Helen Joseph

Helen Haiman Joseph (August 28, 1888 – August 15, 1978) was an American puppeteer and author. Known as the "grandmother of American puppetry", she published plays, books, along with puppeteering nationally.

Early life Helen Lowenthan Haiman was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 28, 1888. Her father and mother were Elias and Frances Lowenthan Haiman respectively. When she was 7, her family moved to Cleveland where she eventually attended Central High School. She then attended and graduated from the College for Women of Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve University) with a B.A. in 1910. The following year she graduated from Vassar College with her second B.A. in 1921.

Continued career in Pinocchio Players and WW2 hiatus By the 1930s, Pinocchio Players performed to thousands of children every year. She met Ernest, who was a trustee of the play house. They had two daughters, Anne and Ernestine. Ernest died the following year in 1919.

She donated marionettes to the Detroit Institute of the Arts from 1917 to 1935.

Correspondence and unfinished works The New York Public Library holds documents including Joseph's correspondence, unfinished works, and notes ranging from 1917 to 1959. The unfinished works include a partially finished autobiography and plays. The correspondence includes her letters to her family and friends. Notable correspondents including Ernest Bloch, Genevieve Taggard, and Ivo Puhonny. It also includes letters praising her first book A Book of Marionettes.