Thomas D. Rice

Thomas Dartmouth Rice ( born May 20, 1808 in New York City; † September 16, 1860 ) was an American comedian and popularized in the 1830s the blackface.

Life

Thomas Rice came as a young actor in the 1820s by the nickname "Papa" in theaters across New York, but was frustrated by his small roles. Looking for new opportunities Rice accepted the work as a carpenter in Louisville, Kentucky, as an actor for a drama troupe in Cincinnati, Ohio, and as a freelance prop master for a dilapidated theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Supposedly in a stage show in Pittsburgh, he enjoyed dressing up first as the stereotype of an African American by distributing black cork on his face, tattered clothes and patched shoes dressed and wore a matted black wig and a straw hat and a version of the song " Jim Crow" sang, which he had heard of a slave in Cincinnati. The white audience responded with great enthusiasm. This parody Rice had success and thus entered among others in Philadelphia, Boston and New York City on. Mid-1830s was "Jump Jim Crow" became a hit and created by Rice dancing figure of Jim Crow to the first stereotypical figure of the minstrel shows.