John W. Isham (1866-1902) was a producer of groundbreaking all-black minstrel and proto-burlesque shows. Of mixed-race ancestry, he often “passed” for white, which gave him employment and business opportunities he might not have otherwise had. Isham was from Utica, in upstate New York. As a young man, Isham gained experience in advertising circuses, working for […]
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:57AM on February 4, 2018