About Saint Suttle
Lived 1870 – 1932 (aged 61–62). Saint Suttle was an American actor, musician, composer and dancer.
Saint Suttle (February 1870 – February 4, 1932), was an American composer and performer. Suttle was well known as a cakewalk artist and vaudeville performer in Chicago. An African American, he was a pioneering performer in early film of the late 19th-century.
Biography Suttle holds hands and kisses Gertie Brown in the short film Something Good – Negro Kiss (1898), made by William Selig. It is the earliest known kiss between black people captured on film. This example of black intimacy on film was a positive depiction, pushing back against the dehumanizing stereotypes often seen in film in this time period.
Suttle and Brown are pictured on the 1898 sheet music for William H. Krell's "Shake Yo' Duster".
Suttle, Brown, John Brewster and Maud Brewster performed as a group called, "The Rag-Time Four" that was responsible for popularizing a variation of the cakewalk dance. He was also involved in developing plans to build a theater that fell through.
Musical compositions "Old Jasper's Cake Walk" published by S. Brainard's Sons "That Creole Gal of Mine" published by S. Brainard's Sons "She's Ready Money" published by Joseph Flannery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Important facts
People in Saint Suttle's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Saint Suttle's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Saint Suttle?
African-American composer, songwriter, and entertainer
When was Saint Suttle born?
Saint Suttle was born in 1870 in Kentucky.
When did Saint Suttle die?
Saint Suttle died on 4 February 1932 in Chicago.
What was Saint Suttle's occupation?
Saint Suttle was an actor, musician, composer and dancer.
What nationality was Saint Suttle?
Saint Suttle was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Saint Suttle. https://biography.guide/saint-suttle/
MLA: "Saint Suttle." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/saint-suttle/.
Chicago: "Saint Suttle." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/saint-suttle/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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