Jack Diamond: The King of Diamonds
Irish-American dance prodigy John "Jack" Diamond (1823-1857) was a phenomenon of the blackface minstrelsy** era. At age 17 Diamond won a citywide jig contest, and P.T. Barnum booked him for a whirlwind tour of the U.S. and Europe, reducing the boy's age to 12 in advertisements. Diamond excelled at a wide spectrum of vigorous dance […]