| Ref No | MWT/MUS/1/0189 |
| Collection | Max Tyler Music Hall Collection |
| Title | The Cockney Coon |
| Name of creator | Osborne, Charles, 1858-1929 |
| Date | 1899 |
| Extent | 1 sheet music |
| Description | Sheet music for piano and voice for Charles Osborne's The Cockney Coon. Cover illustration of man in officer's uniform. Stamp of F, D & H on bottom right corner. |
| Notes | Also includes a list of Francis, Day, & Hunter's Newest Comic Songs |
The racist term used in the title of this record reflects contemporary attitudes and language used during the period. The ‘coon’ caricature (an abbreviation of ‘racoon’) is an anti-Black caricature, originating in the time of Atlantic slave trade, portrayed as a lazy, easily spooked, inarticulate fool.
The record contains multiple occurrences of racist language. George Chirgwin performed as ‘the white-eyed kaffir’, a blackface minstrel act with a white diamond painted over one eye. Minstrel and blackface acts were popular British and American entertainers in the 19th and early-mid 20th centuries, who portrayed racist stereotypes of Black (often African American) people. Characters were often portrayed as dim-witted, lazy and happy-go-lucky. The comic songs they performed often used racist language, sometimes incorporating ‘stump speech’.
All such terms are used in the interest of historical accuracy, as altering them would risk falsifying the historical record. It would also be problematic to source non-offensive modern equivalents with a similar meaning. These items do not reflect the views or opinions of the University of Kent, Special Collections & Archives or our staff. We apologise for any offence that our inclusion of these terms may cause. |
| Record created by volunteers during the Hands On History project in 2019 |
| Subject | Music hall |
| Music |
| Comedy |
| Vocal Music |
| PhysicalDescription | 260mm x 355mm, black and coloured ink printed on paper |
| Related Person | Osborne, Charles, 1858-1929, composer and lyricist |
| Chirgwin, G.H., performer |
| Banks, H.G., illustrator |
| Related Organisation | Francis, Day, & Hunter |
| T.B. Harms & Co. |
| Related Place | London |
| New York |
| Category | Sheet music |
| Access conditions | This material is available for consultation at the University of Kent's Special Collections & Archives reading room, Templeman Library, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NU (specialcollections@kent.ac.uk). |
| Copyright | Material within the archive may remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Special Collections & Archives staff will assist where possible in helping trace copyright holders, but it is ultimately the responsibility of users to obtain the permission of the copyright holder for reproduction of copyright material for uses other than research or private study. |
| Level | Item |