Jacks and diamonds — some aspects of race on the London Victorian stage

Abstract

Embedded within the popular drama of the nineteenth century are not only concepts and attitudes towards `race' that still have influence today, but also a skewed take on genuine historical episodes and movements, including the development of colonialism. Focusing on one little known popular melodrama and locating it in the history of its time reveals a network of connections that span the British abolition of the slave trade, the importance of Brazil to the development of Britain's economy, the role of the London merchants and, of course, a clearly developed racial hierarchy. At its pinnacle stood the emblem of popular patriotism, the British Jack Tar.