Thomas Dilward (1840â€"1887), also known by the stage name Japanese
Tommy, was an African-American dwarf who performed in blackface
minstrel shows. He was also sometimes billed as "The African 'Tom
Thumb'" and the "African Dwarf Tommy".Dilward is one of only two known
African-Americans to have performed with white minstrel companies
before the American Civil War (the other being William Henry Lane).
Dilward's size, between 23 and 36 inches in height, made him a
"curious attraction" and allowed him to take to the stage with whites
at a time when almost no black men did; in addition, his stage name
may have been intended to hide his ethnic background. He was famous
for his skills at singing, dancing, and playing the violin. He has
also been credited in John Russell Bartlett's 1877 Dictionary of
Americanisms with having invented the word hunky-dory, meaning
"everything is all right".Dilward was born in Brooklyn, New York. He
first performed with George Christy in 1853, possibly as a response to
General Tom Thumb, a dwarf appearing in productions staged by P. T.
Barnum. Into the late 1860s, Dilward performed with Dan Bryant's
Minstrels, Wood's Minstrels, the Morris Brothers' Minstrels, and Kelly
and Leon's Minstrels. Beginning in the 1860s, he appeared with a
number of black minstrel troupes.Modern writers, such as Mel Watkins,
cite Dilward as possibly being one of the first black entertainers to
present some element of authentic black dance on the white American
stage. He would also have had opportunity to present some degree of
black comedy and song, but he probably did not stray far from the
traditional, white-defined material.
Tommy, was an African-American dwarf who performed in blackface
minstrel shows. He was also sometimes billed as "The African 'Tom
Thumb'" and the "African Dwarf Tommy".Dilward is one of only two known
African-Americans to have performed with white minstrel companies
before the American Civil War (the other being William Henry Lane).
Dilward's size, between 23 and 36 inches in height, made him a
"curious attraction" and allowed him to take to the stage with whites
at a time when almost no black men did; in addition, his stage name
may have been intended to hide his ethnic background. He was famous
for his skills at singing, dancing, and playing the violin. He has
also been credited in John Russell Bartlett's 1877 Dictionary of
Americanisms with having invented the word hunky-dory, meaning
"everything is all right".Dilward was born in Brooklyn, New York. He
first performed with George Christy in 1853, possibly as a response to
General Tom Thumb, a dwarf appearing in productions staged by P. T.
Barnum. Into the late 1860s, Dilward performed with Dan Bryant's
Minstrels, Wood's Minstrels, the Morris Brothers' Minstrels, and Kelly
and Leon's Minstrels. Beginning in the 1860s, he appeared with a
number of black minstrel troupes.Modern writers, such as Mel Watkins,
cite Dilward as possibly being one of the first black entertainers to
present some element of authentic black dance on the white American
stage. He would also have had opportunity to present some degree of
black comedy and song, but he probably did not stray far from the
traditional, white-defined material.
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