Haverly's United Mastodon Minstrels 0000-1008

J.H. (Jack) Haverly, who billed himself as Colonel developed the concept of the large-scale minstrel show. An obscure railroad porter, he went into the business of organizing shows in 1864, and a few years later already had a troupe of 40; by 1880, two years after this poser was produced, the company numbered 100. In the process, Haverly changed minstrelsy from a simple singing group to a veritable variety show, with some circus thrown in, and although this increased the profits, he was blamed by some for sullying and corrupting this purely American rural entertainment. Here, framed by a heavily fringed blue curtain, the posters three horizontal sections display some of the celebrated acts. One of the very few lithographs signed by Matt Morgan, the most important Strobridge artist--he joined the firm in 1878, the year of this poster--the work shows off his abundant talents: Even though most of the faces are smaller than a dime, each is different and expressive. Note that Mr. William Foote is now the companys manager, having either replaced or was replaced by one Mr. Chas. Frohman (see PAI-CCIV, 311). Rare.

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