Little Boxes
The discovery of the paintbrush in loft above the stage prompted an extensive search. Soon, I was sitting in the dirt and peering two feet down into a six-inch gap along the studio floor, looking for more treasure. Austin’s arms were far longer, so he pulled out the majority of the items. It quickly became apparent to my crew that this was not a case of “finders keepers” as had been the case with the remainder of trash piles scattered throughout the building. I now confiscated everything, hoping to add to even more artistic provenance for the Fort Scott scenery collection.
In the same spot from where we retrieved the scenic brush, colorful pieces of wood began to emerge. I immediately identified these slats as pieces from dry pigment boxes. With each new discovery, I expressed extreme delight!
Brandon and Austin shot me a puzzling glance, almost every time that I examined an artifact. Occasionally they asked, “Are you taking THAT back to Minnesota too!?!” Their skepticism was understandable as most of the finds resembled construction trash, or broken bits of wood, in the dim light. Although they were broken and dirty, the pigment boxes still displayed the vibrant colors of their original contents.
What was a secondary surprise were the shipping labels. Although faded, black stencils denoted the manufacturer and client! For years, I had tracked down the various dry pigment suppliers in Chicago, trying to identify those who supplied Sosman & Landis Studios with their colors. I could now verify at least one of the suppliers for painted scenery projects.
The dry pigment had been shipped to “Sosman and Landis c/o the Scottish Rite Fort Scott, Kansas.” For me, this was a smoking gun
All the while, I kept thinking of the folk song “Little Boxes” with Malvina Reynold’s lyrics:
“There’s a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they’re all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.”
Well, just like transporting 300 pounds of whiting and a wooden barrel, I was taking some “ticky-tacky” home.
To be continued…
