Santa Claus Marionette

Object Details

maker; user: Slover, Alvin
: King, Florence Lorella Slover
associated institution: Western Sugar Refinery
: Larson, James Willard; Larson, Joyce Dean; Slover, Alvin; King, Florence Lorella Slover

Description (Brief): This santa marionette is one of 15 puppets we received from the Slover-King-Larson family. These puppets for the Slover Flossy [Florence King] and Minnie [Louella], playing vaudeville shows to newly populated towns in the Dakotas, Montana, Idaho and Oregon. Florence King wrote to her cousin, Joyce Larson, November 13, 1974 (p.2), that she restrung her marionettes annually with heavy linen shoemaker's thread because constant performances wore out or broke the strings, but this one never got restrung like the others and just became an annual family holiday decoration in the Slover-King-Larson households. She was reluctant to part with him, writing in the same letter (p. 1), that though she had sold all of the other Slover Marionettes after retirement in 1970, "I have the 12th one here that I want to keep. (Dressed like Santa Claus). Some day Mary [donor] can have that."
Location: Currently not on view

1920-1960

Physical Description: wood (overall material); paint (overall material); cotton (overall material); plastic (overall material); metal (overall material); glass (overall material); adhesive tape (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 25 1/2 in x 12 in x 6 1/2 in; 64.77 cm x 30.48 cm x 16.51 cm

National Museum of American History

GUID (Link to Original Record): https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ab-6e77-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa