John Logie Baird's test subject 'Stookie Bill'
- Made:
- c. 1926
- maker:
- Unknown
'Stookie / Stooky Bill' ventiloquist's dummy head. From The Plessey Museum.
'Stookie/Stooky Bill' ventiloquist's dummy head.
Known as 'Stookie Bill' or 'Stooky Bill', this ventriloquist’s dummy was used by John Logie Baird (1888-1946) in his experimental television work. The lights for the experiments were so hot Baird couldn't use a human for the tests. Baird began experimenting with imaging systems in the early 1920s. By 1924 he successfully transmitted outline images over wires and by 1925 he was able to transmit recognisable human faces.
Details
- Category:
- Television
- Object Number:
- 2001-5037/3
- Materials:
- hair, plaster-of-Paris, string, wood (unidentified)
- type:
- ventriloquist’s dummy
- credit:
- The National Media Museum, Bradford
Cite this page
Rights
We encourage the use and reuse of our collection data.
Data in the title, made, maker and details fields are released under Creative Commons Zero
Descriptions and all other text content are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence
Download
Download catalogue entry as json
Download 
manifest IIIF
Our records are constantly being enhanced and improved, but please note that we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information shown on this website.
