George N. Christy (born George Harrington, November 6, 1827 – May 12, 1868) was one of the leading

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

performers during the early years of the blackface

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of theater developed in the early 19th century. The shows were performed by mostly white actors wearing blackface makeup for the purpose of portraying racial stereotypes of Afr ...

in the 1840s. Born in

Palmyra, New York Palmyra () is a town in southwestern Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 7,975 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the ancient city Palmyra in Syria. The town contains a village also named Palmyra. The town is ab ...

, his career began as a star performer with his stepfather

Edwin Pearce Christy Edwin Pearce Christy (November 28, 1815 – May 21, 1862) was an American composer, singer, actor and stage producer. He is more commonly known as E. P. Christy, and was the founder of the blackface minstrel group Christy's Minstrels. He toured En ...

's troupe

Christy's Minstrels Christy's Minstrels, sometimes referred to as the Christy Minstrels, were a blackface group formed by Edwin Pearce Christy, a well-known ballad singer, in 1843, in Buffalo, New York. They were instrumental in the solidification of the minstrel ...

; in two and a half years with them he earned $19,680, a fortune for those times. Jim Comer credits him with inventing "the line", the structured grouping that constituted the first act of the standardized 3-act minstrel show, with the interlocutor in the middle and "Mr. Tambo" and "Mr. Bones" on the ends.It is possible that he has him confused with E.P. Christy. He died in New York City from

cerebral edema Cerebral edema is excess accumulation of fluid ( edema) in the intracellular or extracellular spaces of the brain. This typically causes impaired nerve function, increased pressure within the skull, and can eventually lead to direct compres ...

in 1868.

Notes

Sources

''The National cyclopaedia of American biography'', Volume 7

References

* Belcher, W.H.

originally from ''Passaic County Historical Publication'', Vol. II, No. 1, September 1, 1931. Retrieved September 6, 2005. * Comer, Jim
Every Time I Turn Around: Rite, Reversal, and the end of blackface minstrelsy
Retrieved September 6, 2005. * Lott, Eric. ''Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. .

Notes

Sources

References

Further reading