#239

Paper Mache Puppets 'The Willow Plate'
Live Auction

$150
sold
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Description
Puppets each about 19" (48 cm). Six puppets each have paper mache head with painted and sculpted facial features portraying characters from "A Guignol play based on an old Chinese legend". Each puppet has distinctive facial portrayal, and each wears handmade costume of its role. Included with the dolls are two white doves, along with a booklet labeled "The Willow Plate, a marionette play, Works Progress District Administration 15, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania". The book contains the play script along with scene drawings, and technical explanations. The puppets were created as part of the American government WPA project to create jobs for writers and artists during the 1930's Depression Era. The set has been preserved in pristine condition, and also includes other books and pamphlets concerning puppets, including "Puppets Handbook of Marionettes" written in 1935 by the Hamburg (New York) Puppet Guild.