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318:"These pioneering female performers had an impact on the manner in which blues singing was introduced on the black vaudeville stage by the blues women of the 1910s and 20s. Hines' male impersonations provided the standard against which African American comediennes were compared for decades. She may have directly inspired such blues era performers as
166:, " that of introducing a new type of beauty and native artists, and retaining its novelty by the introduction of new ideas; it is still one of the most popular attractions of the day.' In the Creole Show, black entertainers had a venue where they were able to perform for the first time "racially-grounded" comedy that was not filled with derogatory
144:, a white Chicago entrepreneur, that "the African could never shine upon the stage". Jack accepted the bet, and hired a group of Black performers who not only allowed Jack to collect his $ 1,000 but went on to perform sold-out shows across the country. The Black press of the time wrote that Hines and her co-star
116:
Florence Hines was born about 1868 in Ohio. Little is documented of Hines' early life, or how she became an entertainer. The earliest mentions of her as a performer appear in 1890, when she performed with the Sam T. Jack Creole Show. The Creole Show was an all-black review which featured singers and
221:
In 1892, a dressing room fight broke out between Hines and her duet partner, Marie
Roberts. Their co-workers were able to break up the fight. "The utmost intimacy has existed between the two women for the past year," said the Cincinnati press, 'their marked devotion being not only noticeable but a
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Twenty-first century scholars and historians have written that
African American male impersonators like Hines gave a more positive spin to the Black dandy that was often ridiculed by white performers: Hines' performance, wrote historian Henry Elam, made the dandy "into a
258:
reviewed a 'quieter' performance of Hines which involved her whistling, and said the performance was good even though Hines was not in good health. Hines, it said, was looking forward to resuming her male impersonation work.
186:
Hines worked with the Creole Show for seven seasons, sometimes performing a singing duet with Marie
Roberts. She was described as 'the greatest living female song and dance artist:" and 'the queen of all male impersonators".
173:
In her early days, Hines commanded the largest salary paid to a Black female performer. Wearing a tuxedo with tails, cane, cape and top hat, Hines crossed racial, social and gender barriers in her portrayal of the Black
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By 1896, the Creole Show had a firmly established reputation, whose entertainers traveled in their own $ 15,000 palace hotel car. "It serves its legitimate purpose for which it was originally conceived," wrote the
182:
stereotypes of Black men. The songs she sang, which emphasized the dandy's material wealth, included “For I’m the Lad That’s Made of Money”, “I Can’t See My Money Go That Way” and “A Millionaire’s Only Son”.
100:'s Creole Burlesque show. In her heyday, she was described as 'the greatest living female song and dance artist" and 'the queen of all male impersonators". Her career was noteworthy for breaking existing
198:
The Creole show was not the only show Hines worked for. In 1893, Hines also performed as a male impersonator with Eaton's Afro-American
Vaudeville Company, managed by Black comedian and entrepreneur
222:
subject of comment among their associates of the stage." The article went on to assume that because of the 'lovable' nature of their onstage duet, they would smooth out their differences.
202:. In 1896, she was one of the many celebrity performers in a "wildly successful" touring company called Darkest America that traveled fourteen states and included
996:
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The following year, Hines and a female co-star were insulted and then assaulted by a man named
William Brown as they finished their performance at the
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and Billy Miller. Two years later, she entertained a full house with the Big Afro
American Company, where she was featured along with male
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stereotypes and portraying Black men in a more positive light, as well as for setting high standards for the Black female comedians and
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The press coverage of the fight between Hines and
Roberts led later historians to speculate that Florence Hines was a
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1893 Indianapolis News advertisement for Eaton's Afro-American
Vaudeville Company, featuring Florence Hines and others
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240:. Census records in 1920 indicate that Hines was widowed and living with her 38-year-old-daughter and son-in-law in
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The early performances of Hines and other Black female performers of the
Vaudeville era, wrote Lynn Abbott in
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noted in 1923 that Hines, "recognized as the greatest male impersonator of all times and all races", had been
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in the groundbreaking show "gave a new impression of the possibilities of our girls in show business".
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Cross-dressers and Race-crosssers: Intersections of Gender and Race in
American Vaudeville 1900-1930
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233:. Brown knocked them both into the gutter, where their faces were cut. He was fined ten dollars.
