Luke Schoolcraft
Encyclopedia
Luke Schoolcraft was an American minstrel music
composer and performer. He appeared in numerous minstrel shows throughout the North after the American Civil War
.
into a family of actors and artists. His father, Henry R. Schoolcraft* was an actor who appeared in shows at Crisp's Gaiety Theater and who despite his death before 1860, saw to it that his son Luke and his daughters Jane and Alfreda (who would be famous in her own right as Alfreda Chippendale
) all pursued careers in theater. Luke Schoolcraft's first stage performance was in 1851 in Rolla, the Richard Brinsley Sheridan
adaptation of August von Kotzebue
's Pizarro.
is viewed as racist and anachronistic, however it was the preeminent entertainment in the United States during the life of Luke Schoolcraft, and he was one of the most well-known and successful performers.
By his twenties, Schoolcraft was touring the nation and performing in variety shows. Negroes were not the only ethnic group who were lampooned in minstrel shows; indeed Schoolcraft began performing Dutch songs until several hits as a blackface performer landed him in the minstrel ranks. In 1870 he and his first wife Belle were living in St. Louis, Missouri
among a troupe of actors that included George H. Coes
. Schoolcraft also had an early association with Billy Emerson and Schoolcraft settled in Terre Haute, Indiana
after 1870. He helped form a music academy in a former church that was popularly known as "Luke Schoolcraft's Academy of Music." It was in Terre Haute that Schoolcraft met and wed his second wife, Elizabeth Clark on January 7, 1871.
on March 25, 1872. Newspapers there declared that he was "an immediate hit." During this period, one of Schoolcraft's original songs, Oh! Dat Watermelon became popular. Today, this song is among the best-known minstrel pieces of that era.
and continued to tour throughout the country performing their minstrel act in a variety of shows and venues.
When Coes was unable to continue his career due to poor health in 1889, the partnership dissolved. Schoolcraft continued to perform solo as part of a number of shows including Lew Dockstader
's popular minstrel troupe. In 1892, Schoolcraft was a star in Russell's Comedians, a troupe of specialty artists. It was with this company that he performed his final show at the Walnut Street Theater in Cincinnati, Ohio
. He died on March 10, 1893 in his room at the Hotel Stratford. His body was transported to Boston, his funeral was held at the Church of the Advent and he was buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in Dorchester, Massachusetts
.
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
composer and performer. He appeared in numerous minstrel shows throughout the North after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early life
Schoolcraft was born in New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
into a family of actors and artists. His father, Henry R. Schoolcraft* was an actor who appeared in shows at Crisp's Gaiety Theater and who despite his death before 1860, saw to it that his son Luke and his daughters Jane and Alfreda (who would be famous in her own right as Alfreda Chippendale
Alfreda Chippendale
Alfreda "Alfy" Chippendale was an American stage actress who appeared on the stage in the United States and England.-Early life:...
) all pursued careers in theater. Luke Schoolcraft's first stage performance was in 1851 in Rolla, the Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan was an Irish-born playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For thirty-two years he was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford , Westminster and Ilchester...
adaptation of August von Kotzebue
August von Kotzebue
August Friedrich Ferdinand von Kotzebue was a German dramatist.One of Kotzebue's books was burned during the Wartburg festival in 1817. He was murdered in 1819 by Karl Ludwig Sand, a militant member of the Burschenschaften...
's Pizarro.
- Not Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, who is credited with the discovery of the source of the Mississippi River.
Career in minstrelsy
Minstrelsy was America's first original contribution to the theater arts. It was popular from just before the American Civil War to the end of the 19th Century. Today minstrelsy and its attendant blackfaceBlackface
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...
is viewed as racist and anachronistic, however it was the preeminent entertainment in the United States during the life of Luke Schoolcraft, and he was one of the most well-known and successful performers.
In Terre Haute
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
among a troupe of actors that included George H. Coes
George H. Coes
George H. Coes was an American minstrel music performer. He appeared in numerous minstrel shows in California and throughout the Northeastern United States.-Career in minstrelsy:...
. Schoolcraft also had an early association with Billy Emerson and Schoolcraft settled in Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
after 1870. He helped form a music academy in a former church that was popularly known as "Luke Schoolcraft's Academy of Music." It was in Terre Haute that Schoolcraft met and wed his second wife, Elizabeth Clark on January 7, 1871.
In New York City
In 1872, Schoolcraft moved to New York City and made a spectacular debut at Richard M. Hooley's Opera House in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
on March 25, 1872. Newspapers there declared that he was "an immediate hit." During this period, one of Schoolcraft's original songs, Oh! Dat Watermelon became popular. Today, this song is among the best-known minstrel pieces of that era.
Partnership with Coes
Schoolcraft joined with his old friend George H. Coes in 1874 and they formed "one of the most famous minstrel tandems in history." Schoolcraft & Coes appeared with a number of leading companies including Emerson's Megatherian Minstrels and Barlow, Wilson, Primrose & West. By 1880, the two settled with their families in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
and continued to tour throughout the country performing their minstrel act in a variety of shows and venues.
When Coes was unable to continue his career due to poor health in 1889, the partnership dissolved. Schoolcraft continued to perform solo as part of a number of shows including Lew Dockstader
Lew Dockstader
Lew Dockstader was a United States singer, comedian, and Vaudeville star, best known as a blackface minstrel show performer in the late 19th century and early years of the 20th century.Dockstader performed both as a solo act and leading a popular Minstrel troupe...
's popular minstrel troupe. In 1892, Schoolcraft was a star in Russell's Comedians, a troupe of specialty artists. It was with this company that he performed his final show at the Walnut Street Theater in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. He died on March 10, 1893 in his room at the Hotel Stratford. His body was transported to Boston, his funeral was held at the Church of the Advent and he was buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
.
Compositions
Luke Schoolcraft produced a number of songs, but his most well-known pieces were:- Oh! Dat Watermelon (1874)
- Shine On, Shine On (1874)
See also
- Minstrel showMinstrel showThe minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....