3-056-296 - The London Archives (City of London)/Heritage Images

Bullock's Royal Marionettes, c1870s. 'The famous Troupe of N*gro Minstrels - These are the only Mannikins that have ever appeared in Great St James Hall London (400 times), Crystal Palace London, New York (200 times) Philadelphia &c. Beware of Imposters & Weak Imitators using our Titles &c. Pen & Ink Sketch No. 2...W. J. Bullock Sole proprietor in England & America'. Illustrated advertisement for a musical act which starred performing marionettes representing Black musicians in exaggerated and stereotypical poses. William John Bullock set up his company in 1872, and arranged a London showing at Great St. James's Hall, Piccadilly, where he opened on July 23 of that year. The show received wide and enthusiastic press coverage. At the end of October, it transferred to Albert Smith's Room at the nearby Egyptian Hall where it remained until the spring of 1873, likely what this illustration is advertising. Minstrel shows were a racist form of entertainment popular in the USA and the UK during the 18th and 19th centuries. Performers - often white people in blackface - depicted negative stereotypes of African Americans. In Bullock's case he used marionettes to embody this idea for his own financial gain.