Still from the American film "The Old Chemist" (1915) with Jennie Lee (in blackface) and Frank Bennett, on page 9 of the March 20, 1915 "Reel Life" magazine. The magazine page had stills from several films and each had a number. In the early years of film, black characters were routinely played by whites in blackface, and this practice did not end until the end of the 1930s when attitudes in the U.S. changed.