Unusual Artifacts: The Tiller-Clowes Polander, 1870-1890

Polander
The Tiller-Clowes Marionette Troupe
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here’s another of the set of thirty-five marionettes from the Victorian Tiller-Clowes marionette troupe which wowed London in the mid-to-late Nineteenth Century. This one, like its brothers, features a head, legs and hands of carved and painted wood as well as its original handmade costume.

You may not instantly recognize what or who this figure represents. He’s a “polander” or a pole dancer, and, no, not the kind of pole dancers we have today. He’s based on a real man, “The Great Polander” who was a hit in London in the late Eighteenth Century. The act involved dancing while juggling a pole. And, that’s what this marionette can do. He’s incredibly difficult, I imagine, to operate since juggling the pole requires the figure to switch the object from hand to hand.

The Art of Play: The Three-Headed Scaramouche, 1870-1890

Scaramouche--Trick Marionette
The Tiller Clowes Troupe, 1870-1890
Restored by George Speaight
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Another marionette from the Victorian troupe of the Tiller-Clowes family, this figure depicts Mr. Scaramouche, a character which was adapted from the Italian Commedia dell’Arte to the English Punch and Judy tradition.

Made between 1870 and 1890, the marionette still wears his original costume and survives in excellent condition. Whether a glove puppet or a marionette, Scaramouche is often employed as a trick puppet. Usually, his neck extends to twice the length of his body, however, this example is a little different.

He features three heads. The two smaller heads are inserted in the larger head which is supported by the body. The largest head wears a purple silk hat, the second head wears a striped cotton hat and the third is hatless. At the point in the show when Scaramouche becomes overwhelmed by Mr. Punch, typically, he shows his frustration by having his neck extend upward. In this case, however, instead of his neck growing, Scaramouche shows his angst by having the two smaller heads pop out of the largest head—creating a comic effect of utter confusion. 

The Art of Play: The Tiller-Clowes Music Hall Ball Juggler Marionette, 1870-1890

Trick Marionette
Tiller-Clowes Family, 1870-1890
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We've looked at other puppets from the Victorian Tiller-Clowes marionette troupe. The V&A houses thirty-five of the troupe's Nineteenth Century figures, most of which retain their original paint and costumes. In 1945, George Speaight purchased the collection and worked to restore the puppets. Upon his death, the collection was left to the V&A.

This marionette, in his original outfit, represents a ball juggler. This figure would have been inordinately complicated to operate. The balls which the figure can "juggle" can be made to rest on his feet, hands or head. Such trick puppets were often used as entertainment before a show or between acts and also enjoyed independent success when members of the troupe would perform alone as a novelty at a music hall.

The Art of Play: A Tiller Family Marionette, 1870-1890

Marionette
Tiller-Clowes Troupe
1870-1890
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in Lincolnshire, England, between 1870 and 1890, here’s another marionette from the Tiller-Clowes Troupe. This one is lightly stuffed in the torso to allow her a flexible waist. Depicting a stock character young lady, she features a carved wooden head with a painted face and glass eyes. Her wig is made of real human hair.

The figure’s ivory silk dress is edged with turquoise blue wool with silk embroidery. This is her original dress and, sadly, it’s rotting and frayed in places. Similarly, while one of her original control bars, the one which would have operated her legs is long gone.

This is one of 35 original marionettes from the famous Victorian puppeteers, the Tiller-Clowes Troupe. The group was purchased in 1945 by puppeteer and puppetry historian George Speaight who oversaw the restoration of the majority of the figures. The puppets were lent to a German troupe in the 1980s, and, then Speaight sold them to John Philips, an expert puppeteer who bequeathed them to the V&A.

The Art of Play: A Tiller-Clowes Troupe Marionette, c. 1870

Marionette
Tiller-Clowes Troupe
C. 1870
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Another from the collection of thirty-five Victorian marionettes from The Tiller-Clowes Troupe, this gorgeous puppet was made around 1870.

Depicting a young woman, this hand-carved and painted figure wears a wig of later origin. However, beneath this, hair has been meticulously carved and picked out. She isn’t wearing her original costume, but rather one given her in the Edwardian era. It consists of a blouse of red and white striped cotton blouse over a skirt of heavy wool. All of the buttons work. 

The Art of Play: The Tiller-Clowes Polander, 1870-1890

Polander
The Tiller-Clowes Marionette Troupe
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here’s another of the set of thirty-five marionettes from the Victorian Tiller-Clowes marionette troupe which wowed London in the mid-to-late Nineteenth Century. This one, like its brothers, features a head, legs and hands of carved and painted wood as well as its original handmade costume.

You may not instantly recognize what or who this figure represents. He’s a “polander” or a pole dancer, and, no, not the kind of pole dancers we have today. He’s based on a real man, “The Great Polander” who was a hit in London in the late Eighteenth Century. The act involved dancing while juggling a pole. And, that’s what this marionette can do. He’s incredibly difficult, I imagine, to operate since juggling the pole requires the figure to switch the object from hand to hand.

The Art of Play: The Three-Headed Scaramouche, 1870-1890

Scaramouche--Trick Marionette
The Tiller Clowes Troupe, 1870-1890
Restored by George Speaight
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Another marionette from the Victorian troupe of the Tiller-Clowes family, this figure depicts Mr. Scaramouche, a character which was adapted from the Italian Commedia dell’Arte to the English Punch and Judy tradition.

Made between 1870 and 1890, the marionette still wears his original costume and survives in excellent condition. Whether a glove puppet or a marionette, Scaramouche is often employed as a trick puppet. Usually, his neck extends to twice the length of his body, however, this example is a little different.

He features three heads. The two smaller heads are inserted in the larger head which is supported by the body. The largest head wears a purple silk hat, the second head wears a striped cotton hat and the third is hatless. At the point in the show when Scaramouche becomes overwhelmed by Mr. Punch, typically, he shows his frustration by having his neck extend upward. In this case, however, instead of his neck growing, Scaramouche shows his angst by having the two smaller heads pop out of the largest head—creating a comic effect of utter confusion. 

The Art of Play: The Tiller-Clowes Music Hall Ball Juggler Marionette, 1870-1890

Trick Marionette
Tiller-Clowes Family, 1870-1890
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We've looked at other puppets from the Victorian Tiller-Clowes marionette troupe. The V&A houses thirty-five of the troupe's Nineteenth Century figures, most of which retain their original paint and costumes. In 1945, George Speaight purchased the collection and worked to restore the puppets. Upon his death, the collection was left to the V&A.

This marionette, in his original outfit, represents a ball juggler. This figure would have been inordinately complicated to operate. The balls which the figure can "juggle" can be made to rest on his feet, hands or head. Such trick puppets were often used as entertainment before a show or between acts and also enjoyed independent success when members of the troupe would perform alone as a novelty at a music hall.