Shakespeare, Lord Byron, and even teeth-pulling dentists found creative uses for marionettes, as revealed in Helen Haiman Joseph's 1920 book A Book of Marionettes, the first comprehensive English-language history of puppet theater. As noted in The Public Domain Review, puppets served as vehicles for social and political satire, sometimes landing both puppets and puppeteers in jail for mocking authority figures.
The book emerged at a time when cinema had not yet begun to dominate storytelling. Joseph saw marionettes as an antidote to what she called the "atrophy of the imagination" caused by excessive movie watching. She documented surprising historical connections, like how Martin Luther's followers became puppeteers when denied acting rights, and how major literary works drew inspiration from puppet shows, including Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Byron's Don Juan.
You can see photos of marionettes in various styles in Joseph's book. I love admiring the craft that goes into marionettes as much as watching an actual puppet show. I love the unique, hand-made look that each one has.
See also: Toronto's improv singing puppet busker
