Lewis Latimer Hand Puppet: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This large arm puppet represents Lewis Latimer (1848-1928), an outstanding 19th century African American scientist, engineer, and inventor. This Latimer puppet was created in 1998 specially for a Lemelson Center educational program titled "The Renaissance Man," which was a celebration of Latimer's 150th Anniversary and his contributions to science and society. Made solely of fabric and batting, this soft, plush puppet wears a bright blue suit over a green vest and dons a pair of small spectacles.

Lewis Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts and learned mechanical drawing while working in a patent attorney's office in Boston. In 1873 he invented the first toilet system for railroad cars. He also invented an electric lamp with an inexpensive carbon filament and a threaded wooden socket for light bulbs. Latimer created the mechanical drawings for Alexander Graham Bell's patent application for his telephone design. In 1884 he joined the Edison Electric Light Company where he conducted research on electrical lighting. He was the only African American member of the Edison Pioneers, the engineering division of the Edison Company. In 1890 he published a technical engineering book, Incandescent Electric Lighting, which became a guide for lighting engineers.

In addition to Latimer, the Lemelson Center commissioned the Brewery Troupe of Freeport, New York to create two additional puppets, Thomas Edison and Frederick Douglass to be part of the program. The Brewery Troupe was founded in 1973 by Brad Brewer, an accomplished puppeteer who trained under Jim Henson and performed puppet shows on TV and stage. The Brewery Troupe's goal is to interpret African American literature, music, and humor through the art of the puppet theater.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1998
• depicted: Latimer, Lewis
• user: Brewery Troupe, Inc.
• transferring agency: Lemelson Center
• maker: Brewer, Brad
• maker: Brewery Troupe, Inc.
• Object Name: puppet
• Physical Description: fabric (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 114.5 cm x 48.25 cm; 45 1/16 in x 19 in
• place made: United States: New York, Freeport
• Associated Place: United States: New York, New York
• Subject: Puppetry
• Subject: Science & Scientific Instruments
• Subject: Blacks
• Subject: African American
• ID Number: 1999.0144.01
• accession number: 1999.0144
• catalog number: 1999.0144.01
• 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.