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Show EAKLl MDiSTEELSY. GEORGE CHRISTY, ONE OF THE ORIGINATORS ORIGI-NATORS OF IKE SHOW. Interesting Scrapbook Left by the Cf.V brated Burnt Cork Artist A Friend of Edwin Forrest and a Talented Comedian. Negro BUnstrelsy In Great Britain. Mrs. Edwina Forrest Fair, a daughter daugh-ter of the famous Goorge Christy, who established negro minstrelsy in Ne'w York in 1847, chatted with me the other oth-er day very entertainingly regarding her father's career. She gave me his old scrapbook to refer to and several excellent excel-lent photographs and some old fashioned engravings. It seems so long since the days of the Christy minstrels that I rather expected to see an older looking woman than George Christy's daughter appears to be She is an enthusiast over her father's memory. She has another sister living, and also a brother, George Harrington, who, instead of perpetuating the family trademark, has boeu known chiefly through his "beefsteak linners" at the old Morgue club. "My father, known in private life as George N. Harrington, was a young man when he died, "said Mrs. Fair. "Ho was only 40. He had a fine constitution, consti-tution, it was thought, but he wore his heart on his sleeve and put a year into every day. Being jovial, hearty and generous with every one, even his most humble employee, he was persistently sought by well known persons, and hi nature could not resist the compliment he felt their companionship to be. "One of his very particular friends was Edwin Forrest. A few days beforo I was born my father declared he would name his child for him. 'What if it's a girl?' asked my mother. 'Then we'll call her Edwina, ' replied my father. Sc you see I was named beforehand. Aa other friend of his, my brother tells me, was Theodore Thomas, who used to black up and do 'nigger business. ' "And why not? Didn't Edwin Booth try it? It was a pity that my father did not live to make a great name as an actor in white, for he was considered a remarkable low comodian. In burlesque he used to sustain from one to half a dozen characters in a piece and exhibit wonderful versatility. He made a great hit with his Topsy in a bnrletta on 'Uncle Tom's Cabin. ' He had a singularly singu-larly sweet singing voice, and as a dancer he had few equals. He was also a contortionist and seemed blessed with every physical possibility. "I was 18 years old when I last saw him, and that's a most impressionable age for a girl. I think Billy Birch copied a few of his characteristics, and George Thatcher has given some good unita tions of him, but they and such other men as Schoolcraft and Sweatnam are different in general style." Although I think it is generally un derstood that the Christy minstrels were the originators of that sort of entertainment, entertain-ment, individual negro delineation was done as far back as 1799, at the Federal Street theater, in Boston. The first idea of minstrelsy in its present shape, or before Mr. Haverly introduced in-troduced his "Mastodons," came forth in the spring of 1841, for one night only, at the Chatham theater. The company com-pany was called the "Virginia min-Btrels" min-Btrels" and was made np by Dan Emmet, Em-met, Frank Brower, Billy Whitlock and Dick Pelham. The entertainment met with astonishing success. It waa repeated subsequently at the Bowery amphitheater and at the Park. Fearing quick opposition here, the company, with G. B. Wooldridge at its head, went to England. In London it performed for six week at the Adelphi in connection with Professor Pro-fessor Anderson, then known as "the wizard of the north. " A misunderstanding misunderstand-ing arising, a second company was organized or-ganized by Pelham and Whitlock in connection with Joe Sweeney, and it traveled through Ireland and Scotland with success. Another company, called the "Ring and Parker minstrels from Boston," now came along, and while in Liverpool one of the members introduced the character char-acter Lucy Long, which became immediately imme-diately popular. Simultaneously minstrel companies were being organized in nearly all the American cities, and on the return home of these two organizations they not only found plenty of rivalry, but much improvement im-provement on their plan. Now followed in notable favor the "Kentucky minstrels," the "Congo melodists" and "Buckley's serenaders." Then was organized the famous Christy's, Chris-ty's, consisting of E. P. Christy, Georga N. Christy, L. Durand and T. Vaughn, George, who afterward became th leader and was the joyous spirit of the show, had previously appeared at the old Eagle Street theater, in Buffalo, in 1889, and in 1843 the company started on its existence in the same city in a hall on Water street. George Christy was "bones" and Lansing Durand wa? "tambo. " It is asserted that Georg) was the original Lucy Long, the first to do the "wench business." He alsc made a hit as Cachuca. The first appearance of the company in New York was at the Palma Opera House, in Chambers street. After various vari-ous visits to other localities it finally settled at 472 Broadway, in 1847, where it remained 11 jears. George finally withdrew from the care of his foster father, fa-ther, E. P. Christy, and with Harry Wood opened another hall at 444 Broadway, Broad-way, and a year later the original party went to Calif ornit and George became master of the situation. After several years of great success Messrs. Wood and Christy opened the Fifth Avenue Opera House, ia Twenty-fourth Twenty-fourth street. Christy's last appearance on the stage was with Hooley's minstrels, min-strels, in Brooklyn, on May 2, 1867. He died on May J 2 at his home and wa juried from Trinity chapel three days later. His body is in Cypress Hills ceme veiy. New York Herald. |