Lucy Jackson (1920)

Lucy Jackson (Oct.11, 1867-after 1923)

Known as: Princesse Lucie, La Belle Jackson, Bella Jackson

 

African-American Singer & Dancer

 

Lucy Thomas, born c. October 1867 (or 1869) in Charleston, South Carolina had no known relatives besides an uncle Richard Brown from Virginia. At some point in the 1880's, young Lucy Thomas relocated to Savannah, Georgia where she met and married Gilbert Jackson on April 19th, 1886 in a ceremony conducted by the Rev. Harry B. Hamilton. Strangely, the couple doesn't appear in the 1890 US Census, in fact neither of them appear in any records except during their wedding.

 

In the spring of 1895, talent scout and stage manager Billy McClain, with the financial backing of Nate Salsbury (formerly of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show), thought of the idea of exploiting America's slave heritage by romanticizing it into a sort of human zoo. Over 300-400 African-Americans from Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas were hired and transported up to New York (a young Lucy Jackson amongst them) for this massive production. On May 11th, South Brooklyn's Ambrose Park was completely renovated for the show's production, erecting nearly 100 log cabins to accommodate the cast of 400 negroes. A cotton gin was also constructed, bales of cotton, cotton bushes, poultry and livestock were scattered throughout the park.

 

Opening May 25th, 1895, "Black America" was promoted as outdoor theme-park extravaganza showcasing the American Negro, "from the jungles of Africa to the civilization of America." For six weeks, the production showcased a Baltimore brass band, jubilee singers, acrobats, foot races, buck and wing dances as well as performances from the star of the entire production, Miss Flowers. On July 15th, the show moved up to Boston, performing in a huge tent along Huntington Avenue and performing in parades on major Boston streets for eight successful weeks. Returning to New York on September 16th, the show performed for the remainder of the month at the Winter Garden Theater. The show later moved on to Philadelphia's Grand Opera Theater (Oct.4-Nov.30) and Washington DC's Convention Hall (Oct.22) before finally falling apart. Unfortunately, the show wasn't financially successful and left the directors in debt. The proposed plan to take the show to London was promptly cancelled and Nate Salsbury moved on to produce his latest venture, "Darkest America".

 

On April 15th, 1896, the remnants of "Black America" (now composed of 25 members) boarded the Erie 8 train from Marion, Ohio heading east to New York, where a ship awaited to take them to Europe. At some point, Bavarian theater director Ludwig Anwander from Schliersee had taken over the show. In September 1895, during his first trip to America, he witnessed the production and offered to take the production to Europe. Arriving in Berlin by May 25th, the show performed throughout the month at a German Exposition. The following month, the show appeared at Leipzig's Theater Hotel Stadt Nurnberg (Jun.1, 1896) possibly for another month's engagement. On July 1st, the show was back in Berlin at the Theater Neu-Berlin before disappearing. It seems they left for Chemnitz, as Lucy files for a passport at the American Consulate on July 8th, presenting her 1886 marriage certificate to the consul as proof of her American origins. Another detail on this passport was inability to sign her name, signing two X's as her signature. Afterwards, the show returned to Berlin, where it played a week at the Belle-Alliance Gardens. In August, for a week, the troupe performed in the port city of Stettin at the Elysium Theater (this time with only 12 members). Around this point, Herr Anwander sold the show to a Russian Impresario before he returned home to Southern Germany.

 

Crossing into the Russian frontier during the late summer of 1896, the show's new manager arranged two lengthy engagements in St. Petersburg and Moscow, where the show became a popular novelty act before eventually dissolving. Lucy remained in Russia for the next three years.

 

On January 10th, 1899, after possibly touring around the Russian Empire, Lucy arrived at the American Consulate to apply for a new passport in preparations for a solo European tour. Ten months later, she appeared at Prague's Olympia Theater (Nov.1-15) for two weeks, where she was billed as the Schwarze Schonheit (Black Beauty) from South Africa's Transvaal. Nearby, the young Arabella Fields was appearing at the Etablissement Sykora. The following year, she returned to Prague, appearing as Princess Lucie Jackson at the K.u.K. Hofbrauhaus (May 16-19).

