Month: August 2017

Thomas Moses entered the world of scenic art as an assistant to C. Louis Malmsha. This was in addition to his work as Malmsha’s assistant in the P. M. Almini & Co. studios. Malmsha was the head designer at Almini’s, but he frequently left to accept theatre projects. It was Malmsha’s painting for McVicker’s Theatre that provided Moses with his first scene painting opportunity. These were formative years for Moses. Again, he was in the right place at the right time. His first scenic art instruction was provided by a nationally recognized master in the theatre world, one that was the proverbial “shooting star.” I previously discussed Malmsha’s significance and artistic endeavors in installments 123 and 124, but I will briefly recap as Malmsha was Moses’ first scenic art mentor.

Malmsha was born in Sweden during 1847 and traveled to America at the age of sixteen in 1863. He initially found employment at Jevne & Almini’s fresco studio, but soon began working as a scenic artist at Crosby’s Opera House.

Malmsha rapidly rose to the top of the scenic art profession in the United States. Moses’ rise to stardom parallels that of his mentor Malmsha. Both quickly transitioned from young fresco assistants to professional scenic artists.

For the last decade of Malmsha’s life, he battled consumption and required increased assistance in everything. This was at the same time that Moses was assigned to Malmsha as his assistant. The seventeen-year-old Moses helped him with a variety of projects. Moses also worked for others at P. M. Almini & Co. during Malmsha’s sporadic absences. Moses, commenting on the times when Malmsha was “taken away” from the studio, wrote, “I had to do a lot of hard work for every Swede and Norwegian on the job. They made me hustle.” This is the first reference to the speed at which Moses was expected to work. Working at a rapid pace was obviously drilled into Moses from the beginning of his career and became his greatest artistic attribute.

After after Malmsha’s passing, Henry C. Tryon wrote a tender tribute that rendered homage to his friend and colleague. Tryon noted his “transcendant genius” as the “best in his profession.” He also commented the speed at which Malmsha worked, writing that his compositions were “produced with astonishing rapidity.” Moses would also become known for the speed at which he worked. In 1881 Moses wrote in his diary, “The others were able to draw more, because they were better in the artistic end, but I had it over them when it came to speed.” By this time, Moses had worked as a scenic artist for seven years and had a sense of both the scenic art profession and the talents of his fellow artists at Sosman & Landis Studio.

We are unsure of how long Moses worked as Malmsha’s assistant. By 1880, Moses was in the employ of Sosman & Landis, a mere three years after the studio opened. By this time, Sosman had heard of Moses’ work and immediately hired him for $18.00 a week. Regardless, at the age of seventeen Moses had started his scenic art career under the tutelage of Malmsha. As a young man who was so eager to learn an artistic trade, he would have embraced all forms of instruction, especially that given by a highly respected instructor. His instructor had quickly ascended to the height of the scenic art profession in less than a decade. This would have been great incentive for an artist entering the field. Interestingly, Malmsha was only nine years Moses’ senior and would have been the perfect role model for this “green boy from the country.”

Malmsha not only set the pace for creating scenic art works, but also provided inspiration for his younger assistant. Talented, dashing, and successful, Malmsha provided an attractive incentive to enter the field of scenic art. In 1874, Malmsha had only been working as a scenic artist for nine years, yet was a sought after commodity throughout the theatre world.

In later years, Moses recalled the talents of Malmsha, writing, “He was a very clever man. In all the years that have passed since then, I have never found a man that could do so little and get so much out of his work, very simple in drawing and color, but very effective.”

To be continued…

I have often found myself being in the right place at the right time. Whether intentional or not, I stumbled into the right room and met the right people. This happens to many individuals over the course of their lives. Life throws a series of opportunities at us. Occasionally, one will make contact. Hopefully, you are able to later look back, connect the dots, and reflect on these moments with profound appreciation. If I had not missed all of the necessary deadlines to attend college in Duluth, I never would have ended up in the Twin Cities. If Lance Brockman had not happened to say, “You should think about taking scene painting class” when I handed in my first production model for Tech II, I could have never started painting for VEE Corporation that summer.

