Dwarf Puppet: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This dwarf marionette was first used at Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C. for as production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, ca 1935. The dwarf has a hand carved head and limb and is wearing a green hat, black vest, white shirt, and knickers. It was used by William Buckner, an Art teacher at the high school.

Schools and educators often use puppetry as a means to introduce children to classic stories and fables. William Buckner taught arts and crafts in Washington, D.C. from 1910-1957. Over the years he developed an interest in puppetry, and he combined this hobby with his work in 1935 when his arts class and his English class produced Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for a carnival at Armstrong High School. His art and crafts class designed and built the stage and the marionettes, while the English class was responsible for the acting. Students directed the play and controlled the marionettes.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1935
• Object Name: Puppet
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Physical Description: cloth (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 11 in x 9 in; 27.94 cm x 22.86 cm
• place made: United States: District of Columbia
• general subject association: Puppetry
• Subject: Education
• Subject: Theater, Puppetry
• ID Number: 1980.0197.01
• accession number: 1980.0197
• catalog number: 1980.0197.01
• Credit Line: William N. Buckner
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.