 

In April 1901, Lucy was in Berlin engaged at the famous Passage-Theater performing German lieder to enthusiastic audiences.

 

In December 1903, she was performing at Hamburg's Sagbiel Etablissement (Dec.5-23). On December 18th, during this engagement, she visited the American Consulate for a new passport before crossing the border the following month back home into Russia. Strangely, she listed Montreal as her birthplace.

 

After a possible St. Petersburg engagement, Lucy (now billed as La Belle Jackson) performed the Cake-Walk at Helsinki's Societethuset, also known as the illustrious Seurahuone Hotel (Feb.21-Mar.18, 1904). This was followed by a lengthy Scandinavian tour. In April, she had a month's engagement in Stockholm's Svea Salen Theater (Apr.9-22). In August, she could be seen at Copenhagen's Vennelyst Variete (Aug.24-Sep.9). Established in 1892, the Vennelyst was a large alloment garden in central Copenhagen, dotted with numerous small allotments and cottages, where the Danish working-class could unwind. On August 28th, after a performance, a Danish man, Mr. Woller attempted to grab and kiss Lucy in the streets, which resulted in her beating the man severely according to local newspapers. The duo were seized and taken to the nearest police station before being promptly released. On September 14th, Lucy moved over to the Apollo Teatret (Sep.14-25) beside the Tivoli Gardens on the Vesterbrogade, where she was billed as the Sorte Nattergal (Black Nightingale) for two weeks.

 

Late-1905, while Russia suffered from the Russo-Japanese War and the 1905 Revolution, Lucy travelled to Austria, appearing at Vienna's Joh. Weigl's Variete (Jul.1, 1905) and Lemberg's Colosseum Hermanow (Nov.8-15) before disappearing altogether.

 

On December 16th, 1906, Lucy resurfaced in Switzerland, performing as a member of the "Smith and Bella Jackson" duo at Basel's Cardinal Theater. Her new partner, William Henry Smith (Apr.21, 1879) from Philadelphia. Arrived in Europe in 1903 with the "12 Georgia Piccaninnies", Mr. Smith eventually abandoned the troupe sometime in 1906 to join Lucy.

 

Early 1907, the couple traveled east to Budapest, where they were engaged for a month and a half at the Nemzetkozi Orfeum (Feb.16-Mar.19). On February 16th, they also secured a new passport from the American Legation. On May 18th, they moved over to the Szinhaz Variete. On July 21st, the couple arrived in the Hungarian city of Szeged (near the Romanian border), appearing at the Tarka Szinpadon.

 

Early 1908, the duo traveled southeast to Romania, applying for a passport at Bucharest's American Embassy on April 22nd. Interestingly, Lucy had began learning how to sign her name (possibly due to the aid of Smith), as noted by her poorly written signature on the passport application. That summer, Smith and Jackson returned to Russia, appearing in the "Grand Concert Divertissement Cosmopolite" at St. Petersburg's Bouffe Gardens (Jul.4-Aug.11).

 

In March 1910, the duo were at Hamburg's Flora Theater, where interestingly enough, Bella Jackson was praised for her performance of Tyrolean folk songs. Two months later, they were thrilling audiences in Budapest's Karolyi Gardens (May 26-Jun.1). Throughout the year, they were bombarded with numerous engagements across the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In August, they were at Teplitz's Cursaale Theater (Aug.5), the following month at Budapest's Feher Cabaret (Sep.29-Oct.1). In October, they traveled north to Lemberg's Casino de Paris (Oct.8-15) before heading east to Czernowitz (along the Russian-Romanian border) to perform at the Variete Bellevue (Oct.16-30) for two weeks. In December, they were in Vienna, where they applied on December 29th for a new passport to travel into Romania.

