“Tales of a Scenic Artist and Scholar” will return on Tuesday, December 26.
Until then, here is a delightful advertisement for Santa Claus Soap that I stumbled across in the Weekly Pioneer-Times (Deadwood, South Dakota) from March 30, 1893 (page 2). This just made me giggle!
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the following: “Ride a cockhorse, to Chicago of course, to get some of Santa Claus’ Soap which is boss. Its merits for cleaning and washing the clothes, assure it a welcome wherever it goes. Fairbank’s Santa Claus Soap is the best for every household use. All grocers keep it. Made only by N. K. Fairbank & Co., Chicago.
Have a wonderful Christmas eve and day!
Wendy
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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