ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF ...

perhaps the beginning puppeteer, who may move on to more sophisticated designs at a
later date.
One more sophisticated design provided by McPharlin is “Nounou,” a puppet
sketch for a play called Witch Moon (figure 26). Nounou is a colloquial French term for a
Fig. 26. Paul McPharlin. “Witch Moon.” Unpublished Collection Sketch (Detroit:
Detroit Institute of the Arts, 1915-1948).
nanny. A Witch Moon is what some pagan traditionalists call a harvest moon. Though
no copy of the corresponding playtext is extant, McPharlin may have derived the plot
from New Orleans folklore, and/or from the nature religion referred to as Voodou, given
the combination of French terminology and blackface characterization. In any case, this
image speaks of McPharlin’s distinction between the blackface roles of minstrelsy and
other clowning traditions, and more serious plays derived from American folktales. From
the scarf upon the nanny’s head, and her large hoop style earring, to the unusually
flowing and wide dress, the sketch suggests the ceremonial garb of a voodou witch. The
118