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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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