Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

September 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction

Sat, Sep 19, 2026 11:00AM EDT
  2026-09-19 11:00:00 2026-09-19 11:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : September 2026 Vernacular Photo History Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/september-2026-vernacular-photo-history-auction-24380
Our September 2026 auction is anchored by two remarkable private collections, together making up about half the sale, alongside a broader selection of consignments spanning early photography, Civil War material, and vernacular imagery. The Soffer Collection, built with an eye for rarity and historical significance, is particularly strong in vernacular portraiture, Native American photographs, and Iowa Civil War imagery. The Palmer, Massachusetts collection, much of it found at Brimfield, centers on maker-marked daguerreotypes from the golden age of the American daguerreian studio.
Michael Lehr Antiques info@michaellehrantiques.com
Lot 643

Ephemera Archive, Puppet and Ventriloquism, Photos, Programs, CDVs

Estimate: $200 - $300
Starting Bid
$100

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$100 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
A substantial collector's archive devoted entirely to puppetry and ventriloquism, assembled across multiple decades and preserved in plastic-sleeved pages within a three-ring binder, with a loose group of additional items accompanying the volume. The contents span approximately a century of performing-arts history, drawing from American, British, and international sources, and range from press photographs and CDVs to theatrical programs, promotional booklets, postcards, and trade ephemera.

Anchor pieces include a December 4, 1923, Playhouse program for Tony Sarg's Marionettes featuring Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel with Charles E. Searle listed as company manager; a "Doc Brown's Hollywood Characters" promotional broadside with testimonials from Republic Studios and KFEQ NBC Network, naming Dennis McGinnis and the wooden-headed figures Lou Lundy, Waldo Van Fleet, and Cookie Burns; a Johnson Smith Company booklet titled "The Art of Ventriloquism: How to Throw Your Voice"; a Tatterman Marionettes program for Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt; a "Puppet World" booklet containing the Victor Puppet Opera Program issued for New York World's Fair performances at the Gas Industries Building; Puppet Parlor tickets for Peter Pan at 5301 N. Damen; a National Marionette Co. Snow Queen program; a Peking Puppet Theatre photo sheet; a Paul's Photos (337 S. Dearborn, Chicago) press photograph packet with captions referencing Chinese puppet theater; and a group of Victorian CDVs including a child portrait by J.S. Brothers of 30 Regent St., Swindon. A loose spread of color and black-and-white postcards depicts additional marionette and puppet productions. Tony Sarg (1880–1942) is recognized as the father of modern American puppetry. In 1917, he established a national traveling troupe, Tony Sarg's Marionettes. Charles Searle made the marionettes and on numerous national tours served as company manager, supervising up to six or seven manipulators.

The binder spine bears holographic authentication stickers; individual sleeves are annotated in pencil with provenance notes, including references to England circa 1940 and a gift from Cynthia Robins of Gene Gaines, New Orleans, Louisiana. A label on one press-photo envelope reads "Paul's Photos, 337 S. Dearborn St., Chicago" with a caption referencing Chinese puppet theater traditions.

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