Puppet Backdrop Model made by Basil Milovsoroff
date: label: date made
content: 1935
name: label: associated person
content: Milovsoroff, Basil
label: maker
content: Milovsoroff, Basil
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This painted board backdrop was created by Milovsoroff for his play. This backdrop, named The Hut on Chicken Legs, depicts a wooden house on two stumps and mushrooms. This piece is known as a projection picture. The backdrop is first photographed and then color slides of the scene are projected onto a large, light background that replaces the scenery. This accompanies Koshei the Deathless, Baba Yaga the wicked witch, and Leyshi the magical villain and jokester.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Milovsoroff was known for his strange but whimsical puppets which were based on characters from Russian folklore and fairy tales. Milovsoroff called these puppets "folklorettes" otherwise known as sprites, elves, goblins, or fairies who lived in an imaginary, forest-like kingdom.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Born in Siberia, Basil Milovsoroff (1906–1992) emigrated to the United States in 1927 and went on to receive a bachelors degree from Oberlin College in 1932, and completed his masters in 1934. From 1934-1957 he toured the United States producing puppet shows in museums and children's theaters featuring Russian folk tales.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Milovsoroff was a member of The Federal Theatre Project, which was one of many programs created by President Roosevelt for the New Deal in 1935. The project was developed during the Great Depression to employ jobless theater professionals and make the performing arts available to the vast number of citizens who had little money for entertainment. Puppets were an integral part of this project and marionette units presented an average of 1200 shows a week in 22 states. Between 1934-1937, the Federal Theater Project units produced over 2700 plays seen by about 30 million people, most of whom had ever seen a play.
label: Description (Brief)
content: In 1954 Milovsoroff taught Russian at Cornell University and was named the Chairman of the National Festival of the Puppeteers of America.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Vermont, Norwich
label: associated place
content: United States: Vermont
topic: label: general subject association
content: Puppetry
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Puppets
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Basil and Georgia Taylor Milovsoroff
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1985.0398.04
label: accession number
content: 1985.0398
label: catalog number
content: 1985.0398.04
objectType: label: Object Name
content: backdrop
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paint (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: canvas (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 17 1/2 in x 16 in x 2 1/2 in; 44.45 cm x 40.64 cm x 6.35 cm