{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1277555"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1277555/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014GX5719/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014GX5719/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2014GX5719","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1277555/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1277555","accessionNumber":"S.3496-2013","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"Photograph of puppeteers at the opening of the 13th Exhibition of the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild, 1938","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"The photograph shows puppeteers outside Victory House, Leicester Square, London, posed for a Press Agency photograph to mark the opening of the 13th annual exhibition of the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild. The exhibition was opened by fourteen-year-old Molly Sheldrake, billed as Britain's youngest Punch and Judy performer, and seen kneeling here with her puppets. The exhibition drew large crowds and ran from 24th to 30th October 1938, featuring almost 250 puppets, with 25 different troupes giving about 70 demonstrations. There was a lot of publicity, and in his article on the exhibition in the periodical, the <i>World's Fair</i>, 5 November 1938, Gerald Morice noted that Tuesday, 25 October, was a foggy, wet and cold day but that they filmed scenes from a marionette show all morning, from in front and behind, for British Movietone News. He added that all the national daily papers with the exception of the <i>Daily Mirror</i> carried stories about the exhibition, mostly with photographs, and that Molly, as 'the youngest Punch and Judy performer in the country', caught the press's imagination.\n\nIncluded in the photograph are puppeteer and author Harry Whanslaw (1883-1965), standing behind Molly Sheldrake, and representives of puppet companies in Amiens, who revived the Picard tradition of rod and string puppets in the 1930s. In the front row, second left, looking towards the camera, is René Villeret, the founder and director of the company, Les Amis de Lafleur, working puppets of Polichinelle and Lafleur. The unidentified puppeteer, third left, has a larger version of Lafleur. Fourth left is Maurice Domon, founder and director of the company, Chés Cabotans, with two puppets from the Picard tradition. The one held in his left hand is a character called Tchot Blaise. On Domon's left, an unidentified puppeteer works a Polichinelle, and, next to him, puppeteer Vincent Piquet has another Lafleur and a character known as ch'traite (the traitor).\n\n","physicalDescription":"Black and white press agency photograph of a large group of puppeteers and their puppets outside Victory House, Leicester Square, October 1938. The group includes Molly Sheldrake, kneeling, with Punch and Judy puppets, Harry Whanslaw, René Villeret, Maurice Domon, and Vincent Piquet. ","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Keystone Press Agency Ltd.","id":"AUTH328923"},"association":{"text":"photographers","id":"AAT25687"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"photographic paper","id":"AAT14190"}],"techniques":[{"text":"photography","id":"AAT54225"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Photograph","categories":[{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"},{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Children & Childhood","id":"THES48980"},{"text":"Puppetry","id":"THES266219"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2014GX5719"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"009","id":"THES356623"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"photographs","id":"AAT46300"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1938","earliest":"1938-01-01","latest":"1938-12-31"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"S.3495-2013","id":"O1277554"},"association":""},{"object":{"text":"S.3497-2013","id":"O1277564"},"association":""},{"object":{"text":"S.3498-2013","id":"O1277587"},"association":""},{"object":{"text":"S.3499-2013","id":"O1277590"},"association":""}],"creditLine":"Given by Gerald Morice","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"15.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"20.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Supplied by Keystone. Phone Central 9634-5-6-7.Keystone View Company 12 Wine Office Court, Fleet St., London, EC4","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Stamped in blue ink verso"},{"content":"J4903","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"pencilled reference number, verso"}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Photograph of puppeteers, including Molly Sheldrake, billed as Britain's youngest Punch and Judy performer, Harry Whanslaw, and representatives of puppet theatres in Amiens, outside Victory House, Leicester Square with puppets, taken to advertise the opening of the 13th Exhibition of the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild exhibition by Molly Sheldrake, 24 October 1938. Black and white photograph by the Keystone Press Agency Ltd. Gerald Morice Collection\n","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},{"text":"Leicester Square","id":"x43496"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[{"text":"British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild","id":"C3936"}],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.3496-2013"],"accessionNumberNum":"3496","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2013,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-01-14","recordCreationDate":"2013-12-31","availableToBook":true}}