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Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
A theatrical poster for Neil O'Brien as a blackface minstrel performer, 1915.

A theatrical poster for Neil O'Brien as a blackface minstrel performer, 1915.

This poster is typical of blackface minstrelsy, in which white (or sometimes black) actors darkened their faces and performed exaggerated variety-show routines, including musical and dance numbers, for comical effect. Blackface minstrelsy developed in the early nineteenth century and continued to influence popular culture during the Jim Crow era that Ellison depicts in Invisible Man. Performances centered on scenes of the plantation South, featuring grotesque caricatures of African American types such as the “Sambo” and the dandy.

This particular image portrays Neil O'Brien (circa 1868-1954), the leader of "Neil O'Brien's Great American Minstrels.” O’Brien, in blackface, sits alongside a railroad track and inspects the large hole in his boot while he scratches his head. The caption at bottom reads "It's a long way to Alabama.” O'Brien began his career in Lew Dockstader's minstrel troupe, became a solo act after 1913, and then founded his own troupe.

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Citation Information
“Neil O'Brien Minstrels,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/70635367eafa43ab1e899f784671efb3.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of University of Wisconsin Digital Collections via Recollection Wisconsin.

Tips for Students

For this source, consider:

  • the author's point of view
  • the author's purpose
  • historical context
  • audience

Item 6 of 13 in the Primary Source Set Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

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A poster of the boxer Jack Johnson, circa 1910.
A photograph of Jack Johnson and wife, circa 1905-1915.
A 1904 photograph of Booker T. Washington.
An excerpt from The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois about double consciousness, 1903.
The Negro Motorist Green Book, 1950.
A theatrical poster for Neil O'Brien as a blackface minstrel performer, 1915.
A 1921 collage of newspaper clippings about Marcus Garvey and African American activism.
A 1939 memo about “The Negro Population of Philadelphia and Sub-Standard Housing Conditions.”
The painting Moon over Harlem by William H. Johnson, circa 1943-1944.
An excerpt from FBI files on Ralph Ellison’s communist activities, 1950-1964.
A typed quotation from Invisible Man.
An audio recording of Ralph Ellison testifying before the US Senate about Harlem, 1966.
An excerpt from a 1992 episode of the PBS television program “Main Street, Wyoming” that discusses Invisible Man.

These sets were created and reviewed by teachers. Explore resources and ideas for Using DPLA's Primary Source Sets in your classroom.

To give feedback, contact us at info@dp.la. You can also view resources for National History Day.

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