Marionette
1870s-1890s (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is one of 35 marionettes known as of the Tiller-Clowes troupe, one of the last remaining Victorian marionette troupes in England. Marionette shows were a popular form of entertainment for adults in the 19th century. Many troupes were family concerns which travelled round the country long before the advent of film or television, presenting shortened versions of London's latest popular entertainment including melodramas, dramas, pantomimes, minstrel shows and music hall. In the 18th and early 19th centuries their theatres were relatively makeshift, but after about 1860 many became considerably elaborate, with walls constructed from wooden shutters, seating made from tiered planks of wood, and canvas roofs.
The figures were carved, painted, dressed and performed by members of the company. This is a cheerful elderly woman, a motherly-looking figure who would have been a stock character, used in any play requiring such a role. The bodice of her dress is trimmed with jet beads, probably recycled jewellery. Her right hand is carved closed to hold props, the other shaped for gesture.
The figures were carved, painted, dressed and performed by members of the company. This is a cheerful elderly woman, a motherly-looking figure who would have been a stock character, used in any play requiring such a role. The bodice of her dress is trimmed with jet beads, probably recycled jewellery. Her right hand is carved closed to hold props, the other shaped for gesture.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved wood with painted decoration; sewn cotton stuffed body with cotton, wool, knitted and leather costume. Suspected use of human hair. |
| Brief description | Carved wooden marionette from the Tiller troupe. Stock character representing a cheerful older woman. Made by the Tiller family circa 1870 to 1890. |
| Physical description | Carved wooden marionette; a cheerful older woman with a pink painted face, red mouth, and eyes with painted black pupils. She has a flat-topped head and a white crêpe hair wig. Her right hand is closed to hold props. She wears a grey worsted skirt with machined seams, and the bodice of the dress is faced with jet trimmings - probably recycled jewellery. She has a large crochet cotton lace collar and a small linen apron (stitching probably later than 1913). There are vestiges of red flannel trim at the neck and at the end of the sleeves, and she wears black stockings with lace frills attached directly at the knees. Legs are of tube construction, tacked to the underside of the pelvis and also to the sides (where tacks for the ticking cover of the torso are fixed). Shaped, flexible middle. New controls include two strings attached to the back of the shoulders, attached with leather loops; upper arms constructed of stuffed cloth tubes, tacked on to the shoulders. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Unique |
| Object history | This marionette along with the rest of the troupe and three of their original backcloths had been stored in a blacksmith's shop in Lincolnshire for over thirty years, but after cleaning and re-stringing, most of the marionettes were restored by Gerald Morice and George Speaight who purchased them in 1945. They began working on recreating some of the puppets' original repertoire. Since the original cloths were too fragile for performance, new backdrops were painted, and in August 1951 as part of The Festival of Britain celebrations, the marionettes took to the stage again as The Old Time Marionettes, at the Riverside Theatre, Festival Gardens, Battersea Park. In the 1980s George Speaight lent the troupe to puppeteers in Germany but in the late 1990s he sold them to John Phillips, an expert puppet carver, manipulator and puppet historian, whose widow sold them to the Museum after his death in 1998. |
| Production | It is impossible to identify the precise maker of this marionette since the company made, altered and used figures throughout its career. It is possible, however, to distinguish distinct types, and therefore groups, made by different makers, due to the type of carving. The carver of this object has been distinguished as Maker A because of the smaller head. |
| Summary | This is one of 35 marionettes known as of the Tiller-Clowes troupe, one of the last remaining Victorian marionette troupes in England. Marionette shows were a popular form of entertainment for adults in the 19th century. Many troupes were family concerns which travelled round the country long before the advent of film or television, presenting shortened versions of London's latest popular entertainment including melodramas, dramas, pantomimes, minstrel shows and music hall. In the 18th and early 19th centuries their theatres were relatively makeshift, but after about 1860 many became considerably elaborate, with walls constructed from wooden shutters, seating made from tiered planks of wood, and canvas roofs. The figures were carved, painted, dressed and performed by members of the company. This is a cheerful elderly woman, a motherly-looking figure who would have been a stock character, used in any play requiring such a role. The bodice of her dress is trimmed with jet beads, probably recycled jewellery. Her right hand is carved closed to hold props, the other shaped for gesture. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.301-1999 |
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| Record created | February 2, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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