Central Library will not have the following services available on Saturday, October 12, due to the Heartland Book Fest: tech services, public computers and printing, and microfilm.
Portrait of Vivian Duncan
Vivian Duncan was an American actress and motion picture figure of the 1920s. She performed with her sisters Rosetta and Evelyn as the Duncan Sisters. Later Rosetta and Vivian would find greater success as a vaudevillian duo with the stage act Topsy and Eva. Rosetta played the role of Topsy. In a contemporary context, this character is viewed as an insensitive role as the persona was portrayed in blackface. Her older sister Vivian played the more subdued and innocent Eva. Rosetta accentuated her role with enthusiasm and skill, whereas Vivian would employ a comedic innocence, appearing bashful yet aggressively coy. The silent film, "Topsy and Eva," was released in 1927. This photograph captures Vivian in her youth. She stands tall on the tips of her toes and appears slightly frightened as she stares downward and to her left at a black cat with arched back. Duncan is dressed in a short lace trimmed dress and matching pantaloons.