Introduction
Welcome to the online companion to the book Birth of an Industry: Blackface Minstrelsy and the Rise of American Animation.
Like the book, this companion asks, why were so many trademark characters in early American commercial animation blackface minstrels? In exploring answers to those questions, it also considers the resurgence of blackface on social media and in mass culture today.
The button below on the right, named Overview, will take you to an overview of some the topics discussed in the book—blackface, vaudeville, and animation—along with media examples. The button on the left, labeled Companion, will take you to a companion to the book itself, with links to all of the media discussed on every page in the book.
To read the project straight through, simply click "next" or "previous" at the top or bottom of each page. If you like, you may skip around to any part of the book at any time by using the navigation menu on the left. The next page in this path will explain the three major paths in this overview. You may also navigate this volume through a non-linear "Explore Through Tags" option that organizes the content within the book's paths into categories based on keywords, dates, etc.
This site is the result of the hard work of many talented people.
Read the OverviewExplore the Digital Companion
Like the book, this companion asks, why were so many trademark characters in early American commercial animation blackface minstrels? In exploring answers to those questions, it also considers the resurgence of blackface on social media and in mass culture today.
The button below on the right, named Overview, will take you to an overview of some the topics discussed in the book—blackface, vaudeville, and animation—along with media examples. The button on the left, labeled Companion, will take you to a companion to the book itself, with links to all of the media discussed on every page in the book.
To read the project straight through, simply click "next" or "previous" at the top or bottom of each page. If you like, you may skip around to any part of the book at any time by using the navigation menu on the left. The next page in this path will explain the three major paths in this overview. You may also navigate this volume through a non-linear "Explore Through Tags" option that organizes the content within the book's paths into categories based on keywords, dates, etc.
This site is the result of the hard work of many talented people.
Read the OverviewExplore the Digital Companion
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