Sissieretta Jones Performs at the White House — 'Black Patti'

Soprano Sissieretta Jones, dubbed 'Black Patti' after Adelina Patti, performed at the White House for President Benjamin Harrison in 1892. She had already sung at Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall to wide acclaim. Barred from the Metropolitan Opera by racism, she led her own touring company, Black Patti's Troubadours, for two decades.