Blackface Minstrelsy in Minnesota

Blackface minstrelsy was born out of New England in the early nineteenth century and reached the peak of its national popularity in the mid-1800s. The performances put on by blackface actors electrified audiences across the country, who were typically white people. Their reception in Minnesota was no different.

The cover of Carl Rowan’s book South of Freedom (Alfred A. Knopf, 1952).

Cover of South of Freedom

The cover of Carl Rowan’s book South of Freedom (Alfred A. Knopf, 1952).

Postcard advertising Jim Northrup’s play Rez Road Follies, which was performed at the Illusion Theater, May 18–June 4, 1995. The back of the postcard includes a description of the play, performance schedule, price list and theater information. Northrup, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, is from Minnesota.

Advertisement for Rez Road Follies

Postcard advertising Jim Northrup’s play Rez Road Follies, which was performed at the Illusion Theater, May 18–June 4, 1995. The back of the postcard includes a description of the play, performance schedule, price list and theater information. Northrup, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, is from Minnesota.

Cover art of Walking the Rez Road (Voyageur Press, 1993), by Jim Northrup.

Walking the Rez Road

Cover art of Walking the Rez Road (Voyageur Press, 1993), by Jim Northrup.

Cover art of The Rez Road Follies, by Jim Northrup (Kodansha International, 1997).

The Rez Road Follies

Cover art of The Rez Road Follies, by Jim Northrup (Kodansha International, 1997).

Cover art of Jim Northrup’s Days of Obsidian Days of Grace (Poetry Harbor, 1994).

Day of Obsidian, Days of Grace

Cover art of Jim Northrup’s Days of Obsidian Days of Grace (Poetry Harbor, 1994).

Cover art for Jim Northrup’s Anishinaabe Syndicated (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2011).

Anishinaabe Syndicated

Cover art for Jim Northrup’s Anishinaabe Syndicated (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2011).

Northrup, James Warren (1943–2016)

James Warren Northrup was an award-winning Ojibwe author, columnist, playwright, poet, performer, political commentator, and Vietnam War veteran. He wrote extensively on combat life as a marine in the Vietnam War and on daily life on the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation.

Max Shulman in the 1970s, courtesy of Martha Rose Shulman.

Max Shulman

Max Shulman in the 1970s, courtesy of Martha Rose Shulman.

Cover Max Shulman's of Potatoes Are Cheaper (Doubleday, 1971).

Potatoes Are Cheaper

Cover Max Shulman's of Potatoes Are Cheaper (Doubleday, 1971).

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