Josephine Baker Marionette
Josephine Baker Marionette
- Description (Brief)
- This dancing marionette painted black with a blond wig was made by the Yale Puppeteers in 1937 and bears a striking resemblance to the famous exotic dancer, singer, and film star Josephine Baker. Baker made her claim to fame in the United States only after becoming a hit in her adopted city of Paris, France.
- Made of wood and paper mache, she is dressed in a red feather trimmed collar, armbands, cuffs, skirt, and anklets with silver-heeled slippers. She is worked with one bar and nine strings.
- The Yale Puppetteers became synonomous with the finest accomplishments in puppetry for more than 25 years. She was purchased from the Yale Puppeteers by Hazelle and J. Woodson Rollins, who donated her to the National Museum of American History Collection.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- Puppet
- puppet
- Date made
- 1936
- depicted (sitter)
- Baker, Josephine
- maker
- Yale Puppeteers
- Physical Description
- paper mache (overall material)
- feathers (overall material)
- wood (overall material)
- paint (overall material)
- string (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 28 in; 71.12 cm
- ID Number
- 1979.1164.06
- accession number
- 1979.1164
- catalog number
- 1979.1164.06
- Credit Line
- Gift of Hazelle H. and J. Woodson Rollins
- subject
- Puppetry
- See more items in
- Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
- Puppets
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.