The origin of cakewalks and the reason they spread during the ragtime era

Cakewalks in the Ragtime Era

The iconographic imagery in both the sheet music covers and the articles demonstrates the amount of racism towards African Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The common stereotype found in the sheet music covers is that blacks were considered ignorant lower-class humans. In the first sheet music cover, Ole Eph’s Vision, the blacks dancing in the background seem to not even be human, but dark and ghost-like. The African American man sitting in the front looks depressed, his shoulders slumping and eyes downcast.

In the second sheet music cover, A Coon Band Contest, the African Americans depicted- the conductor and instrumentalists- look foolish and unintelligent with their movements and facial expressions. In contrast, the white couple in the upper right hand corner looks elegant and almost aristocratic in their posture and portrayal. Another important observation is the word “Coon”, front and center on the page. According to the Jim Crow Museum website, the “coon” caricature is one of the most offensive images to African Americans.

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The word “coon”, short for raccoon, is dehumanizing in itself, and also owns many negative connotations such as “lazy, easily frightened, chronically idle, inarticulate, buffoon” as well as others (Jim Crow Museum).

By the time period in which all of these articles were published, the majority of those participating in the large cakewalk events were white. In The Call there are two brief mentions of difference in race among the dancers: “Not the least pleasing of this evening’s entertainment was the group of Chinese who brought up the rear of the fancy steppers.

This is probably the initial appearance of Chinese as participants in a cakewalk, and their efforts to imitate their white associates were humorous in the extreme” ("Call" 11-20). Due to the influx of Chinese immigrants brought into California in the late nineteenth century some of the current culture had already begun to wear off; however it is made rather clear that they were objects of mockery among those who attended the Cakewalks.

The same article also briefly mentions the nature of all of the participants, with little mention made of blacks: “Professional cakewalkers, society cakewalkers, juvenile cakewalkers, grotesque cakewalkers, colored cakewalkers, ‘specialty’ cakewalkers, and ordinary amateurs- all were there and all were doing their best to attract attention to themselves with gratifying success” ("Call" 11-20). There is a great irony in this, as the cakewalk was initially conceived through black slaves making a mockery of the posh and ridiculous habits of the affluent whites they saw. Within a few years of the popularization of the Cakewalk in America it quickly became a white-dominated sport.

An article talking about the ideal cakewalker discusses physical appearance: “See that she’s good looking, has fair skin and hair not too kinky. The wavy haired maiden is the most attractive and the most precious too” (Washington 33). Clearly the ideal cakewalker as described by the article is white, a direct contradiction of the origins of the dance. A Kansas City newspaper published in 1899 explains how the dance gained such popularity in the north and how the majority of the participants transitioned to whites: “The North went and saw and came away delighted with the antics and the swagger and the swing of the colored bucks and the belles and these same Northern women adapted the idea to the customs of the North, and planned to have cakewalks given by their own friends, since they lacked the convenient accessories of the South” ("Kansas City Journal" 15). One still has to wonder whether or not the upper-class men and women who participated in these dances knew the truth of the origins or how preposterous the whole the whole thing was for white people to participate in.

A fair amount of racism still pervaded throughout this time period, and one needs little more evidence than the sheet music titles of the time. The New York Tribune discusses the far reaching spread of the Cakewalk and lists a collection of songs played at a Cakewalk that took place in Paris, France: “…where inspiring outbursts of ‘Rubberneck Jim,’ the ‘March of the Coon Cadets,’ ‘Nigger Alley,’ ‘Ragtime Society,’ ‘Pullman Porter’s Ball,’ Watermelon Frolic,’ and ‘Miss Clementia’ electrify the midnight air” ("New York Tribune Illustrated Supplement" 15). It is made quite clear in these titles the amount of racism that pervaded into the twentieth century in America. Reading through these articles in modern times it is fairly shocking that this was acceptable as it was at the time.