 

Throughout 1911-1912, the duo toured across Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. During the course of this tour, they became acquainted with the Cousins (an American duo composed of Afro-American singer, Sam Cousins and his Austrian-American wife Bertha). In May 1912, Smith and Jackson were back in Europe, performing at Vienna's Café Trianon (May 1-13). Four months later, they were at Budapest's Kabaret Pannoniaban (Sep.29-Oct.6) and later Kabaret Magyar Kiralyban (Oct.22-31).

 

Early 1913, the couple found themselves in northern Austria (Bohemia), appearing in Reichenburg's Meiningers Variete (Mar.1-6) and later Prague's Kabarett Wespe (Jul.20). That winter, while engaged in Hamburg, the pair applied for a passport on December 23rd for their plans to return east to Romania and Russia.

 

During the spring of 1914, the couple were back in Prague, residing at 47 Wenzelsplatz. While there, the couple joined African-American artist Mose Harris, forming the "Philadelphia Trio". The trio spent two weeks at the Alhambra Palais de Danse (Apr.16-30). In June, the trio crossed into the Russian Empire, performing for two weeks at the Majorenhof Sea Pavillon in Riga (Jun.1-15). On June 28, 1914, during their Baltic tour, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, setting in motion the events leading to the outbreak of World War I. On August 4, after Germany invaded Belgium, while simultaneously attacking France, Great Britain declared war on Germany. The Philadelphia Trio arrived in Petrograd on September 17th.

 

By October 1915, they had relocated to Moscow, settling in the Hotel Boston as noted by their passport application on November 24th. For three months, the Philadelphia trio were among the leading attractions at the Maxim Cabaret (owned by famous African-American businessman Frederick B. Thomas). By the fall of 1916, the Philadelphia Trio had seperated and Smith & Jackson relocated to Petrograd, appearing at the Sirene Cinema (Sep.15-16).

 

Early 1917, they were performing at the Kino-Palace (Jan.17-22) and later the Kino-Olympia (Apr.18-21). The duo briefly returned to Moscow on April 19th to obtain new passports before returning to the Russian capital.

 

On March 8, 1917, over seven thousand female textile workers from St. Petersburg's Vyborg district, marched through the streets crying for bread. The shortages had left the lower class starving, cold and desperate. From March 9-15, Cossacks patrolled the streets and machine guns were positioned everywhere. Protesters filled the streets only to be met by gunfire. All the blood spilling in the streets caused many soldiers to mutiny and join the mobs. Prisoners across the city were released into the streets, gendarmes were murdered, courthouses, arsenals, shops, private homes and the Ministry of the Interior were looted and ransacked. Mobs killed any respectable looking men, causing many gendarmes to strip their uniforms and flee the city. On March 16, Tsar Nikolai II abdicated and many aristocrats fled to the countryside. The old order evaporated and anarchy spread.

 

In August, they were back in Moscow, making sure to renew their passports again on August 21st with fellow entertainer, Peter C. Johnson. Smith and Jackson were last seen in Russia on October 6th, registering with the consulate and preparing to board the Trans-Siberian train east towards Harbin.

 

Early 1918, after a brief engagement in Harbin, the duo continued south through Peking towards Shanghai, arriving in the Republic of China's largest city by July. After a four month engagement in Shanghai, on October 15th, the pair applied for new American passports before packing up for the Philippines. The duo were engaged for six successful months in Manila, due to the popularity of American Ragtime in Southeast Asia at the time.

 

On April 25th, 1919, Smith and Jackson boarded the SS Suwa Maru heading towards an engagement in Hong Kong. The following month, they were found in Malaya, at Singapore's Palladium Theatre (May 26-31) and later the Gaiety Theatre (Jun.3-9). That winter, they were engaged in British India, performing in the bustling city of Calcutta. On December 9th, while applying at the American Consulate-General, Smith and Jackson both listed that they were now married. In 1920, the couple appeared across Burma, the Dutch East Indies, Sumatra, Siam and French Indochina before returning home to China.

 

On January 29, 1923, William H. Smith died at Shanghai's General Hospital and later buried at the Bubbling Wells Cemetery. Lucy, who was residing at the Continental Hotel, cancelled their upcoming appearance at Singapore's Stadium and disappeared completely.

 

Done