The Louisiana Amazon Guards

Louisiana Amazon Guards (1901-1904)

Around 1900, the idea of an all-Negro revue touring Europe came across the mind of Paula Kohn-Wollner, wife of a German theater owner. She had witness several African-American performers, such as Belle Davis, Arabella Fields & Edgar T. Jones performing across Europe (particularly Germany) since 1890, and thought she could profit well of a successful group of her own.

In the spring of 1901, arriving in Brooklyn, Mrs. Kohn-Wollner sought out six black women willing to travel across the Atlantic with her. Quickly she found, Ollie Burgoyne, Fannie Wise, Emma Harris, Florence Collins, Alverta Burley and S.T Jubrey. Most of the women had no prior experience on stage (besides Emma Harris & Ollie Burgoyne), so Mrs. Kohn-Wollner offered to train them. After applying for new passports on April 10th, 1901, the women boarded the S.S. Deutschland seven days later for Hamburg. 

After disembarking in Hamburg, Mrs. Kohn-Wollner pulled the awestruck women into the non-segregated train heading south for Leipzig, her hometown. Leaving their belongings at Mrs. Kohn-Wollner's home (Georgenstrasse 11), they left for the theater. It was at Leipzig's Krystallpalast where much of the organization and rehearsing of the "Louisiana Amazon Guards" was held and organized by theater director (and Paula's husband) Sigmund Kohn. The 4-act revue was ready by the time of it's debut at the Kaiserkrone in Kiel, Prussia on June 9th, 1901. The whirlwind show opened onto the first scene 'Hustlin' & Bustlin' on a Cotton Plantation' slowly chanting My Old Kentucky Home. This was followed by 'Banjo Serenade' where the girls (in a chorus line) strummed six banjos and sang, Down on the Ohio. Finally the show picked up speed with 'Cake Walk', where the the girls high-kicked and danced the popular Cake Walk dance while shouting The Old Folks at Home. The revue ended with it's most popular act, 'Rough Riders' where the girls performed an intricate dance in military uniform and rifles while singing (in German) Nach der Heimat mocht ich wieder. 

Europe around 1901

The successful show was seen across Prussia and Bohemia that summer, before the girls set out on a hectic four month European tour. They kicked off the tour at the Os-Budavara (an Medieval fortress) in Budapest, Hungary on August 15th, 1901. This was followed by the Colosseum in Vienna (September 1-30), the Circus-Variete in Copenhagen (October 1-31), before closing after appearing at the Circus Madigan in Goteburg & Svea-Salen in Stockholm (November 1-30). They were then pushed into a five-month German tour opening in Berlin's Circus Schumann on December 1st, 1901. Followed by Braunswich (Feb.1-15), Halle (Feb.16-28), Brelau (Mar.1-15) and Danzig (Apr.1-15).

The show returned in late-April 1902 to Leizig as S.T. Jubrey and Fanny Wise decided to return home to the United States. In their places, arriving in Germany from Brooklyn sometime in May was Corette Hardy (later changed to Corette Alefred) and Fannie Smith. 

1902 Line up: Ollie Burgoyne, Emma Harris, Alverta Burley, Florence Collins, Corette Alefred & Fannie Smith.

In June 1902, the revue was touring Zurich (Jun.26) and St. Gallen, Switzerland (?). From there they moved on to Munich's Deutsches Theater (Jul.1-Aug.1) and later Leigzig's Centraltheater (Sep.1-Nov.9). During their final appearance in Leipzig, the women, feeling mismanaged by Mrs. Kohn-Wollner, decided to walk out on their manager. The rest of the girls, now as the "5 Louisiana Amazons" relocated to Berlin (nearer the American Embassy) and opened at the Orphum Theater on November 16th, 1902.

In the spring of 1903, after appearances in Berlin and Dreseden, Ollie & Florence seperated from the group, forming (with Harry Scott & unknown man) the "Louisiana Troupe". Performing quietly in Berlin up until the fall, late 1903, the remaining four girls made their way to England. Under the management of Gustav Kaczka, opened in Islington's Holloway Empire Theatre on Novemer 30th, 1903. The traversed England, playing London's New Cross Empire Theatre (Dec.7-11) and the Hackney Empire Theatre (Dec.19-24). This was followed by several dates outside of central London, starting in Newport (Jan.16, 1904), Nottingham (Jan.21-29), Leiceister (Jan.30), Bolton (Feb.20-25), Birmingham (Mar.3-5) and finally closing in Leeds (Mar.6-??). 

Moscow's Aumont Theatre (1900)

The show made its way to Russia in the spring of 1904, opening in Moscow's Aumont Theater, which sat in the center of the Aquarium Gardens. There the show ran for several months before falling apart in that fall and reorganizing under the direction of Georgette Harvey as the "Creole Belles Quintet", which appeared in Saint Petersburg (Nov-Jan.21), Moscow (February) and later Warsaw, Poland (June).