Dilverd had the stage name of "Japanese Tommy". The reasons for the name are unknown but it is rumored that it was created to conceal his identity as an African-American because audiences did not want to pay to see a black person perform. The name may also have been assumed to cash in on a diplomat from Japan whose arrival caused a sensation in America. He too was known as Japanese Tommy. Dilverd was one of the only two known African-Americans to have performed with white minstrel companies before the American Civil War (The other being Henry "Juba" Lane). (Watkins) These black minstrel troupes made appearances around the mid-1850s. These groups advertised themselves as genuine but mostly used burnt cork to cover their face and make it black. Once African-Americans started to appear on stage without "blackface", audiences were surprised at the variety of skin colors that existed. (Knowles)