Series I: Puppets
- Scope and content:
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This collection now contains 391 objects; mostly puppets, including marionettes, hand puppets, rod puppets, pantins, and shadow puppets, but also a number of figurines, dolls and dioramas, and three textiles. It appears that non-puppet three-dimensional objects were included in the puppet series before 1971. The puppets were assigned identification numbers during a cataloging project in the 1960s. All puppet identification numbers higher than P69 were assigned in 2009.
The earliest acquisitions were gifts of Brander Matthews. The most recent acquisitions, and also the collection's newest items, are three beggar figurines made by Russian émigrés living in Iran during WWII. They were the gift of Majorie Windust Halper in 1989.
What began as a collection of English, French and Italian puppets gradually became a collection of considerable breadth, with puppets from Burma, China, India, the United States, Thailand, Turkey, Java, Japan, and Mexico, among other countries. The oldest puppets are two 18th century French marionettes of Joseph and one of the Magi. Highlights of the collection include two eight-foot tall puppets designed by Robert Edmond Jones and constructed by American theatre pioneer Remo Bufano for the Metropolitan Opera's 1931 production of Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex.
Contents
Access and use
- Parent restrictions:
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This collection is located on-site.
Some of the items are fragile and their use may be restricted. The larger items (models and some puppets) can only be seen by appointment. These restrictions are included in the descriptions of the individual items, below.
- Parent terms of access:
- Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
- Contact:
- rbml@library.columbia.edu