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Fireman puppet from a 'Punch and Judy' puppet set
Fireman puppet from a 'Punch and Judy' puppet set

Fireman puppet from a 'Punch and Judy' puppet set

Datec 1887
Object number00006910
NamePuppet
MediumWood, paint, fabric
DimensionsOverall: 373 x 265 x 72 mm, 0.1 kg
ClassificationsToys, games and souvenirs
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA male puppet, possible a fireman, from a 'Punch and Judy' puppet set from the late 19th century. He wears a red flannel smock, cotton collar, black wooden kepi with black boots. The rest of the set includes Judy, a baby, Punch, constable, French soldier, an undertaker with coffin and black shroud, a beadle and clown (00006905 - 00006917). The puppets are hand painted featuring papier mache heads, hands and feet of timber and outfits of fabric. This set is British in origin and is believed to date from approximately 1887 when it was part of a Christmas gift to a young girl. It was quite a lavish gift for the time as prices for a single puppet then were selling for approximately $2 USD each, or $40 AUD in today's money. HistoryThe spectacle of a Punch and Judy puppet show, along with a cast of familiar supporting characters, has been a familiar sight in Britain for centuries. The show first made an appearance at the seaside in Britain in the 1860's and grew to become a staple entertainment for beach goers across the globe. One of the appeals of the Punch and Judy show is that while the main characters and their distinctive personalities remain, the story lines can change and new characters added. This keeps the look and feel of the traditional show the same but makes its content more relevant to modern audiences. SignificancePunch and Judy shows, along with donkey rides and merry-go-rounds are representative of the British seaside experience in the late 19th and early 20th centuries where the focus was the entertainment on the seashore not the surf itself. The shows were conducted by a single puppeteer on the beach or in nearby beachside venues. The British practice was exported to Australia, Punch and Judy shows have been documented at Bondi, Manly, Coogee, Tamarama and particularly at St Kilda.