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Comment by Strumelia on September 14, 2013 at 8:41pm

Great photo!  ...but how do you know these people are minstrels, Wes?

Comment by Scott Johnson on September 15, 2013 at 1:05pm

While I'm not sure if you could call them "minstrels", just the fact that there is a banjo in the picture makes it interesting.  But minstrel music in Australia was extremely popular, and there is a good chance that they were playing minstrel tunes in that banjo.

Here is a link to an article about Minstrels in Australia.

http://www.nugrape.net/minstrel.htm

and a little piece from the article the show just how early it was being played in Australia.

"Contrary to the generally held belief that minstrelsy dates back to when
Charles Backus toured Australia in 1855,minstrelsy had its initial appearance
in Sydney back on the 28th August,1838 when a Mr.Ferguson sang "the celebrated
popular comic song"-'Jim Crow' at the Royal Victoria theatre.subsequently,
numerous renditions of various minstrel songs were performed by local artists
including the actor/manager Mr.Joseph Simmons,("Jump Jim Crow"-17/8/1839),as
well as numerous other local performers such as John Hyde who approx.thirty
years later was loosely affiliated with Corbyn's Georgia Minstrels,when "The
Octoroon" was performed at the Bijou Theatre,Melbourne on the 9th June,1877.
all this no doubt was directly attributed to T.D.Rice's(Daddy Rice) success
in England from his tour of 1836,with the play of "Jim Crow" first being
performed in Sydney at the Royal Victoria theatre on the 11th April,1839 for
Joseph Simmons benefit night,featuring local performers.the popularity
of this piece was such that Jim Crow hats were advertised for sale in the
following period."

Comment by Wes Merchant on September 15, 2013 at 1:59pm

Thanks for the information Scott. I perhaps should have put quotes in there, I was intrigued by the banjo-bones combination in the group, I looked again and and it appears the man next to the banjoist may have a tin whistle... banjo bones tin whistle could be Irish.

Comment by Strumelia on September 15, 2013 at 2:06pm

Oh, I didn't see the bones, or the whistle.  That makes more sense.   :)

Could the fourth fellow from the left also be holding a recorder or whistle?- his hands kind of look that way.  If so, then all four of the white men would be holding instruments, and nobody else.

Comment by Wes Merchant on September 15, 2013 at 2:09pm

I wondered that too, it looks kind of like the "piper's grip" you see some players use but I can't make out any instrument.

Comment by Strumelia on September 15, 2013 at 2:28pm

Maybe he played 'air whistle'....lol

Comment by Mark Weems on September 15, 2013 at 10:20pm

Dan'l, according to Bob Carlin's book about Joel Walker Sweeny, Ferguson taught Dan Emmett how to play banjo in 1840. By that time, Sweeny had already been playing for years. Unless you have some info I'm not privy too?

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