Summary

Hand-made marionette depicting a medieval knight. It was manufactured and operated in Melbourne by Alex and Murray Smith, who performed as part of Le Forgeron Marionettes from 1930 until 1956.

Scottish-born cabinet-maker Alex Smith took up puppetry as a hobby when he was a boy. Later, after performing in London, he moved with his family to Melbourne in 1927, where his hobby became a full-time occupation. He and his wife and son made the marionettes, dressed them, constructed the sets, wrote the scripts and carried out the onstage and backstage functions needed to perform the plays. As well as performing in a purpose-built theatre in St Kilda's landmark Luna Park, the company appeared at department stores, schools, town halls, church functions, private parties and various charity events.

Physical Description

Marionette depicting a medieval knight, wearing cardboard armour on his arms, legs, feet and torso, with a matching hat. The armour has been painted silver with black detailing. Underneath this he wears a blue tunic. His face is in good condition, despite slight damage to the tip of his nose. The knight's facial features are quite pronounced, with a very large chin, nose and cheekbones. His brown, wavy hair is in good condition. There are operating strings attached to numerous parts of him, including his head, limps and shoulders. The feet have been weighted.

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