author
Helen Haiman Joseph
1888–1978
A lively pioneer of American puppetry, she helped turn marionettes into a serious art for children and adults alike. Her books and performances mixed scholarship, stagecraft, and a real sense of play.
1 Audiobook
A Book of Marionettes
by Helen Haiman Joseph
About the author
Born in Atlanta on August 28, 1888, and raised in Cleveland, Helen Haiman Joseph became one of the best-known American figures in puppetry. She studied drama and literature, spent time learning from European puppet traditions, and built a career that combined research, writing, and performance.
Joseph was often called the "grandmother of American puppetry" because she helped popularize marionettes in the United States and treated the form as both entertainment and art. She founded the Pinocchio Players in 1924, wrote and produced plays for schools, clubs, and hospitals, and published books on puppetry as well as children's books.
Her work reached audiences on stage and on the page, and her book A Book of Marionettes became especially well known for introducing readers to the history and practice of puppet theater. She died on August 15, 1978, leaving behind a legacy of imagination, teaching, and craftsmanship.