Ethnicity, Music, and Virginia City

Virginia City, Nevada's musical life demonstrated an astounding diversity, while emphasizing class structure, reinforcing gender roles, and underscoring (and sometimes celebrating) ethnicity. In his book "The Roar and the Silence," Ronald James expertly explores the Comstock's unique social workings. According to James, in this 1863 depiction of "Hurdy Gurdy Girls" in a Virginia City music hall, artist J. Ross Browne provides some intriguing insight into the performers and clientele of a run-of-the-mill performance venue.

The dancer in the center is portrayed with distinctly "Irish" features according to standards of the day. She has a rounded face with large cheeks, a recessed chin, and a puggish nose. The overall impression is somewhat impish or elf-like, and we find such depictions quite common in nineteenth century American cartoons depicting the Irish. This also coincides with stereotypes of the day that the majority of Irish women were prostitutes and/or of questionable moral persuasion. No decent woman would ever perform professionally as a musician or dancer, so she had to be Irish.

Second, the male figure near the center of the back row is noticeably darker than the other clientele. On closer inspection, he appears to be African American. This is astonishing for a number of reasons. First, it implies that Virginia City was not generally segregated, at least for African Americans. Second, the Virginians are demonstrating an amazing amount of enlightenment, by nineteenth century standards, in allowing an African American to participate in the enjoyment of a performance by White women who not only danced but who dealt in sexual transactions. It appears, at least according to J. Ross Browne, that entertainment in Virginia City involved many players from diverse backgrounds who were sometimes drawn together by music.