Blackface is the practice of non-black performers using burnt cork or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment.
This reproduction of a 1900 William H. West minstrel show poster, originally published by the Strobridge Lithographing Company, shows the transformation from a person of European descent to a caricature of a dark-skinned person of African descent.
FLIT advertisement by Dr. Seuss depicting blackface-styled caricatures of Black people
The white American actor John McCullough as Othello, 1878
Carrie Swain in blackface as Topsy in Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Theatrical makeup is makeup that is used to assist in creating the appearance of the characters that actors portray during a theater production.
An actor having face makeup applied
Oresteia by Aeschylus, adapted by Stairwell Theater, 2019
Marcus Stewart wears face make-up in Oresteia by Aeschylus, adapted by Stairwell Theater, 2019
Applied makeup to the lips and cheeks assisting in the conveyance of emotion.