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The Resource Richard Potter : America's first Black celebrity, John A. Hodgson

Richard Potter : America's first Black celebrity, John A. Hodgson

Creator
Author
Summary
Apart from a handful of exotic--and almost completely unreliable--tales surrounding his life, Richard Potter is almost unknown today. Two hundred years ago, however, he was the most popular entertainer in America--the first showman, in fact, to win truly nationwide fame. Working as a magician and ventriloquist, he personified for an entire generation what a popular performer was and made an invaluable contribution to establishing popular entertainment as a major part of American life. His story is all the more remarkable in that Richard Potter was also a black man. This was an era when few African Americans became highly successful, much less famous. As the son of a slave, Potter was fortunate to have opportunities at all. At home in Boston, he was widely recognized as black, but elsewhere in America audiences entertained themselves with romantic speculations about his "Hindu" ancestry (a perception encouraged by his act and costumes). Richard Potter's performances were enjoyed by an enormous public, but his life off stage has always remained hidden and unknown. Now, for the first time, John A. Hodgson tells the remarkable, compelling--and ultimately heartbreaking--story of Potter's life, a tale of professional success and celebrity counterbalanced by racial vulnerability in an increasingly hostile world. It is a story of race relations, too, and of remarkable, highly influential black gentlemanliness and respectability: as the unsung precursor of Frederick Douglass, Richard Potter demonstrated to an entire generation of Americans that a black man, no less than a white man, could exemplify the best qualities of humanity. The apparently trivial "popular entertainment" status of his work has long blinded historians to his significance and even to his presence. Now at last we can recognize him as a seminal figure in American history
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
xx, 318 pages, 10 unnumbered pages of plates
Contents
  • Introduction
  • The Hopkinton years, 1783-1795
  • The Boston years and Europe, 1795-1803
  • The apprentice years and early career, 1804-1815
  • Ascent to fame, 1815-1819
  • The grand North American tour, 1819-1823
  • Return to New England, 1824-1829
  • A New England icon, a broken family, 1829-1835
  • Afterword: hiding in plain sight
Isbn
9780813941042
Instance
Label
Richard Potter : America's first Black celebrity
Title
Richard Potter
Title remainder
America's first Black celebrity
Statement of responsibility
John A. Hodgson
Creator
Author
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
Apart from a handful of exotic--and almost completely unreliable--tales surrounding his life, Richard Potter is almost unknown today. Two hundred years ago, however, he was the most popular entertainer in America--the first showman, in fact, to win truly nationwide fame. Working as a magician and ventriloquist, he personified for an entire generation what a popular performer was and made an invaluable contribution to establishing popular entertainment as a major part of American life. His story is all the more remarkable in that Richard Potter was also a black man. This was an era when few African Americans became highly successful, much less famous. As the son of a slave, Potter was fortunate to have opportunities at all. At home in Boston, he was widely recognized as black, but elsewhere in America audiences entertained themselves with romantic speculations about his "Hindu" ancestry (a perception encouraged by his act and costumes). Richard Potter's performances were enjoyed by an enormous public, but his life off stage has always remained hidden and unknown. Now, for the first time, John A. Hodgson tells the remarkable, compelling--and ultimately heartbreaking--story of Potter's life, a tale of professional success and celebrity counterbalanced by racial vulnerability in an increasingly hostile world. It is a story of race relations, too, and of remarkable, highly influential black gentlemanliness and respectability: as the unsung precursor of Frederick Douglass, Richard Potter demonstrated to an entire generation of Americans that a black man, no less than a white man, could exemplify the best qualities of humanity. The apparently trivial "popular entertainment" status of his work has long blinded historians to his significance and even to his presence. Now at last we can recognize him as a seminal figure in American history
Biography type
individual biography
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
1945-
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Hodgson, John A.
Dewey number
  • 793.8092
  • B
Government publication
government publication of a state province territory dependency etc
Illustrations
illustrations
Index
index present
LC call number
GV1545.P65
LC item number
H63 2018
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Potter, Richard
  • Magicians
  • African American magicians
  • African American entertainers
  • Entertainers
  • Ventriloquists
  • Magicians
Label
Richard Potter : America's first Black celebrity, John A. Hodgson
Instantiates
Publication
Copyright
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-308) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Introduction -- The Hopkinton years, 1783-1795 -- The Boston years and Europe, 1795-1803 -- The apprentice years and early career, 1804-1815 -- Ascent to fame, 1815-1819 -- The grand North American tour, 1819-1823 -- Return to New England, 1824-1829 -- A New England icon, a broken family, 1829-1835 -- Afterword: hiding in plain sight
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
xx, 318 pages, 10 unnumbered pages of plates
Isbn
9780813941042
Lccn
2017030696
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
  • (OCoLC)1010986280
  • (OCoLC)on1010986280
Label
Richard Potter : America's first Black celebrity, John A. Hodgson
Publication
Copyright
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-308) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Introduction -- The Hopkinton years, 1783-1795 -- The Boston years and Europe, 1795-1803 -- The apprentice years and early career, 1804-1815 -- Ascent to fame, 1815-1819 -- The grand North American tour, 1819-1823 -- Return to New England, 1824-1829 -- A New England icon, a broken family, 1829-1835 -- Afterword: hiding in plain sight
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
xx, 318 pages, 10 unnumbered pages of plates
Isbn
9780813941042
Lccn
2017030696
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
  • (OCoLC)1010986280
  • (OCoLC)on1010986280

Subject

Genre

Library Locations

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