Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield (The Black Swan).

Description:Elizabeth Greenfield Taylor, born a slave in Mississippi in 1809, became an important African-American icon. Her stage name was “The Black Swan”- comparing her talents with the world famous opera star, Jenny Lind, the “Swedish Nightingale” (who also visited Birmingham). She perfomed in Birmingham's Town Hall in 1853.

At this time, the ‘Black Swan’ was appearing under the ‘patronage’ of Harriet Beecher Stowe, who visited England and Birmingham in the same year. The full concert listing includes songs adapted from Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It also claims that Harriet Beecher Stowe was ‘expected to be present’ at the performance (although there is currently no evidence to support the claim).

Newspaper reports in the following weeks suggest that the remarkable voice and presence of Greenfield made a great impact on Birmingham. This record of her powerful musical performances underlines the wide varieties of antislavery culture that were becoming connected in Birmingham. Greenfield was one of the first examples of an black woman taking to a public stage and delivering a performance with antislavery overtones. Later, a group called the 'Female American Serenaders' would perform in Birmingham in 1847, and the Fisk Jubilee Singers would appear here in 1874.



See "further links" below for more information and go to the Exhibitions page for an 'Early History of Black Performers in Birmingham'.