Collection
No.01
Collector
Chris Burney
Curator
tbd
Location
Poughkeepsie, NY
Year
2027
Who was Pulling the Strings?
You thought you were the one playing. But before you ever picked up the control, the puppets were already there. Pelham Puppets began in Marlborough, England, in 1947—made by hand, sold in toy shops, given as gifts, performed with, packed away, and rediscovered years later. This collection is about what happens in between: how a manufactured object becomes your puppet. A chipped nose, a tangled string, a carefully repaired costume—each carries evidence of the hands that held it and the life it lived. We animate puppets. But over time, they begin to hold something of us.
01Jiminy Cricket Marionette
Pelham Puppets, England, c. late 1950s–1960s
02Mr. Toad Marionette Pelham Puppets, England, c. late 1950s–1960s
03Pinky Pig Marionette Pelham Puppets, England, c. 1970s
04Witch SM model Marionette Pelham Puppets, England, c. late 1960s
05Tricky Willy Marionette Pelham Puppets, England, c. late 1970s
06Monkey Marionette Pelham Puppets, England, c. late 1970s
07Hedgehog as Robin Hood Marionette Pelham Puppets, England, c. late 1960s