The many resurrections of Henry Box Brown
(Book)
Author
Published
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : University of Pennsylvania Press, [2022].
ISBN
9780812254051, 0812254058
Physical Desc
x, 354 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 27 cm
Status
Copies
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Cambridge - Adult | 306.362 Brown | On Shelf |
More Details
Published
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : University of Pennsylvania Press, [2022].
Format
Book
Language
English
ISBN
9780812254051, 0812254058
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description
"On March 23, 1849, Henry Brown climbed into a large wooden postal crate and was mailed from slavery in Richmond, Virginia to freedom in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "Box Brown," as he came to be known after this astounding feat, went on to carve out a career as an abolitionist speaker, actor, magician, hypnotist, and even faith healer, traveling the US, the UK, and Canada until his death in 1897. The Many Resurrections of Henry Box Brown shows how subversive performances were woven into Brown's entire life, from his early days practicing magic in Virginia while enslaved, to his last shows in Canada and England in the 1890s. It recovers forgotten elements of Brown's history to illustrate the ways he made himself a spectacle on abolitionist lecture circuits via outlandish performances, and then fell off these circuits and went on to reinvent himself again and again. Brown's stunts included creating a moving panoramic picture show about his escape; parading through the streets dressed as a "Savage Indian" or "African Prince"; convincing hypnotized individuals that they were sheep who would gobble down raw cabbage; performing magic, dark séances, and ventriloquism; and even climbing back into his "original" box to jump out of it on stage. In this study, Martha J. Cutter analyzes contemporary resurrections of Brown's persona by leading poets, writers, and visual artists. Both in Brown's time and in ours, stories were created, invented, and embellished about Brown, continuing to recreate his intriguing, albeit fragmentary and elusive, story. The Many Resurrections of Henry Box Brown fosters a new understanding not only of Brown's life but of modern Black performance art that provocatively dramatizes the unfinished work of African American freedom"--,Provided by publisher.
Subjects
LC Subjects
African American abolitionists.
African Americans in popular culture.
African Americans in the performing arts -- History -- 19th century.
Biography.
Brown, Henry Box, -- 1815 or 1816-
Brown, Henry Box, -- 1815 or 1816- -- In literature.
Brown, Henry Box, -- 1815 or 1816- -- In mass media.
Fugitive slaves -- United States.
Slavery in mass media -- History -- 19th century.
African Americans in popular culture.
African Americans in the performing arts -- History -- 19th century.
Biography.
Brown, Henry Box, -- 1815 or 1816-
Brown, Henry Box, -- 1815 or 1816- -- In literature.
Brown, Henry Box, -- 1815 or 1816- -- In mass media.
Fugitive slaves -- United States.
Slavery in mass media -- History -- 19th century.
Description
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Cutter, M. J. (2022). The many resurrections of Henry Box Brown . University of Pennsylvania Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Cutter, Martha J.. 2022. The Many Resurrections of Henry Box Brown. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Cutter, Martha J.. The Many Resurrections of Henry Box Brown University of Pennsylvania Press, 2022.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Cutter, Martha J.. The Many Resurrections of Henry Box Brown University of Pennsylvania Press, 2022.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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