Not currently on display at the V&A

Mrs. Cratchit

Puppet
1979-1980 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This marionette of Mrs. Cratchit, wife of Bob Cratchit, was one of twenty-three marionettes made by Peter and Frances Grant for their production of A Christmas Carol,adapted by them from Charles Dickens' novel for their touring company The Theatre of Marionettes. The Grants started their company in the 1960s and worked with it all over Britain and Europe

The bodies of the marionettes were sculpted by Frances Grant from obeche, a tropical type of wood well-known for its lack of splinters or resin, while the faces, hands and feet were sculpted by her using epoxy resin. Peter Grant dressed all the figures, using a wide range of fabrics and techniques for their costumes and their props.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleMrs. Cratchit (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Epoxy resin, obeche, paint, cotton, jersey. Suspected use of human hair.
Brief description
Marionette of Mrs. Cratchit, wife of Bob Cratchit, made by Peter and Frances Grant and used in their puppet play A Christmas Carol, adapted by them from the novel by Charles Dickens. Given by Peter and Frances Grant.
Physical description
Marionette of Mrs. Cratchit, wife of Bob Cratchit, legs and body of obeche, face and hands from epoxy resin, painted white and dressed in a floral dress and grey apron. It is operated by a wooden control and 7 strings.
Dimensions
  • Height: 50.8cm
  • Across body, arms to his sides width: 21.0cm
  • Back of head to tip of nose depth: 10.0cm
Credit line
Given by Peter and Frances Grant
Association
Literary references
  • A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Summary
This marionette of Mrs. Cratchit, wife of Bob Cratchit, was one of twenty-three marionettes made by Peter and Frances Grant for their production of A Christmas Carol,adapted by them from Charles Dickens' novel for their touring company The Theatre of Marionettes. The Grants started their company in the 1960s and worked with it all over Britain and Europe

The bodies of the marionettes were sculpted by Frances Grant from obeche, a tropical type of wood well-known for its lack of splinters or resin, while the faces, hands and feet were sculpted by her using epoxy resin. Peter Grant dressed all the figures, using a wide range of fabrics and techniques for their costumes and their props.
Collection
Accession number
S.936-2011

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Record createdMarch 26, 2012
Record URL
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