Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
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Uncle Mack’s Minstrel Seaside Show
A seaside rarity captured by Enid Briggs in the late 1920s - featuring singing and dancing minstrels in 'blackface' make-up
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Overview
Enid Briggs' film captures an aspect of Bygone Britain that was once a regular feature of the seaside scene of the time. On an outdoor stage a troupe of minstrels perform their act while wearing 'blackface' make-up and Pierrot costumes. They sing and dance - individually and together while musicians play in the background. The audience watches the show sitting in deckchairs while the troupe also perform a sequence in drag - though retaining the 'blackface' make-up.
Enid Briggs filmed scenes in the area of North Foreland and Broadstairs in the 1920s and 1930s. These films are of particular interest because they were made from a woman's visual perspective. Born to a wealthy Leeds family in 1898, Enid moved with her mother and sister, to a cliff-top home in Broadstairs in 1929. It was there that she took up the relatively expensive hobby of film-making. She filmed family activities, outings and local events as well as scenes recording seaside performers like Uncle Mack’s Minstrels. Enid died in 1973 and her surviving films are now held in the Screen Archive South East collection.
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