THIS VINTAGE PROFESSIONAL CARVED WOODEN "RAGTIME TAPDANCER " MARIONETTE, WAS CREATED BY WELL KNOWN PUPPETEERS LEMUEL WILLIAMS & JOHN SHIRLEY IN THE 1950'S. This Charming 24" Carved Wooden Marionette is made in their characteristic style with a Cast Wood Dough Head with broad Caricature features and is painted in theatrical colors to react to stage lighting. There is SPECIAL STRINGING to Allow him to TAP DANCE ! The Jointed Neck allows for a Range of Subtle , yet Expressive Movement. The Artfully Carved Wooden Arms and Legs have "Tongue & Groove" Jointing. The Wooden Legs Feature "Trunk Fiber" Knee and Ankle Joints. The Flexible , Jointed , Two Piece Torso & Feet are also Carved Wood. The Fabulous Tailored Costume features Fine Satin Fabric and Metallic “ Gold “ Lame’. The Attention to Detail in the Wardrobe is Amazing. It is Strung on one of their "Airplane Controls " with a removable Leg & Suspended Hand Bar and it Moves Beautifully! The Control also features a suspended “ Rocker “ Bar for his “ Rear End “ so this little fellow can REALLY “ Shake his Booty “ .NOTHING works as well as a finely balanced WOOD Marionette. The Overall Condition is Very Good for its age although there is some obvious wear to his satin Trousers as one might expect with a Performing Puppet. " Lem " Williams was a Past President of Puppeteers of America and resided in St. Paul , Mn. In 1940 he formed The “ MARLEM MARIONETTES “ with his Wife Mary Williams and Toured widely Performing the " Marlem Revue " a String Variety Show with 50 Marionettes. They frequently Performed their Cabaret Style Marionette shows in Theaters and Nightclubs around that part of the Country. Many of his Puppets Emulated the " Bil Baird " Style so Very Popular at that time. For many years he Partnered with John Shirley , a Very Talented Performer and Puppet Maker in his own right. Their Combined Technical Expertise resulted in some truly Remarkable Marionettes. Working together They Invented , Developed and Refined a Great Number of the Mechanical aspects of Marionette Construction and constantly experimented with Mediums and materials in their Construction. Lem Williams & John Shirleys Noteworthy Careers are detailed in Several Issues of the Puppetry Journal , Puppetry Yearbooks and in the Most Comprehensive Resource ." Puppet Theater in America " , Published by Paul McPharlin. Please be patient while all of the Photos download . The QUALITY of their Woodcarving Skill is Very Good ! This Fellow would display wonderfully or you could add his act to your own Production. This is a RARE Opportunity to add a FINELY CRAFTED PROFESSIONAL Puppet to your Collection with a Rich Performance Background. This "One of a Kind Treasure" would also appeal to Collectors of Black American Artifacts and " Negro " Puppets , Dolls and Collectibles from this time period.