Mad Hatter Marionette

Unique vintage, hand made marionette - The Mad Hatter. Made by a very skilled hand, with 9 articulations and all the wooden body parts hand carved.  The hands and the head are from papier-mache.  He 'stands' 24" (60cm) tall.

The control bar is in 2 parts, allowing for a skilled operator to make the character dance a merry jig.  His strings have been detangled, but the strings for the head and shoulders do need re-attaching.  The articulations are: Head (2), Arms (2), Legs/Feet (2), Shoulders (2) and Back.

Dating from the 1930s, this marionette is in completely original condition, except for the strings referred to earlier.

Included in the listing is a copy of Hand Puppets & String Puppets by Waldo Lanchester, England's Greatest Puppetmaster, printed in 1937. The puppet likely pre-dates the publishing of this instruction manual, but may well have been an earlier version of those proposed in this literature.  Waldo was born in 1897, and formed the Lanchester Marionettes in 1935, travelling all over the country with his puppet theatre.  Originally based in Malvern before moving to Stratford-Upon-Avon

Measures: 60cm tall

UK DELIVERY OF THIS ITEM: Insured postal delivery of this item is £15.