Marionette
Category
Toys
Date
Unknown
Materials
Wood, plaster, fabric, tweed and cotton.
Measurements
669 mm (height)
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 661611
Summary
One of the puppets made for and used by the ‘Lilliput Marionette Theatre’ (possibly Mrs Cratchit). This marionette has been identified as a 'female character' from the play 'A Christmas Carol'. A marionette puppet of a woman in a black dress with a control. She has a moulded face on top of wood which is painted. She has grey hair made of artificial fibre. The body and limbs are made of wood. She is jointed at the neck, shoulders, waist, elbows, wrist, hips, knees and ankles. She has damaged hands moulded on wire framework. One leg is missing below the knee, the other is complete and the foot is wearing a black leather slipper. She is wearing a long sleeved black dress made of a knitted material with a small self-coloured pattern. There are eight covered buttons in the middle of the front of the bodice and a small velvet bow at the neck. The long sleeves are gathered into the armhole and at the wrist is a trimming of two circumferential fine strips of cream braid. Over this she wears a dirty white apron that ties at the back. Underneath the skirt is a dark blue wool crepe petticoat with many moth holes, and underneath this is a piece of brown wool tweed, also with moth holes, and beneath this is a piece of striped canvas.
Provenance
Donated to the Museum of Childhood by Mr E Hellawell in 1982.