Guide to the Blondie Robinson collection of African-American Minstrel and Vaudeville photographs, 1890-1925

(bulk 1915-1925)

John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148
Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Published in 2016

Collection Overview

Title:	Blondie Robinson collection of African-American Minstrel and Vaudeville photographs
Date range:	1890-1925, (bulk 1915-1925)
Creator:	Robinson, Blondie
Extent:	0.5 Linear feet
Abstract:	A collection of 77 vintage photographs, primarily from the early 20th century, the bulk of which is dated between the years 1915 and 1925, formerly owned by Blondie Robinson, an accomplished African-American vaudeville performer of that era. The heart of this collection is comprised of photographs directly associated with Robinson himself that represent a visual composite of his professional life on stage, both as a solo performer and in collaboration with others. It offers substantive documentation about Robinson's repertoire of stage acts and his versatility as a vaudevillian -- the various characters he portrayed on stage, including blackface caricatures, his comedic sensibility, the sheer physicality of his performances, and the various costumes and props that he used. This collection also contains a significant number of photographs of other vaudeville performers, primarily but not exclusively African American, all of whom were professional associates of Robinson. Also of note in this collection are a few informal photographs of Robinson, alone and with others, some of whom are presumed to be members of Robinson's family and may even include images of his wife and daughter. Last but not least, this collection also includes useful pieces of textual information found on some of the photographs in the form of signatures, inscriptions, photographers marks, and annotations.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Collection number:	MS.2015.018

Scope & content

This collection contains 77 late 19th-century and early 20th-century studio photographs, the bulk of which date from circa 1915 to circa 1925. These photographs were formerly owned by African American vaudeville performer, Blondie Robinson, whose career on stage began no later than 1909, most likely peaked around the mid-1920s and began to wane a few years thereafter. The heart of the collection comprises studio portraits of Robinson himself, alone and with others, and offers substantive visual documentation of his life on stage--his song and dance routines, the variety of costumes that he wore, including his use of blackface caricatures, and the physicality of his comedic skits which often incorporated acrobatics, contortions, and other theatrical antics. Also included in this collection are images of other vaudeville performers, studio portraits of Robinson’s circle of friends and associates, as well as a few photographs of Robinson’s extended family that may include images of his wife and daughter among them (see Series 5 and 6). Some of the photographs in this collection also include informative inscriptions, signatures, and occasional annotations, the sum total of which helps to contextualize Robinson’s professional life within early 20th-century African American vaudeville theatre.

Series 1. Blondie Robinson (Solo Portraits), comprises the heart of this collection as it features Robinson as a solo performer and documents his theatrical versatility and dynamic stage presence. It offers a visual overview of the various acts that he performed and the variety of costumes that he wore on stage. These photographs include Robinson donning formal attire, a cowboy outfit, and a bellhop uniform. The dates of these photographs mostly likely range from 1915 to 1925.

Series 2. Blondie Robinson and Bisette, documents Robinson’s comedic pairing with Bisette, a female African American vaudeville performer and singer. It includes two sets of promotional portraits highlighting their comedic interplay, the costumes they wore, and the various props they used. This series also illustrates Robinson’s numerous antics on stage, his whimsical stage presence, and the overall physicality of his comedic performances. They were most likely taken around 1911.

Series 3. Blondie Robinson and Bille McCarver, comprises a set of professional photographs of Robinson’s collaboration with Billie McCarver, a fellow vaudeville entertainer. Illustrated here are glimpses of their comedic skits, their choreographed song-and-dance routines, and the costumes they wore, which include images of Robinson in blackface. They were taken mostly likely around 1918.

