In 1911, the Sousa Band embarked on a world tour that included performances in England, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Few documents survive of the Sousa World Tour, so we were excited to receive this new photograph from Edward James Moody earlier this week. The photograph helps contextualize what the tour was like for both the band and the people with whom they interacted. One of the sources of information this photograph helps contextualize is the dairy of Albert Knecht, an alto saxophonist. In his entries for South Africa we learn about the unfortunate history surrounding the taking of this photograph.

On March 9th, the Band boarded the R.M.S. Tainui in Bristol, England. They arrived in Cape Town, South Africa two weeks later on March 24th. After a series of performances at Wanderer’s Park, a cricket stadium in the Joburg suburb of Johannesburg, the band made its way to Boksburg, a city known for its gold mines. They traveled with Walter C. Kelly, an American comedian known for his vaudevillian stage name “The Virginia Judge.” Kelly was traveling with the Sousa Band while they were on tour in South Africa.

According to Knecht, on Sunday April 2nd, “We left Joburg at 8:45, arriving at the Vogelfontein Station at 9:30, where we were met by the Mgr. of the Cinderella Gold Mine compound. At the compound, they arranged especially for us a dance and it was the greatest thing ever.” According to Knecht, the dances were performed by “Zulu” workers in honor of the band’s tour, but it is unclear if the workers chose to dance or were made to do so by their employers. As a company town, the Cinderella Gold Mine was owned by white South Africans. The predominantly black workforce was paid in company currency and had to buy clothing and food from company stores. Life in the mine was difficult and there were many injuries on the job. As Knecht notes, “[the workers] must live in the compound, an enclosure more like a prison yard surrounded with small cell-like rooms, and they don’t get out until their 6 month [contract] expires.” Sousa’s visit to the mine served as a day of rest for the workers, who were treated, alongside Sousa’s band, with a barbecue following the dances. Despite enjoying the performance and the lunch provided by the company, Knecht recognized the horrific conditions in which workers at the Cinderella Mine were living.

In addition to documenting the Sousa Band’s World Tour, this photograph reveals a snapshot of life in South Africa during the period between the abolishment of slavery in 1834 and the establishment of Apartheid in 1948. Knecht’s testimony of this event offers an opportunity to reflect upon the racial and labor inequalities of life at the Cinderella Mine. For more information about the Sousa World Tour or access to photographs of the Sousa Band please contact Scott Schwartz at either schwrtzs@illinois.edu or 217-333-4577.