String puppet depicting a village guard, wearing a uniform of black boots, white trousers, a blue jacket with red cuffs and a peaked cap with emblems in a vertical row on the front. Plaster head with moustache, hands and wooden feet decorated with paint. Metal rod and operating bar attached through the head with four vegetable fibre strings tied to the hands and legs.
In the first half of the 20th century there were 4 main manufacturers of puppets, with around 100 different characters. The characters were largely stock characters which could be used to tell a variety of stories. Story books were also produced and families would perform the stories in their homes. Faust and Don Juan were popular. Many were Czech folk tales. 'Death and the Godmother' was one. The devil featured in many stories. Šaldová, Lenka, Dr. Theatre Department, Czech National Museum. 2014.
