“Hi” Henry’s Minstrels

Hiram “Hi” Patrick Henry (Born Aug. 22, 1844, Buffalo, N.Y., died Jan. 30, 1920, New York, N.Y.) was an accomplished cornet player who formed his own minstrel act in 1879. Minstrel shows featured white performers in blackface, performing what were billed as “genuine” Negro songs and dances. The earliest minstrel shows appeared in the early 1840s and were very popular until they were eclipsed by vaudeville in the 1890s. After the Civil War, genuine black performers appeared on stage. At their height, dozens of minstrel show companies toured the United States, advertised on posters, playbills and covers of sheet music.