Final Auction Price
*Final prices include buyers premium
$229.20
Starting bid: $10.00
The poster advertises the final West Coast performances of “That Minstrel Show" Civil Rights in a Cracker Barrel which was the San Francisco Mime Troupe's first touring show. It dates back to December 1965 during the very first days of Bill Graham's tenure with the Mime Troupe. We regularly offer versions of this poster, but this issue from the Berkeley Little Theatre does not show up often!
The design on this poster would NEVER be acceptable for public promotion of any event by today's standards. This Minstrel Show was performed by the Mime Troupe in blackface and it offended many - both black and white. Such negative representations of black people left a damaging legacy in popular culture, especially in art and entertainment. Minstrel shows during this era were often the only depiction of black life that white audiences saw. These shows desensitized white people to the horrors of slavery. The performances also promoted demeaning stereotypes of black people that helped confirm the white's unethical notion of superiority. Several years later however the SF Mime Troupe changed direction towards more sketch comedy - meets - musical revue-type productions doing away with the older Minstrel Shows of the past. San Francisco counter-culture material from 1965 is few and far between highly sought after and very desirable. Bid accordingly!
--CRITICAL DETAILS--
--TITLE: AOR-2.32 OP7 Poster
--GRADE: 7.5
--PERFORMERS: SF Mime Troupe
--VENUE: Berkeley Little Theatre
--CITY: Berkeley, CA
--DATE: 12/3-4 + 10-11/1965
--PRINTING: OP-7; Original Pre-Concert First Printing Poster, Version 7
--SIZE: 15 x 20
A 20% Buyers Premium will be added to the final hammer price of this lot.
High resolution HD photos available on request.
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