MANIPULATED DOLL, Man

Father, see also mother H89/237 and child H89/238. Manipulated dolls were made on the same principal as Appalatian stick puppets. Between about 1910 and 1930 travelling tinkers sold manipulated dolls around Australia This one was probably made by Miss Rogers and would have been used by her students when they put on their own plays. The body and head are three ply cut from one piece. The body is almost rectangular and the head is simple and fairly round. The hair is painted brown, as are the eyes, eyebrows and nostrils. The mouth is red and white and the ears are white with a red splotch. The left ear is barely visible. A reinforcing piece of pine has been glued behind the head and neck, extending half way down the torso. The entire doll has been varnished, with the exception of the back. There is one long arm which appears to be for this puppet. It is a simple shape cut from pine and with a hole at the top for attachment to the torso. It is varnished and would have been attached with a paper fastener as is H89/238. The legs are also cut from one piece of pine but have simple pine shoes attached. There is a notch at the top of each leg with a hole immediately below and a similar notch at the bottom of each side of the torso with hole above. These are joined with a piece of black elastic threaded through twice and tied at the back. There is a small white 'sock' painted section at the top of each shoe but the remainder is painted black. 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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