From the handwritten diary of Thomas Moses for the year 1931:
“May 12, 1931, Thursday
Went to Pasadena a little late today and put in a lot of time at the Consistory visiting. I must get over there again to see some of the works. I have to keep in touch with all sorts of work. The Cathedral is well kept and it will be good for a number of years.”
Below is the picture of the Cathedral that Moses is referring to – still hanging in the Pasadena Scottish Rite. When he wrote this entry, he was 75 years old, struggling as a scenic artist, and enjoying sketching trips with artist John Englehart.
Author: waszut_barrett@me.com
Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD, is an author, artist, and historian, specializing in painted settings for opera houses, vaudeville theaters, social halls, cinemas, and other entertainment venues. For over thirty years, her passion has remained the preservation of theatrical heritage, restoration of historic backdrops, and the training of scenic artists in lost painting techniques. In addition to evaluating, restoring, and replicating historic scenes, Waszut-Barrett also writes about forgotten scenic art techniques and theatre manufacturers. Recent publications include the The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2018), as well as articles for Theatre Historical Society of America’s Marquee, InitiativeTheatre Museum Berlin’s Die Vierte Wand, and various Masonic publications such as Scottish Rite Journal, Heredom and Plumbline. Dr. Waszut-Barrett is the founder and president of Historic Stage Services, LLC, a company specializing in historic stages and how to make them work for today’s needs. Although her primary focus remains on the past, she continues to work as a contemporary scene designer for theatre and opera.
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