The Wayward Turnip, marionettes and prop by Waldo Lanchester.

Move your pointing device over the image to zoom to detail. If using a mouse click on the image to toggle zoom.
When in zoom mode use + or - keys to adjust level of image zoom.

Date:1940 - 1945 (c.)

Description:The turnip patch used in Waldo Lanchester's puppet show, 'The wayward Turnip'.

There are holes in the turnip patch where four turnips fit. In the show the farmer falls asleep and the turnips come to life and dance outside the turnip patch. However, one wayward turnip refuses to dance like all the others and get back in the patch.

Waldo Lanchester (1897-1978) was at the forefront of the British revival in popularity of the string puppet and was a leading player in the formative years of the British Puppet & Model Theatre Guild, which remains Britain's leading Puppetry Organisation.

With colleague Harry Whanslaw, Waldo established the London Marionette Theatre in Hammersmith in 1927 - the first puppets anywhere in the world to appear on television.

Assisted by his wife, Muriel, he went on to run the Lanchester Marionette Theatre, based in Malvern, from 1936 to 1949 including a prestigious appearance at Buckingham Palace in 1938. For the 1949 Malvern Festival, George Bernard Shaw wrote the play "Shakes v Shav" specially for the Lanchester Marionettes and the Company's repertoire also included Opera, Ballet, Plays and a Grand Puppet Circus.

This marionette forms part of the Hayward Puppet Collection, now part of the Staffordshire County Museum collection.


Timeline

The timeline shows resources around this location over a number of years.

1820s
Britzchka Chariot, Shugborough
Britzchka Chariot, Shugborough

This Britzchka Chariot is an Anson family carriage from the Shugborough Estate and ...

1850s
Metal slice
Metal slice

Metal slice tapering blade with oval shaped hole at top and spatula like blade. ...

1870s
Portrait of a woman
Portrait of a woman

Cabinet card portrait of Susy MacNaghten, from an album of photographs belonging ...

1900s
Butler's waistcoat
Butler's waistcoat

Butler's or footman's waistcoat with fine red and white horizontal stripes, four ...

1920s
Domestic Servants, Shugborough
Domestic Servants, Shugborough

Two of the indoor domestic servants, possibly a laundry and kitchen maid, with their ...

1950s
George Rose, Head Chauffeur at Shugborough
George Rose, Head Chauffeur at Shugborough

George Rose in his uniform, standing in the Servants' Quarters courtyard at Shugborough. ...

1970s
Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Shugborough
Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Shugborough

Prince Phillip planting a tree at a Garden Party and tree planting at Shugborough ...

2010s
Staffordshire Collections Quilt
Staffordshire Collections Quilt

Staffordshire Collections Quilt, 2016. This quilt is based on the collections held ...

Share:


Ordering:Click the button to add the item to your basket. Follow the link for further information on ordering.

Image courtesy of: Mr Douglas Haywood

Donor ref:2007.022.0306 (37/26873)

Source: Staffordshire Museum Service

Copyright information: Copyrights to all resources are retained by the individual rights holders. They have kindly made their collections available for non-commercial private study & educational use. Re-distribution of resources in any form is only permitted subject to strict adherence to the usage guidelines.