Title
The Coloured Opera Troupe at the Oxford Street Gallery, 1858. Creator: Unknown.
Caption
The Coloured Opera Troupe at the Oxford Street Gallery, 1858. Black entertainers in London. 'Eight minstrels, with "features of jet"...combine musically, vocally and instrumentally, for the delectation of those who delight in n*gger melodies-in number not a few, if we may judge by the audiences they command...The names of the troupe...are Willis, Kelly, Albain, Gance, Morrel, Wells, Montgomery, and Barratt. These gentlemen work well together, and appear to equal each other in spirit, activity, resources, talent, and love of fun. Nothing can be more silly and absurd than these n*gro-rhymes, the imperfections of which reckon among their attractions, a false rhyme taking the rank of a positive beauty...It is the ebony that gives the due and needful colour to the monstrosities, the breaches of decorum, the exaggerations of feeling, and the "silly, sooth" character of the whole implied drama. Some of the instrumental music is marvellous. Mr. Wile's military solo on the concertina commanded tremendous applause; Mr. Kelly's experiment on the Lignum Vitae Wood Harmonium excited wonder; and the quartette extraordinary, with the peculiar cross-bowing, provoked astonishment and merriment in equal proportions'. From "Illustrated London News", 1858.
Info+
This image has been flagged as having a sensitive subject, or the attached metadata may use a historical and dated form of words and terms no longer used or deemed appropriate, but in common and accepted usage at the time the content was created and/or catalogued. No offence is intended and it is shown here and should be viewed in it's historical context.
Credit line
Photo12/Heritage Images/The Print Collector
Reference
HRM23A82_233
Model release
NA
Property release
NA
License type
Rights managed
Available size
24,1Mb (2,0Mb) / 13,1in x 7,1in / 3938 x 2142 (300dpi)