burnt cork
Darkened bottle stopper
Burnt cork is charred cork used as a dark pigment, historically applied to the face to portray Black characters in minstrel shows and similar performances.
The practice, now recognized as deeply racist, was standard theatrical convention from the 19th century through the mid-20th: performers in burnt cork.
The term sometimes appears as a modifier for this style of entertainment.
- charcoalBurned wood residue
- blackfaceRacist performance makeup tradition
- minstrelTraveling performer of songs
- minstrel showRacist blackface theatrical entertainment
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
black face paint · ash · singed · wine · stopper · bottle · soot · vaudeville · variety show · makeup · stage makeup · theater · smudge · carbonized · residue · oak · barrel · smoky
- historical beautykohl, rouge, carmine, vermilion, white lead