Blackface (Noun)
Meaning
The makeup (usually burnt cork) used by a performer in order to imitate a Negro.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- The white actor wore blackface in order to play the role of a minstrel in the play.
- Blackface was used in vaudeville to mock and stereotype African Americans for the amusement of white audiences.
- In the early days of Hollywood, white actors would often use blackface to play black characters.
- The practice of using blackface was particularly common in 19th- and early-20th-century musical performances.
- Al Jolson was known to have used blackface in some of his stage and screen performances during the 1920s.