Files consists of photographs taken during multiple CBC productions, including The Tommy Hunter Show, Ombudsman, Trust a Thief, Music of Man, Anne Murray and Umbrella.
There are four images in the file with racist depictions of Black individuals. They are on-set photographs from a staged blackface performances taken during the production of the CBC television show "The Music of Man" (1979) hosted By Yehudi Menuhin. The images are related to the 6th episode titled "The Parting of the Ways" which explores the influence of African cultures on American music at the turn of the century, resulting in blues, minstrel shows and ragtime. The images show a group of six men in blackface wearing white suits, and a man without makeup holding a banjo at the centre. The performers are on a theatre stage and the seated audience of actors are wearing late 19th century clothing.
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.
