1843day.year
The first minstrel show in the United States, The Virginia Minstrels, opens (Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City).
The Virginia Minstrels open the first full minstrel show in New York, inaugurating a new form of 19th-century American entertainment.
On February 6, 1843, the Virginia Minstrels performed the first organized minstrel show at NYC’s Bowery Amphitheatre.
Comprised of Daniel Decatur Emmett, Billy Whitlock, Dick Pelham, and Frank Brower in blackface, they combined music, dance, and sketches.
Their format popularized the racial caricatures that would define minstrelsy as a dominant form of American popular culture.
The show’s success led to a wave of imitators and established lasting entertainment conventions.
While influential in shaping 19th-century theatre, minstrelsy also played a troubling role in perpetuating racist stereotypes.
1843
minstrel show
Virginia Minstrels
Bowery Amphitheatre