From Bradford Ashworth’s “Notes on Scene Painting” (1952, page 3)
“Netting comes in two varieties for use as scenery:
(a). the ordinary meshed bar of mosquito netting which is obtainable in many colors.
(b). the natural-color drop and border foliage netting which has a mesh of about one-inch square.”
I have primarily encountered one-inch square netting in Masonic scenery. Prior to the 1920s, each individual knotted intersection was carefully dabbed with glue. After the 1920s, entire edges are smeared with a 4″ to 6″ wide swath of glue. Attached are pictures form various scenery collections in the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite. In many cases, you can see the original guidelines, tack marks, and handprints.
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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