The Cakewalk, 1903
This silent film from 1903 depicts a dance called the Cakewalk, which minstrelsy troupes popularised around the world. Its simple steps were easy for audiences to replicate and it wasn’t long before a cakewalk came to mean “something easily accomplished”.
Blackface routine
Vernon and Ryan, 1950
Minstrelsy routines remained a standard of US and British show stage shows well until the 1960s. Here’s one team from 1950.
Fisk Jubilee Singers
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, 1909