An Early 20thC Ventriloquist’s Dummy By Arthur Quisto c.1941

Object Description

The period ventriloquist’s dummy of high build quality, with five mechanisms, presented in a taupe double-breasted jacket with four buttons to a white collared shirt with large pointed collar beneath with the original black velour trousers to black patent shoes and wearing a black velvet cap, the head with brown hair and the body constructed of a combination of paper maché, and plaster composition parts with lower limbs with fabric attachments with the wooden carved hands painted in a very light skin colour, the face shaded in the typical Quisto fashion with exaggerated blush; the lips are painted red, the eyebrows and eyelashes black and the glass eyes blue, with the whole being presented with accompanying paperwork and surviving from the second quarter of the twentieth century.

Object History

David P. Davies Esq.

Object Literature

Arthur Quisto lived from 1882 to 1960 and his real name was actually Arthur Edwin Simms. He was known primarily for his Punch & Judy Shows, but he also built figures for Tom Coram and Arthur Prince. The associations with Tom Coram and Arthur Prince are important with Arthur Prince one of Britain’s most famous music-hall ventriloquists with his figure “Sailor Jim” being one of the best-known ventriloquist characters of the first half of the 20th century. The fact that Quisto supplied figures to performers of that stature elevates his standing considerably and what is perhaps most significant is that Quisto was remembered not merely as a performer but as a maker of figures for other professionals. In the history of British Punch & Judy, he is listed alongside Fred Tickner, Wal Kent and Bryan Clarke as one of the best-known builders of figures for fellow showmen, which is an exclusive group and suggests his reputation within the trade was considerable. He used pneumatic devices and was the first to use electromagnetic devices to animate his figures; indeed most British figures of the period relied on relatively simple lever-operated controls whilst Quisto experimented with more ambitious systems and is regularly credited as an early adopter of electromagnetic animation.

The accompanying paperwork reads; “This ventriloquist’s doll was made by “Quisto” (Edward Seems) (sic) well known and respected maker of ventriloquist and Punch and Judy puppets. It was made in Teignmouth, Devon, in 1941 (as a label inside the head confirms). He had just moved from his house in Kennington, London, in 194l to avoid the blitz. The house took a direct hit and was destroyed, along with his archive of moulds. He died as result falling of (sic) from a ladder whilst painting the outside of his caravan during a storm at night!”. This is a wonderful insight into Quisto and his movements, of which as far as we can tell, were previously unrecorded.

Rarely on the market in the first instance, this figure also benefits hugely from its paperwork trail and inner label; making this dummy one of the very few firmly datable wartime Quisto figure and thus a bonafide gem in this field of collecting.

Object Condition

At eighty five years old the figure is in good overall original condition. All five of the mechanisms are in working order; top lip, mouth, hairpiece and eyes, aside from the smoker which is not attached. As per the paperwork he was partially restored by way of “repairing and generally renovating the interior and exterior of your ‘Quisto’ ventriloquists doll” in 2012 by John Styles M.B.E, gold star member of the inner magic circle at a cost of £100. John Styles MBE is one of the most respected figures in the Punch & Judy world, and his involvement creates a chain of custody connecting the figure back into the professional Punch & Judy and ventriloquial community. That sort of provenance is very unusual for Quisto pieces, which often surface with little more than an attribution.

Object Details