Abstract

This study is a historical survey of the Rosalynde Osborne Stearn Collection housed at McGill University's Rare Books and Special Collections Division. The collection is the result of the efforts of Rosalynde Osborne Stearn, (1888-1990), who actively collected puppet figures, posters, texts, theatres and various other puppet paraphernalia. The thesis' emphasis is on Osborne Stearn's biography and varying roles of her creative career, those of an artist, a performer and a collector. The thesis seeks to insert Osborne Stearn as a vibrant character in Canadian Art History, active in an art practice that has ventured near oblivion in Canada, as well as increase interest in this fascinating collection.