PUPPET, Shadow Figure

Shadow figures are manipulated behind a screen and the children see a shadow. Sticky tape and a pop stick would have been attached to the back of the body, perhaps on the legs to hold the puppet. The puppet is cut from fairly thin white cardboard and jointed at the neck and tops of arms and legs. The head is the most striking feature. It is large and has three locks of hair sticking out on the forehead. The eye and eyebrow are cut out, the ear is cut out on three sides so it stands a little out from the face. The chin is long, the mouth and nose are large. The head is attached to the body with a brass paper fastener, as are the arms and legs. The arms are straight and the hands have four fingers. The legs are also straight and have ill-defined shoes. The puppet is in six pieces, namely, head, torso, 2 arms, and 2 legs. The entire collection of marionettes and puppets, which includes 31 marionettes, 26 hand puppets (glove and rod), 20 puppet heads, 9 hand sticks, 3 stick dolls and a travelling stage, were used, and many were made, by Miss Frances Rogers. Miss Rogers, born on 19 Oct 1904, went to teacher's college in 1930 and joined the Education Department of WA in 1934. Between 1934 and her retirement in 1967, she taught at various country schools, took special classed for deaf and dumb children in Mosman Park, and classes for mentally and physically disabled children in Leederville. She used the puppets as teaching aids for the disabled children.

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