BLACK MINSTREL ACT PHOTO 1944 LOUIS ARMSTRONG POSTER Start Price USD 169.99 Current Price USD 169.99 Time Left 15 days 19 hours 41 minutes Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, September 27, 2008 End Time Sunday, January 25, 2009 Location Pennsylvania See more about 'BLACK MINSTREL ACT PHOTO 1944 LOUIS ARMSTRONG POSTER' Description Large 7" by 5" photograph of a street minstrel group preforming a comical skit on a sidewalk. There is a Louis Armstrong poster on the front of the small podium. The poster shows an image of Louis Armstrong & six other musicians & has the following wording "Louis Armstrong All-Star Esquire Combo".We have been informed by a Jazz enthusiast in New Orleans that one of the men in the skit is Kokomo Joe & that the building in the background appears to be the Louisiana Supreme Court Building in the French Quarter. However, we have not yet researched either one of these points.In 1944 Louis Armstrong played at the Metropolitan Opera House in N. Y. City with the "Esquire All-Stars." In the 1944 engagement at the Met he played music in the company of Roy Eldridge, Al Casey, Sid Catlett, Red Navo, Jack Teagarden, Barney Bigard, Art Tatum, & Oscar Pettibone.An unusual & historically significant photo showing both the rare Armstrong poster & the group of black performers in the process of performing a comical street minstrel act.The poster shown in the photograph is advertising "The Esquire All American Jazz Concert" which took place at the Metropolitan Opera House on January 18, 1944. Many great jazz musicians & bands performed at the event.It appears that the man behind the small podium ready to pound on the cans & tin plates & wood projection on the podium top is a white man fixed up with makeup to appear to be black. The other two gentleman to the right of him do appear to actually be black men.Behind the drummer stand two small kids. Both of the kids have pushed masks off of their faces back onto the top of their heads. One of the kids appears to be wearing part of a clown outfit. It looks like both of these kids were part of the minstrel act. But, they are taking a break.To the left of the drummer well dressed spectators watch the show. To the right of the drummer two men, who both appear to be black, are up in each other's faces in a somewhat comical confrontational manner. The back of the photo has a brown circular stain. Otherwise the photo shows only minor expected light aging. The precise condition of the photo is visible in the pics.We guarantee this item to be original as described & we offer a full & prompt refund if you are not satisfied & if the item is returned in the same condition within 3 days of receipt. If you have any additional questions please don't hesitate to ask.Buyer pays $7.50 for U.S. Mail insured. PA residents add 6% sales tax or provide a valid resale number. Immediate shipment upon receipt of money order or cashier's check. Allow 10 days to clear prior to shipment on other checks. Shipping to other countries will be more & will be buyer's responsibility. Of course, multiple purchases at the same time will save on shipping as they can be combined. We adhere to all U.S. customs laws on foreign shipments. We do not over or underlist values on customs slips. Place a Bid!