hand and rod puppets, Punch and Devil
Report a Mistake- Date Made Circa 1925
- Event --
- Affiliation Canadian
- Artist / Maker / Manufacturer McCarthy Vaughan, Mr. Joseph
- Object Number V-2177974
- Place of Origin Continent - North America, Country - Canada, Province / Territory - Ontario
- Place of Use Continent - North America, Country - Canada, Province / Territory - Ontario
- Category Recreational artifacts
- Sub-category Public entertainment device
- Department Folklore
- Museum CMH
- Earliest 1920/01/01
- Latest 1930/12/31
- Related activity Puppetry
- Caption The Joseph McCarthy Vaughan collection
- Additional Information J. Bryan Vaughan, C.M., donated the Joseph McCarthy Vaughan collection to the Canadian Museum of Civilization. This collection comprises ten hand puppets representing traditional characters from the well-known Punch and Judy puppet theatre. Theatre props and archival documents, including a manual on puppet theatre handwritten by Joseph McCarthy Vaughan, complete the collection. In the 1920s, Joseph McCarthy Vaughan, an architect by profession, created a series of hand puppets and built a small theatre to amuse his children. It was also for them that he wrote a fine manual on the construction, manipulation and history of puppets. The lessons of the manual were put to good use during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when his son Bryan decided to earn a living with the puppets. His father wrote scenarios for him and helped produce the shows. Bryan Vaughan presented his Punch and Judy theatre to youthful audiences in the Toronto area, chiefly at large department stores, fairs and children's parties. The character of Punch, like his French cousin Polichinelle, is a proud descendant of Pulcinella in the Italian commedia dell'arte. Punch has entertained England (and its colonies) since the 17th century. From street theatre for the people to comedies for children, from simple amusement to social satire, Punch and Judy change roles along with the times. Although they no longer appear on street corners, their tradition lives on in the work of certain puppet theatre artists. Excerpt from exhibition text: Recent Donations: Forsyth and Vaughan Collections, August 1998 to December 1999
- Caption Joseph and Bryan Vaughan
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Additional Information
During the 1920s, Joseph McCarthy Vaughan, an architect by trade, created a series of hand puppets and built a small theatre to amuse his children. He also produced a delightful handwritten manual on the construction, manipulation and history of puppets. The lessons in his manual would serve his family well: in the 1930s, during the Great Depression, his son Bryan decided to earn a living with the puppets. Joseph wrote some scripts for his son and helped produce the shows. Bryan Vaughan went on to perform his Punch and Judy shows to audiences of children throughout the Toronto region, particularly in large department stores, at carnivals and at children's parties.
- Caption Hand Puppet
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Additional Information
(Alternate name: Glove Puppet)
Category of puppet manipulated from below. Hand puppets generally consist of a hollow head and a fabric costume attached at the base of the neck. This type of puppet is controlled by a hand placed inside the costume: one or two fingers are fed into the neck; the others are placed in each of the arms, providing direct control of the puppet's movements. The head and hands of a hand puppet can be made of materials that are either solid (wood, plastic wood, papier mâché) or pliable (fabric, foam rubber, latex). Hand puppets usually have no legs; when they do have legs, these hang limply without being controlled.
Definition inspired by the Kenneth B. McKay book, Puppetry in Canada: An Art to Enchant, published by the Ontario Puppetry Association. Copyright 1980
Hand and Rod Puppet
Type of puppet which combines both hand and rod techniques. A hand placed inside the head of the puppet controls its movements, while the other hand controls the two rods attached to the puppet's arms. In some variations, two puppeteers share manipulation. The term "hand and rod puppet" can also be used to describe a hand puppet whose head is controlled by a short rod concealed inside the costume.
Definition inspired by the Kenneth B. McKay book, Puppetry in Canada: An Art to Enchant, published by the Ontario Puppetry Association. Copyright 1980