Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Second annual Kodak minstrel show
General material designation
- Graphic material
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Attributions and conjectures: Title taken from review clipping on verso of group portrait.
Level of description
File
Repository
Reference code
2005.001.06.03.735
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
February 17-18, 1921 (Creation)
- Creator
- Kodak Canada Inc.
Physical description area
Physical description
2 photographs : b&w ; Mounted 8.75 x 14.25 inches ; print: 5.5 x 9.5 inches ; and, Mounted 10.25 x 14.25 inches ; print : 5.5 x 9.5 inches
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
Canadian Kodak Ltd., which became Kodak Canada Inc. in 1979, manufactured photographic films, papers and equipment for over a century in Toronto, Ontario. The company formed the Canadian branch of the successful Eastman Kodak Company, and officially opened its doors in 1900 at 41 Colborne Street under the direction of John G. Palmer. The company expanded and moved to 588 King Street West in 1908, but already plans were underway for an expansive complex to the north of the city. In 1912, Canadian Kodak purchased 25 acres of farmland near Weston Road and Eglinton Avenue to build a major manufacturing facility known as Kodak Heights. By 1925, there were over 900 employees working in seven buildings at Kodak Heights. Over the years, the company earned a reputation for having a cooperative and supportive relationship with its employees, adopting many of the successful practices in place at Eastman Kodak in Rochester, New York. In 1940, an Employee's Building was constructed to accommodate the activities of the flourishing Recreation Club, the Department Mangers' Club, and the Kodak Heights Camera Club. During the 1990s, the rise of digital media began to have a serious impact on manufacturing programs at Kodak facilities around the world, causing the Eastman Kodak Company to reduce its production of traditional print photography by one third globally. The company chose to focus on digital products, which did not require the extensive facilities used in the production of traditional photographic materials. On December 9, 2004, Kodak Canada Ltd. informed its employees that manufacturing operations in traditional film products would cease entirely at Kodak Heights. The company's facility faced the same fate as many of its foreign counterparts in England, Australia and France, being completely abandoned and demolished shortly after closure in 2005. Kodak Canada still maintains a sales and support office in downtown Toronto, while the manufacture of traditional photographic chemistry has returned to Rochester.
Custodial history
Scope and content
The first image, Burgess & Seymour, a study in black and white, depicts two Canadian Kodak employees, one identified as draftsman F.A. Seymour and the other as R. Ainslee Burgess. They performed a skit originally performed in the Canadian Kodak Minstrel Show of February 17-18, 1921, which was, according to an included clipping, repeated at a bazaar held by the Toronto Technical School. The skit consists of two easels, on which the two performers have drawn sketches of different Kodak girls. One of the performers (Burgess) is in blackface, as part of the Minstrel variety show performed during the 1920's by Kodak employees as part of the Kodak Athletics Association (KAA) activities.
The second image is a group portrait of the Kodak minstrel troupe consisting of 29 men in black face and their accompanying 7 musicians and conductor. They performed at the same event as Burgess and Seymour, February 1921.
Minstrel shows are a style of variety show, most popular during the late 19th and early 20th century, in which white performers use make-up and costumes to depict racist and stereotypical caricatures of Black people. The genre originated in the United States, but Canada had its own troupes and touring companies, and the format was popular with schools, community groups, and religious organizations.
Notes area
Physical condition
Both photographs are in good condition; however, the mount board for Burgess and Seymour was at some point cut from its original 10.25 inch height. The group photograph's mount board is bent and weak at the lower right corner and should not be handled there.
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Open. Records are available for consultation without restriction.