The Harmoneons were a blackface

Blackface

Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...

 musical singing group in the 19th-century United States.

History

The group began as the "Albino Family" in 1843, and later the "Harmoneon Family," performing (for instance) in 1844 in New Hampshire. Principal group members included L.V.H. Crosby; Marshall S. Pike (1818-1901); James Power; and John Power
Through the years others associated with the group included: F.B. Howe; Francis Lynch; W.H. Mower, manager; T.B. Prendergast; and F.A. Reynolds.

In 1847 the Harmoneons performed for President James Polk

James K. Polk

James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...

 at the White House

White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

. The group sang throughout the U.S., including Baltimore, Maryland (1846-1847, 1850, 1853); Trenton, New Jersey (1847); Portsmouth, New Hampshire (1848); Lowell, Mass. (1849); Salem, Mass. (1849); Belfast, Maine (1850, 1852); and in Boston at the Melodeon

Melodeon (Boston, Massachusetts)

The Melodeon was a concert hall and performance space in 19th-century Boston, Massachusetts, located on Washington Street, near West Street...

(1849), Horticultural Hall on School Street (1849, 1851), and other venues. They also toured in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

External links

• http://www.pdmusic.org/1800s/45isodoc.txt
• Atlantic Canada Theatre Site