This is Horace and Leigh. Horace was made approximately in 1900 and was a gift to my father, Frederick Newton, when he was a teenager, by his uncle and auntie who lived in Adelaide. At that stage Fred lived in Broken Hill. The maker is unknown. His body was an old light construction panelling - some sort of composite material. Late in 2000 I replaced this material as it had literally fallen to pieces with at least two generations of usage. Horace's face is paper machier with hands made from children's gloves stuffed with fine sawdust and painted a flesh colour. Arms and legs were sleeves filled with sawdust. He has a controller for the mouth and one for the right eye which rolls down but as it is so grotesque I can't use it. When I have my new puppet Horace will be retired - maybe one day to go to a museum. His face and hands have been professionally repaired but the problem is more than skin deep. I guess it happens to us all.