sent from my iPad
> On 18 Nov 2016, at 17:51, Susan Bolton / Jeffrey Green
wrote:
>
> My website (jeffreygreen.co.uk/171) page 171 is a very brief account of
English black face prior to the 1840s, which is when American burnt cork
entertainers came to Britain. I don't know when Sweeps Day (1 May) started
or when minstrel figures were introduced, but it seems that chimney sweeps
were a focus of those folk traditions before associations with African
Americans.
>
> The minstrel traditions were a libel, presenting a bogus image of black
America - certainly not 'lifelike caricatures of plantations slaves' as the
original email says.
>
> That actress and her director deserve criticism, of course.
>
> It is all bad taste, to say the least.
>
> Jeff Green
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