Two antisemitic puppets from a puppet theater. Germany, C. 1900

Both puppets are designed with inner lining compartments allowing the performer to insert a hand and operate the figures during a theater performance.

In late 19th- and early 20th-century Germany, popular puppet theater (Puppentheater) was one of the most widely used tools for injecting ethnic and social stereotypes into broad audiences, including children and adolescents. Alongside familiar folkloric characters such as Kasperl and others, puppets representing the “typical Jew” were featured with exaggerated, caricatured traits, designed to provoke ridicule, suspicion, or disgust. The appearance of these figures drew upon a tradition of antisemitic caricature that had developed in German satirical press since the mid-19th century. With the rise of German nationalism and political antisemitism in the years surrounding the unification of the Reich, these puppets took on a cultural and educational role: they offered a simple visual "language" that dictated social hierarchies and identity markers. 

This theatrical genre introduced cartoonish and political satire into popular performance, casting the Jew as a visual symbol of deceit, a “wolf in disguise” or a “cunning trader.” On this stage, the Jewish character became a visual confirmation of prejudice. Antisemitism found a new arena where it could “show” the Jew, not just describe him. The historical significance of these antisemitic puppet shows lies in their operation within the informal space between popular entertainment and the shaping of national consciousness. They reflected social attitudes that foreshadowed the rise of racial and state-sponsored antisemitism in the interwar period, demonstrating how extreme Jewish stereotypes had already become embedded in mass cultural codes well before the Nazi era.

Identical size: 27×12 cm. Good condition.