Marionette from the Jim Tiller troupe
Puppet
ca. 1900 (made)
ca. 1900 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This arm section of a disjointed and unstrung marionette is part of a group of marionettes and marionette properties owned by James Tiller, who inherited them from his father, Ambrose Tiller II. Ambrose II was the second son of the marionette company proprietors Ambrose Tiller and Eliza Cheadle, and in 1901 Ambrose II started his own company, Tiller's Mechanical Mannikin Show and Theatre of Varieties.
Ambrose II married Sarah Chipperfield, of the circus proprietors' family, and had nine children. By 1909 he had added a bioscope, an early form of cinema, to the show. The company toured much of East Anglia and Lincolnshire, performing at fairs and setting up their booth in inn yards. By 1914 the emphasis had changed and the travelling show was known as 'Cinema and Mannikins'. Performances continued until the early 1930s, but during this time Ambrose and his sons built a cinema at Long Sutton in Lincolnshire, which they managed until the 1950s. James Tiller revived the marionette shows in the 1950s, but eventually sold his part of the marionette troupe to the Museum of Entertainment at Whaplode St. Catherine, Lincolnshire.
Ambrose II married Sarah Chipperfield, of the circus proprietors' family, and had nine children. By 1909 he had added a bioscope, an early form of cinema, to the show. The company toured much of East Anglia and Lincolnshire, performing at fairs and setting up their booth in inn yards. By 1914 the emphasis had changed and the travelling show was known as 'Cinema and Mannikins'. Performances continued until the early 1930s, but during this time Ambrose and his sons built a cinema at Long Sutton in Lincolnshire, which they managed until the 1950s. James Tiller revived the marionette shows in the 1950s, but eventually sold his part of the marionette troupe to the Museum of Entertainment at Whaplode St. Catherine, Lincolnshire.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Title | Marionette from the Jim Tiller troupe (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Carved wood with leather and nails |
| Brief description | Arm sections of a disjointed and unstrung marionette from the Jim Tiller troupe, ca. 1900, comprising a yoke and right arm section and a separate left arm section |
| Physical description | S.566:1-2019 Yoke and right arm section of a disjointed and unstrung marionette from the Jim Tiller troupe. In very bad condition, comprising the carved yoke with a canvas right arm nailed on, the canvas arm attached to a carved wood hand. S.566:2-2019 Left arm section of a disjointed and unstrung marionette from the Jim Tiller troupe. In very bad condition, comprising the canvas left arm nailed to a carved wood hand. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by the Museum of Entertainment, Whaplode St. Catherine |
| Object history | "In 1901, Ambrose II, second son of Ambrose Tiller and Eliza Cheadle started a company of his own, Tiller's Mechanical Mannikin Show and Theatre of Varieties. He married Sarah Chipperfield and had nine children. By 1909 he had added a bioscope to the show. They toured much of East Anglia and Lincolnshire, performing at fairs and setting up their booth in inn yards. By 1914 the emphasis had changed and his travelling show was 'Cinema and Mannikins'. The show continued until the early 1930s, but during this time Ambrose and his sons had built a cinema at Long Sutton, which they managed until the 1950s. In the 1950s James Tiller (son of Ambrose II) revived the marionettes for a time, but eventually sold his part of the marionette troupe to the Museum of Entertainment at Whaplode St. Catherine, Lincolnshire." (Extract from: John McCormick with Clodagh McCormick and John Phillips, The Victorian Marionette Theatre, University of Iowa Press, 2004). |
| Summary | This arm section of a disjointed and unstrung marionette is part of a group of marionettes and marionette properties owned by James Tiller, who inherited them from his father, Ambrose Tiller II. Ambrose II was the second son of the marionette company proprietors Ambrose Tiller and Eliza Cheadle, and in 1901 Ambrose II started his own company, Tiller's Mechanical Mannikin Show and Theatre of Varieties. Ambrose II married Sarah Chipperfield, of the circus proprietors' family, and had nine children. By 1909 he had added a bioscope, an early form of cinema, to the show. The company toured much of East Anglia and Lincolnshire, performing at fairs and setting up their booth in inn yards. By 1914 the emphasis had changed and the travelling show was known as 'Cinema and Mannikins'. Performances continued until the early 1930s, but during this time Ambrose and his sons built a cinema at Long Sutton in Lincolnshire, which they managed until the 1950s. James Tiller revived the marionette shows in the 1950s, but eventually sold his part of the marionette troupe to the Museum of Entertainment at Whaplode St. Catherine, Lincolnshire. |
| Bibliographic reference | The Victorian Marionette Theatre John McCormick with Clodagh McCormick and John Phillips: University of Iowa Press. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.566:1 to 2-2019 |
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| Record created | September 6, 2019 |
| Record URL |
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