Julius Caesar Cast, 1920
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Issue Date
1920-01
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Image
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Abstract
In January of 1920, the Junior Class held a carnival to raise money for the annual yearbook. At the carnival, members of the Century Forum literary society performed Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. This photo of the cast shows five men sitting in front wearing blackface. An article in the student newspaper The Index referred to it as "Julius Caesar, Up-to-Date." Another article mentions that the Century Forum "changed Shakespeare's immortal tragedy 'Julius Caesar,' to fit into a side-show at the carnival." Modernizing a Shakespeare play to include racial parody is an example of how racial stereotyping was used as a form of entertainment for white audiences in the early 20th century.
Description
1 black & white image
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Publisher
Kalamazoo College