Series 4. Blondie Robinson and Other Identified Persons (Duos), and Series 5. Blondie Robinson and Other Unidentified Persons (Duos/Groups), comprise additional documentation about Robinson’s life on stage, especially in terms of additional information about Robinson as a collaborative performer. The two photographs that comprise Series 4 for example, capture images of the narrative interplay between Robinson and two of his stage partners: Harry Bowen and a performer identified as “Williams," respectively dated circa 1912 and circa 1910-1915. Series 5, which is wider in scope, includes photographs of Robinson performing with a variety of other unidentified personalities, both male and female, in a variety of costumes and comedic skits, the sum total of which offers a glimpse into his stage presence and versatility as a vaudeville performer. Some of these include Robinson in blackface.

Series 6. Blondie Robinson Family (Group Portrait) , is comprised of only one informal photograph presumed to be of Robinson’s extended family, posing on the front steps of what is presumed to be the Robinson homestead. It includes Robinson--and possibly his daughter. Although undated, it was probably taken around the 1920s in Stockton, California.

Series 7 through 11 are made up of photographs of friends and associates of Robinson. None of these include images of Robinson.

Series 7. Miscellaneous Identified Persons (Solo Portraits), comprises a small collection of headshots of various friends and associates of Robinson, most likely taken between the years 1915 and 1925. They include vaudeville performers Harry E. Daly, Eddie Kellie, and Billie Ward.

Series 8. Miscellaneous Identified Persons (Duos/Pairs), comprises two studio portraits of two couples who are presumed to be friends and/or associates of Robinson (the first is undated and the second has an inscription date of 1918).

Series 9. Miscellaneous Unidentified Persons (Solo Portraits)), contains an assortment of portraits of unidentified persons, including one of a baby taken in San Francisco who could possibly be Robinson's child. It also includes formal headshots of Robinson’s associates, friends, and quite possibly some of his relatives. The dates of these photographs range from 1890 to 1925 approximately.

Series 10. Miscellaneous Unidentified Persons (Duos/Pairs), contains three double portraits of unidentified vaudeville performers and associates of Robinson. One of them is a montage of a vaudville duo, friends and associates of Robinson. Series 11. The Serenaders (Vaudeville Group), comprises a series of studio photographs of the vaudeville ensemble, the Serenaders. It includes images of their song and dance routines together with the various costumes that they wore. These photos were most likely taken between the years 1915 and 1925.

Series 12. Supplementary Materials, contains four files, arranged chronologically, of reviews and advertisements of Robinson’s worldwide performances published in newspapers. These files were compiled by Brown University staff during 2016 in order to provide basic information about Robinson’s life and career, and to help establish a timeline of key events in Robinson’s professional life.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Bisette
• Bowen, Harry
• Daly, Harry E
• Glasgow, S. E.
• Greenwald, Maury Greenwald
• Johnson, James P., 1894-1955, (James Price)
• Kellebb, Jr., P. D.
• Kelly, Eddie
• McCarver, Billie
• Robinson, Blondie
• Sipp, Marjorie
• Ward, Billy

Subject Organizations

• Gus Sims Minstrels.
• Plantation Four (Musical group).
• Serenaders.

Subject Topics

• African American comedians--History--19th century
• African American comedians--History--20th century
• African American men in popular culture--History--19th century
• African American men in popular culture--History--20th century
• African American men--History--19th century
• African American men--History--20th century
• African American theater--History--19th century
• African American theater--History--20th century
• African American women entertainers--History--19th century
• African American women entertainers--History--20th century
• African American women--History--19th century
• African American women--History--20th century
• African Americans in the performing arts--United States--History--19th century
• African Americans in the performing arts--United States--History--20th century
• African Americans--History--1877-1964
• African Americans--Social life and customs--19th century
• African Americans--Social life and customs--20th century
• Blackface entertainers--United States--History--19th century
• Blackface entertainers--United States--History--20th century
• Minstrel shows--United States--History--19th century
• Minstrel Shows--United States--History--20th century
• Vaudeville--United States--History--19th century
• Vaudeville--United States--History--20th century

Document Types

• Photographs

Subject Topics

• Race, Ethnicity and Gender
• Performing Arts

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 12 series:

