Professor Richard Codman lll's Punch & Judy booth
Photograph
| Artist/Maker |
This photograph shows Mr. Punch and Toby the dog on stage during a Punch and Judy performance by Professor Richard Codman lll (1897-1985) in his booth situated outside Liverpool Lime Street railway station. The central carved shield above the proscenium arch bears the intertwined carved letters RC for the name Richard Codman. The photograph was taken some time between 1936 and 1951 by the puppeteer, author and leading figure in the revival of British puppetry in the mid 20th century, Waldo S. Lanchester (1897-1978).
The Codman family was a veritable Punch dynasty. The Liverpool booth was established by Richard Codman l in 1868. His son Richard ll took over the pitch in 1888, succeeding in turn to his son Richard lll, while other Codmans worked in Llanduddno and Colwyn Bay. For the Codman family Punch and Judy was their life., despite its hardships. As Jack Codman once said: 'The Codmans never retire from the show. They transfer from one box to another.'
The Codman family was a veritable Punch dynasty. The Liverpool booth was established by Richard Codman l in 1868. His son Richard ll took over the pitch in 1888, succeeding in turn to his son Richard lll, while other Codmans worked in Llanduddno and Colwyn Bay. For the Codman family Punch and Judy was their life., despite its hardships. As Jack Codman once said: 'The Codmans never retire from the show. They transfer from one box to another.'
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Professor Richard Codman lll's Punch & Judy booth (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Photograph |
| Brief description | Professor Richard Codman lll's Punch & Judy booth outside Lime Street Station, Liverpool, showing Punch and Toby the dog on stage. Black and white photograph by Waldo S. Lanchester, Malvern. Gerald Morice Collection. |
| Physical description | Black and white photograph showing the carved wooden proscenium arch and playboard of Professor Richard Codman lll's Punch and Judy booth outside Liverpool Lime Street station, the steps up to which can be seen in the background. Mr Punch and Toby are on stage, and a clock face stage left shows the next performance time as five past four. A notice on the proscenium stage right reads: 'For bookings apply to Richard Codman 44 Farnworth Street, Liverpool 6.' |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Gerald Morice |
| Object history | The photographer of this item Waldo S. Lanchester (1897-1978) was a puppeteer and an author of books on puppetry. He was at the forefront of the British revival of the string puppet and a leading player in the formative years of the British Puppet & Model Theatre Guild. He established the London Marionette Theatre in Hammersmith in 1927 with colleague Harry Whanslaw, and went on to run the Lanchester Marionette Theatre in Malvern with his wife, Muriel from 1936 to 1949. They moved to Stratford Upon Avon in 1951. Since this photograph is stamped verso 'Photograph by Waldo S. Lanchester, The Marionette Theatre, Malvern, Worcs.' it dates it to between 1936 and 1951, so this photograph dates from between |
| Associations | |
| Summary | This photograph shows Mr. Punch and Toby the dog on stage during a Punch and Judy performance by Professor Richard Codman lll (1897-1985) in his booth situated outside Liverpool Lime Street railway station. The central carved shield above the proscenium arch bears the intertwined carved letters RC for the name Richard Codman. The photograph was taken some time between 1936 and 1951 by the puppeteer, author and leading figure in the revival of British puppetry in the mid 20th century, Waldo S. Lanchester (1897-1978). The Codman family was a veritable Punch dynasty. The Liverpool booth was established by Richard Codman l in 1868. His son Richard ll took over the pitch in 1888, succeeding in turn to his son Richard lll, while other Codmans worked in Llanduddno and Colwyn Bay. For the Codman family Punch and Judy was their life., despite its hardships. As Jack Codman once said: 'The Codmans never retire from the show. They transfer from one box to another.' |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.3481-2013 |
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| Record created | August 28, 2013 |
| Record URL |
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