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Pastor, Tony

American entertainer and theater manager (May 28, 1832 – August 26, 1908)[1]

Often referred to as the "Father of Vaudeville," Pastor was a strong, influential force in American theater. The style of entertainment he promoted was highly patriotic. He aimed to attracted audiences of both men and women, revolutionary in the male-oriented variety halls of the mid-19th century. beginning in the earlu 1870s, his "Traveling Combination" brought his performers to theaters and opera houses from New York to Chicago.[1]

Escape to Tampico: From 1876 – 1877, Steve Corbett kept a framed theater bill of Tony Pastor's Traveling Combination hanging by the door in his office at La Cantina Americana in Tampico, Mexico, as part of his private collection of American memorabilia.[2]