People, Locations, Episodes

Estelle Ricketts, Composer born

*This date in 1871 celebrates the birth of Estelle Ricketts, a Black composer who lived in Darby, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. She lived with her mother, her younger brother, and her father, who operated a boarding stable. She was the only one in her family who could read and write.           Career            Estelle Ricketts’s […]

James Weldon Johnson, Lyricist, and Composer born

James Weldon Johnson was born on this date in 1871. He was an African American composer, lyricist, publisher, lawyer, and educator.

Isaac Hathaway, Sculptor, and Teacher born

*The birth of Isaac Hathaway in 1872 is marked on this date. He was an African- merican Sculptor, Ceramicist, Illustrator, and Teacher.

Dora Dean, Vaudeville Dancer born

*Dora Dean’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1872. She was a Black dancer and entertainer. She was born Dora Babbige in Cloverport, Kentucky. She worked as a nursemaid in Cincinnati, Ohio, before becoming an entertainer. Dean debuted as a dancer with a Creole traveling show. In vaudeville, she was “The Black Venus.” She was […]

John W. Cooper, Ventriloquist born

*John W. Cooper was born on this date in 1873.  He was a Black ventriloquist and singer.   From Brooklyn, New York, he lost both of his parents very young.  Cooper received his education at Professor Dorsey’s Institute in Brooklyn.  While at Dorsey, he developed into a promising entertainer and took a special interest in ventriloquism, […]

George Walker, Vaudevillian Actor born

*George Walker’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1873.   He was a Black vaudevillian, actor, and producer.    George W. Walker was born in Lawrence, Kansas, and was the son of a policeman and his wife.   He began his career as a child performer, touring in Black minstrel and medicine shows. In 1893, in San Francisco, Walker, at age 20, met Bert […]

William A. Harper, Artist born

William A. Harper was born on this date in 1873. He was an African American artist.

He was born in Canada, studied in Paris, and was considered one of the most gifted Black artists at the turn of the 20th century. At age 8, Harper and his family moved to Illinois and settled on a farm where he developed his love for nature and art. He attended a small college in Jacksonville, Illinois, and later went to Chicago and enrolled at the Chicago Institute School of the Art, where in 1900, he graduated with honors.

Ned Waybrun, Choreographer born

*Ned Wayburn was born on this date in 1874. He was a Black choreographer. Edward Claudius Weyburn was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Elbert Delos Weyburn and Harriet Landon Beach. Chauncey Weyburn was his paternal grandfather. Ned Wayburn spent much of his childhood in Chicago, where he was introduced to theater and studied classical piano. […]

Belle Davis, Vaudeville Singer born

*Belle Davis was born on this date in 1874. She was a Black choreographer, dancer, and singer. Life: Davis was born in Chicago (although some say New Orleans). She was a mulatto and was encouraged to darken her skin to fit the stereotype of a black entertainer. In 1890, she joined the new burlesque “Creole Show” at […]

Maynard Dixon, Artist born

*Maynard Dixon, a white American artist whose work focused on the American West, was born on this date in 1875. He was born Lafayette Maynard Dixon in Fresno, California, after his maternal grandfather. His family of aristocratic Virginia Confederates had found a new home in California after the American Civil War. His mother, Constance Maynard, a […]

Black History in American Vaudeville, a story

*Black Vaudeville history is celebrated on this date in 1875. This was a Black performance community that emerged from the movement and style of the American stage.   The vaudeville years began as the Reconstruction Era ended, from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. These Black acts were unique because the performers brought in […]

Florence B. Price, Pianist, and Composer born

On this date in 1877, Florence Smith Price was born. She was an African American composer, concert pianist, and organist.

Meta V.W. Fuller, Sculptor born

*This date marks the birth of Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller in 1877. She was a Black sculptor and one of the earliest studio artists to depict Black themes.

Bill Robinson, Dancer born

On this date in 1878, Bill Bojangles Robinson was born. He was an African American tap dancer and entertainer.

Will Mastin, Dancer and Singer born.

*Will Mastin was born on this date in 1878. He was a Black dancer and singer. According to the 1880 Federal Census of Enumeration and the California Death Index, Mastin was born in Madison, Alabama, to a single mother named Sally Mastin. As a vaudeville and television act, Mastin led the Will Mastin Trio. The […]