Bicentenary of the birth of Guignol (1808)
In 1808, Laurent Mourguet, a Lyonnais silk worker turned "tooth puller", fashioned a puppet to distract his patients during the extraction process. The Neichthuser brothers, both sculptors, created the final Guignol face.
Guignol Theatre was officially opened in 1838. From then on, Guignol entered the pantheon of famous puppets.
Guignol personifies the Lyonnais spirit, both mischievous and mocking but always very sensible. As a genuine Lyonnais silk worker, Guignol criticised the politics of his time, acted out his daily hardships, his claims against and his opinions on the bourgeoisie... he embodied the indignation felt against injustice.
