Vaudeville, 1897 The popular comedy team of J. Sherrie Matthews and Harry Bulger performed in vaudeville shows throughout the country. This photo, taken in the San Francisco Bay area, shows Matthews playing the mandolin while Bulger dances. Notice the braid running down the front of Bulger’s costume, apparently an attempt to ridicule the Chinese population in the area. In similar fashion, in minstrel shows, the predecessor of vaudeville, whites appeared in blackface to mock African Americans.

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