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and a star of the show. She was also a singer, a dancer, a comedic 'conversationalist' and a
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entertainer who was best known for performing throughout the United States in the 1890s as a
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In 1924, a woman named Nunnie Williams, who said she was Hines' daughter, wrote a letter to
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artists as well as comedians. Florence Hines, with her male impersonation act, was the
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sophisticate, resplendent in top coat tails, twirling a cane and donning a top hat."
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614:"This Black Drag King Was Once Known As the Greatest Male Impersonator of All Time"
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Hines continued to do solo shows in the early 20th century. A 1904 article in the
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The Original Blues: The Emergence of the Blues in African American Vaudeville
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called "Beauty of the Nile, or Doomed by Fire," which she later directed.
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564:"The Creoles: History of the Origin of Sam T. Jack's Celebrated Company"
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that said Hines had died on March 10 and been buried on March 24 in
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African American Performance and Theater History: A Critical Reader
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Out of Sight: The Rise of African American Popular Music 1889-1895
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Cover of a book of songs published by the Creole Burlesque Company
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644:. Indianapolis Freeman. Transgender Archive. September 10, 1904.
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Blacks in Blackface: A Sourcebook on Early Black Musical Shows
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Darkest America: Black Minstrelsy from Slavery to Hip-Hop
266:, according to a letter from a vaudeville entertainer in
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Out of Sight: The Rise of African American Popular Music
743:The African-American Theater Directory, 1816-1960
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659:. New York: University of Rochester. p. 196.
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415:. University Press of Mississippi. p. 18.
898:"Lesbians Onstage: Costumes and Crossdressing"
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588:. Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. August 12, 1896
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535:. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 57.
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262:By 1920, Hines had become a preacher in
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1002:19th-century American women singers
961:The Prettiest Girl Onstage Is A Man
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508:. University Press of Mississippi.
476:. The Boston Globe. August 10, 1890
315:era performers that followed them:
140:made a $ 1,000 bet with his friend
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474:"Sam T. Jack's Creole Burlesquers"
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831:"Two Beautiful Creoles Pull Hair"
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136:The Creole Show was created when
88:(1868–1924) was a Black American
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699:. Pittsburgh Press. May 3, 1892
16:American vaudeville entertainer
992:American vaudeville performers
378:. Scarecrow Press. p. 6.
311:, set a high standard for the
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740:Gore, Lena McPhatter (1997).
586:"Sam T Jack's Creole Company"
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655:Casey, Kathleen B. (2012).
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280:and an invalid since 1906.
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532:When Brooklyn Was Queer
774:Taylor, Yuval (2012).
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64:Santa Rosa, California
642:"Miss Florence Hines"
502:Abbott, Lynn (2009).
448:"1920 Federal Census"
409:Abbott, Lynn (2017).
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129:performer in a group
112:Early life and career
922:Elam, Henry (2001).
285:The Chicago Defender
269:The Chicago Defender
255:Indianapolis Freeman
248:Later life and death
123:master of ceremonies
78:vaudeville performer
987:American drag kings
959:Casey, Kathleen B.
529:Ryan, Hugh (2019).
875:"Knocked Down Two"
350:List of drag kings
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935:978-0-19-802928-1
902:Dressingdykes.com
787:978-0-393-07098-9
753:978-0-313-03332-2
676:Drag King History
542:978-1-250-16992-1
515:978-1-4968-0004-6
446:Hines, Florence.
422:978-1-4968-1005-2
385:978-0-8108-8351-2
211:Sylvester Russell
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759:January 13,
725:January 11,
703:January 11,
681:January 13,
670:Dick, M.B.
592:January 10,
548:January 13,
458:January 20,
98:Sam T. Jack
971:Categories
454:. Ancestry
356:References
289:Santa Rosa
142:Sam T Jack
90:vaudeville
41:about 1868
278:paralyzed
231:cable car
204:Sam Lucas
127:burlesque
334:See also
302:jazz age
102:minstrel
623:Jan 10,
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428:Jan 11,
391:Jan 11,
238:lesbian
208:soprano
131:tableau
119:tableau
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326:and
52:Died
45:Ohio
38:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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