Woodsman Ventriloquist Dummy
Identifier
http://dp.la/api/items/e177b36213b30b5d668a1d1b345fd95c
Title
Woodsman Ventriloquist Dummy
Creator
Lamb, Frederick
Date
ca 1875
Description
This is one of three ventriloquist dummies that belonged to Frederick Lamb. Dressed as a lumberjack, this dummy, carved from wood with exaggerated facial features, is painted white with black hair. His body is stuffed with soft materials, and there is a hole in the back to operate the pole that manipulates the puppet. He is dressed in a red knit cap with a plaid over shirt and blue cotton paints and is wearing gloves and black baby shoes. It is unclear if Lamb actually made the figure or adapted it for his own use.
Lamb, born in 1883 in Nashville, Tennessee, began his career at 12 years old when he ran away from home and joined a carnival. He traveled with carnivals, side shows, and circuses for almost 75 years, including performing for Queen Victoria.
Lamb's talents included ventriloquism, magic, a Punch and Judy show, and a repertoire of black face comedy skits. Lamb was exceptionally talented in that he was a double ventriloquist; he operated his dummies simultaneously, and it appeared they were talking to each other and him at the same time. Later in life he traveled through Appalachia and coal mining communities in Kentucky, Tennessee, and South Carolina to provide entertainment for children and adults living in remote areas.
Currently not on view
Subject
Amusements
Puppets
Lamb, Frederick
Puppetry
Entertainment
Source
Smithsonian Institution
Subject
Amusements
Puppets
Lamb, Frederick
Puppetry
Entertainment
Collection
Citation
Lamb, Frederick, “Woodsman Ventriloquist Dummy,” Center for Knit and Crochet Digital Repository, accessed April 26, 2024, http://digital.centerforknitandcrochet.org/items/show/28454.
Added by Rebecca Keyel
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