• Series 1. Blondie Robinson (solo portraits)
• Series 2. Blondie Robinson and Bisette
• Series 3. Blondie Robinson and Billie McCarver
• Series 4. Blondie Robinson and Other Identified Persons (Duos)
• Series 5. Blondie Robinson and Other Unidentified Persons (Duos/Groups)
• Series 6. Blondie Robinson Family (Group Portrait)
• Series 7. Miscellaneous Identified Persons (Solo Portraits)
• Series 8. Miscellaneous Identified Persons (Duos/Pairs)
• Series 9. Miscellaneous Unidentified Persons (Solo Portraits)
• Series 10. Miscellaneous Unidentified Persons (Duos/Pairs)
• Series 11. Serenaders (Vaudeville Group)
• Series 12. Supplementary Materials

Biographical note

Blondie Robinson was an accomplished African-American vaudeville performer whose comedy routines included skits, singing and dancing, acrobatics, contortions, and juggling. Based on what scant biographical information is available about him, he was mostly likely born in California sometime towards the end of the 19th century. He began working in vaudeville theatre at a young age, and appeared on stage as early as 1909.

Robinson performed alone and with others, principally in comedy duos, with both male and female counterparts. He portrayed a variety of characters on stage and wore a colorful assortment of costumes, which included blackface caricatures. He was a featured performer in various vaudeville circuits throughout the United States, traveling to such major metropolitan areas as New York City, Boston, Chicago, Memphis, and San Francisco. He also performed on international vaudeville circuits, including stints in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Along with Marjorie Sipp and the quartet, The Plantation Four, Robinson appeared as a principal performer in Plantation Days, a traveling musical revue directed by musician James P. Johnson and produced by Maury Greenwald, which began its inaugural run in Chicago in 1922. He also appeared in blackface as an endman in the troupe, Ye Olde Nigger Minstrels, which toured Australia in 1926 and was part of the American minstrelsy revival that began to surge in the late nineteenth century and continued through the early twentieth century. One of Robinson’s last documented stage appearances occurred in December of 1936, at the Federal Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, in the vaudeville show, "The Sepian Stars" which included a minstrel revival segment with Robinson cast as one of the leading roles.

Documentary evidence also indicates that Robinson was a song writer. He is listed in the Catalog of Copyright Entries: Musical Compositions, Part 3, as the composer of the song, Molly from Mount Holly, copyrighted in 1938.

Blondie Robinson Performances

Chronology

Date		Event
1909 March		[Chicago?], Illinois
1909 June		Indianapolis, Indiana
1911 September		Los Angeles, California
1913 August		Indianapolis, Indiana
1913 September		Cincinnati, Ohio
1917 March		New York, New York
1918 February		Anaconda, Montana
1918 March		Tacoma, Washington; Chico, California; Sacramento, California
1918 May		Fort Collins, Colorada; Pueblo, Colorado
1918 June		Oklahoma; Mason City, Iowa
1918 September		[Chicago?], Illinois
1920 May		St. Louis, Missouri
1920 July		New York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1920 November		Shreveport, Louisiana
1921 February		St. Louis, Missouri
1921 May		Memphis, Tennessee
1922 June		Chicago, Illinois
1922 August		Chicago, Illinois
1922 September		Chicago, Illinois
1922 October		Chicago, Illinois
1922 November		Toronto, Canada
1922 December		Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; New York, New York
1925 January		Boston, Massachusetts
1925 March		Chicago, Illinois
1925 November		Australia
1925 December		Australia
1926 January		Australia
1926 February		Australia
1926 March		Australia
1926 April		Australia
1926 June		Christchurch, New Zealand
1930 May		Chicago, Illinois
1932 July		Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1936 December		Boston, Massachusetts

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Blondie Robinson collections of African-American minstrel and vaudeville photographs, Ms.2015.018, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148 Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	Purchased by Brown University Library in 2015.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Robert Rosa.
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2016-05-31
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Inventory

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