This hand puppet of a woman, is thought to be one of a pair of Civil War era puppets used between 1850-1875. Her face is made from wood and paper mache with painted features and she is dressed in a simple blue and white plaid cotton dress and a white apron.
It's possible this figure was part of a minstrel show that was staged on a showboat that traveled up and down the Mississippi River between 1850-1875. A common form of entertainment, the popular minstrel show is considered to be the first uniquely American form of entertainment, which featured white people parodying African Americans, during the second half of the nineteenth century. The show usually included music, songs, dance, comic repartees, and a closing skit. It was rare, however, that this popular amusement involved puppetry. These floating stages provided entertainment to many working class Americans in both urban and rural areas.
