In today’s collector world of ventriloquist figures there are a few very rare figures and one is the Alfred LeMare.
This builder worked in the 19th century and created his figures of both paper mache and wood. The example you see here is 100% original having never ever been worked on or restored. Even the clothing on him is original to this figure.
He has drop jaw, side moving eyes and fright wig. Unfortunately the fright wig is not connected and I will have to fix that. The original crepe hair is very ratty as well. I am sure most of you that look at this figure will say it should be restored but that is not going to happen.
He is a superb example of this makers work and is a full size figure standing 38″ tall which is also rather rare. His hands are carved wood and except for paint loss are in great shape. The paint on his face is also original and even though there are a substantial amount of chipping I would never touch this guy. Advanced antique collectors appreciate this type of originality in an item.
His body is also made of paper mache which is molded and wood for the bottom board. The head stick attached to the bottom through an original brass plate. The eyes are wood balls which have been painted. The arms and legs are the original muslin which has been stuffed but since they are not opened at all I do not know what was used for the stuffing. The lower legs are cast paper mache and retain the original paint. Upper portion of the legs is muslin.
When I first purchased this figure I was not sure it was a LeMare but upon receipt of the figure with some help of other experts we have determined it to in fact be his work.
Click here to see Alfred LeMare Ventriloquist Figure
I hope you enjoy seeing this very rare ventriloquist figure which has become part of the Ventriloquist Central Collection.
Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com
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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. He created the Ventriloquist Central Collection. It now has over 100 ventriloquist figures and over 50 of them are Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com
Copyright 2010 by Dan Willinger
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