Whiting was a white powder used in both priming and painting. Studios purchased this product in 300 lbs. wooden barrels. Inside this thin wooden container was an inner wrapping on paper to prevent this fine white silica powder from leaking through the seems. The pictures depict a barrel of whiting found on site at the Fort Scott Scottish Rite temple during November 2016. It was ordered by Thomas Moses to create the scenery collection on site and was never opened. We discovered and opened the barrel to find a perfect product, well-encapsulated for 90 years! I emptied the barrel to transport the product for future restoration purposes. The whiting is now the property of the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.
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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