I look at Thomas Moses traveling to Chicago in 1873 and seeking out a master painter for the C. & N. W. Rail Road. He could have arrived and found employment at many businesses as the city built itself up after the devastating fire two years earlier. As an inexperienced boy from a small town, many established art studios could have said “no.” Would anyone else beside Mr. Michaels have gone out on a limb to not only help this young artist find work and lodging, but also write a letter on his behalf to an irate father?   Michael managed to bring Moses to the foremost painting studio in the area and help him secure a position. There were dozens of places to work as a decorator in Chicago at the time.

Mr. Michaels also found Moses a place to stay. It was a room with another artist, a man by the name of Nichols. They both worked for P. M. Almini & Co. Moses. In his manuscript Moses noted that Mr. Nichols was a very good pattern maker at the studio, but “a hard drinker.” Regardless of either attribute, he was very kind as Moses got adjusted to living in the big city. In all reality, Moses’ adventure in the big city could have ended in disaster as “a green one from the country.”

Moses was just one of many artists who found their start with Peter Magnus Almini (1825-1890).

Almini and Otto Jevne (1823-1905) founded a fresco painting and decorating firm in Chicago during 1853, each having arrived in the country just a few years before forming their partnership. Almini was from Sweden and a previous assistant superintendent in the decorating of the royal palace in Stockholm. He also had worked as a fresco artist throughout Russia and Finland. Jevne was fresco painter from Norway with a variety of skills in both stained glass and fresco work. The 1862 publication titled “History of Chicago; Its Commercial and Manufacturing Interests and Industry; Together with Sketches of Manufacturers and Men Who Have Most Contributed to Its Prosperity and Advancement with Glances at Some of the Best Hotels; also the Principal Railroads which Center in Chicago,” included the firm of Jevne & Almini in his chapter “Interior Decorations.” It recorded that the firm had “inculcated and infused a higher level of Fresco Painting.” Jevne & Almini were not simply known for their plaster innovations and decorative painting skills. The two were also well known publishers, printing descriptive lithography of landscapes, architecture, publishing a journal devoted to art and architecture titled “Chicago Illustrated” with portfolios that provide many if the visual records from the bustling city before the fire of 1871.

After the 1871 fire, Jevne and Almini separated, each going their own way and founding new companies. Otto Jevne & Co. was initially located at 79 and 81 Dearborn Street, later moving to 226 E. Washington Street. and P. M. Almini & Co. (344 State Street). Jevne advertised as both a fresco painter and glass stainer, but Almini was the greater success by far.

Additionally, Jevne & Almini had advertised as “dealers in artists’ and painters’ materials, oil paintings, steel engravings, chromo lithographs, &c.” As a paint supplier, they knew all the local artists. They were also credited with establishing the first art gallery in Chicago, the forerunner to the Academy of Fine Arts (1879-1882) and later the Art Institute of Chicago.

Furthermore, Almini was a member of the Academy of Design and vice-president of the Master-Painters and Decorator’s Association of Chicago. He was also the treasurer of the National Association of Painters and Decorators when it was founded. His connection to the fine art world and the artists that he employed in his decorating studio provided a perfect situation for an aspiring artist from Sterling, Illinois.

At the same time that Moses found employment with Almini, the company participated in the Inter-State Industrial Exposition of 1873. This was the perfect place and time for Moses to find his first job. Their description in the souvenir catalogue noted:

“P. M. Almini & Co., 344 State street, Chicago, made a fine and attractive display of artists’ material, paints, oils, brushes, foreign and domestic designs in fresco, etc., the whole presenting and exhibition of much attraction to all, being arranged in a highly commendable manner.”

Chicago was building itself up again after the fire and many of its artists were along for the ride.

To be continued…