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Back in the early 1900′s a
ventriloquist by the stage name of ” McQuisto” was performing in
England. McQuisto was his stage name but in real life he was
Fred B. Crouch aka Frederick Bernard. He lived in Woodford England
and after intense research all that was found about him was that he
had a son who was in the RAF during World War II and perished in the
protection of England at that time. His ventriloquist figure
was Wee George.
Wee George was crafted just after the turn of the 19th century and
was made by Alfred LeMare. When I first purchased him I was not sure
of the maker but once he arrived and I got to see the head stick and
controls I immediately knew it was a LeMare creation.
This figure is in 100%original condition. He stands about 40" tall
and he has the head stick which travels to the bottom board of the
body and has a peg into which the pin fits. This gives the head a
360 degree rotation. The head is made of paper mache and has the
following functions; side moving self centering glass eyes, right
eye winks, upper lip moves and lower lip moves. The lever for the
lower lip if pulled all the way down causes the upper lip to rise.
So the complete talking effect works great. He also has a smoker
with the original tubing and pump. The pump is original but over the
years is unfortunately no longer functional. The paint and hair (
horsehair) is all original.
The body is wood bottom and paper mache formed. The hands are carved
wood. The hands are attached to spring steel and hang down but
inside there is a wire that when pulled causes the arms to move and
because of the spring steel they look like they are moving in a very
realistic manner. The lower legs and shoes are paper mache.
The suit is wool and original to the figure as well as the period
white shirt with stiff collar. The suit was actually attached with
the glue from paper mache. Never meant to ever be removed.
This is a wonderful example of Alfred LeMare's work and a great
member of the Ventriloquist Central Collection.
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