The last part of the 1927 article “Women in Scenic Art”
“Oh yes, there are plenty more, the Misses Hancock, Farrington, Vickers, Bernstein, Donner, Roche and Nellie Leach who is perhaps an actress who paints but, without disparaging her histrionic talents, more likely a painter who acts. Whether they are doing art directing, designing or actual painting of scenes, they are all going to “stay a while, thank you!” for what is particularly nice about them, they never asked more that a fair field and no favors.”
Without the first names for these women, a search is exceedingly difficult and the results are questionable at best. I actually happened to know of “Miss Donner” and will leave her for tomorrow and focus on Nellie Leach (dates unknown).
There are several performers with the name of “Nellie Leach” who appear all across the country and in both England and Australia. Some list her as a soprano who was married to Fred Leach and others note her travel on various theatre circuits. The verifiable connection that I could make is her performance in two Broadway productions during 1926. She is listed in the Broadway database for the productions of “The Jeweled Trees” and “Love ‘em and Leave ‘em.” I also tracked down her portrait in the Billy Rose Theatre collection at the New York Public Library. The age and location suggest an appropriate pairing.
It has always been difficult to track down scenic artists. Many names are misspelled in programs and last names might include only initials, or the title of “Mr.” For women scenic artists it is even more difficult as their names will change from their maiden name to a married name, while still remaining misspelled. Their first name may become entirely forgotten, being gradually erased over time and disappearing from printed history. Shadows of their husband remain, becoming a “Mrs.” tacked onto another person’s name.
Looking beyond the names and the identities, ten women were noted as scenic artists in a 1927 article in ONE city! This is a remarkable number, signifying a shift in an industry. The article publicly acknowledges the contributions of women in technical theatre.
I have continued to stumble across the names of women scenic artists since I first starting my research as an undergraduate. Some believe that any mention of women painting or illustrations of women painting suggested their activities were simply “helping out.” I have to wonder about this previous assessment by theatre practitioners and historians as there were multiple activities that continually incorporated women into other trades at this time, such as architecture, illustration, sculpture and art. Was it common? No, but it was a constant move toward progress. Women represented a small percentage of the scenic art world, but they were still there. One example is the women’s building at the 1893 for the Columbian Exposition. It was designed and decorated by women; an endeavor that could not have been accomplished with solely unskilled individuals who were new to the trades.
To think about Nellie Leach as “an actress who paints” or “a painter who acts” reminds me of Joe Jefferson’s variety of theatre skills. His painting was looked upon as an asset to all of his other stage work. Why would not the same belief apply to any female theatre artist such as Nellie Leach?
I will leave today with my favorite quote from the article: “Whether they are doing art directing, designing or actual painting of scenes, they are all going to stay a while, thank you!”
We certainly have stayed a while!
