The Royalty of Negro Vaudeville: The Whitman Sisters and the Negotiation of Race, Gender and Class in African American Theater 1900-1940 [Hardcover]

Nadine George Graves (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 2000

The Whitman Sisters were the highest paid act on the Negro Vaudeville Circuit, Theater Owner Booking Association (Toby), and one of the longest surviving touring companies (1899-1942). Nadine George-Graves shows that these four black women manipulated their race, gender, and class to resist hegemonic forces while achieving success. By maintaining a high-class image, they were able to challenge fictions of racial and gender identity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...first throughly researched and intelligent account of these forgotten women. Women's Review of Books

About the Author

Nadine George Graves is Assistant Professor of Theater Studies at Yale University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; 1 edition (July 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312225628
• ISBN-13: 978-0312225629
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,567,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important Black Women's History Unearthed, December 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Royalty of Negro Vaudeville: The Whitman Sisters and the Negotiation of Race, Gender and Class in African American Theater 1900-1940 (Hardcover)

Like Alice Walker, who resurrected the work of Zora Neale Hurston, Nadine George-Graves has uncovered the lost story of powerful African-American women: the Whitman Sisters. A powerful force in Vaudeville, these profoundly talented entertainers were also astute entrepeneurs, whose company formed a springboard for many luminaries of the stage. We are in Ms. George-Graves debt for bringing to light this important history.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource, June 23, 2003

By 

"kma412" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Royalty of Negro Vaudeville: The Whitman Sisters and the Negotiation of Race, Gender and Class in African American Theater 1900-1940 (Hardcover)

An excellent book, well written and meticulously researched. Not only does Nadine George-Graves provide fascinating and useful information about the Whitman Sisters, she also discusses, in great detail, the social and cultural circumstances surrounding their historical moment. The information on Toby, the black vaudeville circuit, is invaluable. Much of what George-Graves writes about hasn't been written about elsewhere, making her book all the more unique and important.

This is a short book - only 118 pages - but the amount of information it contains makes it indispensible for anyone interested in vaudeville, dance, or African-American theater.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important Black Women's History Unearthed, December 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Royalty of Negro Vaudeville: The Whitman Sisters and the Negotiation of Race, Gender and Class in African American Theater 1900-1940 (Hardcover)

Like Alice Walker, who resurrected the work of Zora Neale Hurston, Nadine George-Graves has unearthed the lost story of powerful African-American women: The Whitman Sisters. Profoundly talented entertainers, these women were also astute entrepeneurs, whose company formed the springboard for many musical and stage luminaries. We are in Ms. George-Graves debt for bringing this lost history to light.