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“Jewell’s Little Puppets in “Circus
Day in Toyland” Wins More Applause
than Any Other Act on the Bill at
the Globe.”
The family of Mae and Jesse Jewell
arrived in New York Harbor from
England with their act, “Jewell’s
Manikins”, to play a theatrical
engagement.” in 1904. The Jewells
both puppeteers, created their own
company, which performed in American
vaudeville houses, dime museums, and
circus sideshows.
According to the Indianapolis Star
in 1913, Lillian was a
fourth-generation marionette
operator from England.
Lillian Jewell was quoted as being
the owner and chief manipulator of
“Jewell’s Manikins”, who was in the
business since she was a child.
Their daughter Lillian was born on
the road; she married a vaudeville
performer named Rex Faulkner. Their
act, Lillian Faulkner and Company,
played vaudeville houses unit the
Depression, using the new technology
of the phonograph to provided
soundtrack for their shows.
"Her great-grandfather won fame and
fortune by his enterprise in
popularizing this form of
entertainment, while her father, the
late Jesse Jewell, a showman himself
invented this type of figure,
perfected the improved Manikins of
today by using Paper Mache and wax
instead of wood, the material
of which the old marionettes were
made."
After her father died, she carried
out this business with her husband.
Originally from England, they toured
the world with their act.
A 1926 review by the Lima (OH) News
of a performance of their act, now
titled "Faulkner's Manikins", "Play
Ball" noted:
"With strings attached to little
wooden figures, Miss Faulkner keeps
her audience in an uproar with the
manikins. They do everything from
the Charleston to playing baseball.
A very clever act."
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