Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 381 – The Artistic Legacy of Phil W. Goatcher

Part 381: The Artistic Legacy of Phil W. Goatcher

Phillip W. Goatcher has repeatedly appeared in my searches over the past few years, often as the mentor to various artists that I was tracking down. In 1892, the Chicago Sunday Tribune reported Phillip Goatcher as “a well-known artist of the old school, famous for his oriental color and tropical foliage” (Dec, 18, 1892, page 41). Goatcher instructed numerous scenic artists who gained national reputations during the late-nineteenth century, including Homer Emens and Walter Burridge. Burridge trained with Goatcher at the Chestnut Theatre during the mid-1870s and by 1876, Burridge and Goatcher worked on the “Siege of Paris” for the Philadelphia Centennial World Fair.

Goatcher was unique, working all over the world from New York to Melbourne. His 1931 obituary in the West Australian reports that he, “followed the calling of scene painter for nearly 60 years in America, England and Australia…He had resided in Western Australia for 30 years and was known as perhaps the finest scene painter whoever worked in this State. Going from America to England early in 1873, he painted the scenes for several of the leading theatrical productions in Manchester, Birmingham and London in the next few years, including scenes for the operas of Mr. Rupert D’Oyley Carte’s companies. He also worked in Paris, and for some time was engaged in decorating the London house of Lord Londonderry. He leaves three sons and a daughter, one son, Mr. James Goatcher, being at present in Perth. Another son is in New South Wales, and his daughter and third son are in America” (Perth, WA, 9 October 1931, page 18)

I first discovered this interesting scenic artist when I was researching drop curtains and came across the Goatcher Curtain in the Boulder Town Hall. At the time, I was looking at theatre history in Boulder, Colorado – never expecting to discover a drop curtain in the gold-mining region of Western Australia attributed to Goatcher. The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder is a major mining center and current home to over 30,000 people working in a wide range of businesses servicing the community and the mining industry.

As a piece in the puzzle of Goatcher’s legacy, it is an appropriate time to add in this information about historic scenery and the need for conservation. The painted curtain in the Boulder Town Hall depicts the scene of the Bay of Naples, showing Vesuvius in the background. Some historians suggest that the composition was designed in recognition of the Italians working in the Eastern Goldfields at that time. The drop measures 20’ high by 26’ wide. Signed and dated “Phil W. Goatcher 1908,” it is believed that this is the only surviving backdrop by Goatcher left in the world. Interestingly, the original 1908 stage machinery is still used to raise and lower the curtain.

As with many painted scenes, the Goatcher curtain was forgotten over time as the hall and stage scenery were used less and less. The canvas was severely deteriorated when it was rediscovered in 1990. There were cuts, tears, water damage, and vandalism. The canvas had been partially over-painted with white for use as a movie screen sometime in the 1940s.

An 1994 conservation report estimated the cost of restoration at $224,000. Funds were immediately raised to carry out the work as the community saw value in their large-scale artwork. Once again, pride in ownership saved one more piece of theatre history!

There are several sites that depict some of Goatcher’s surviving fine artworks, most notably a 1916 oil painting of ‘The Annunciation” at St. John’s Anglican Church in Freemantle. There is also a 1922 mural painted for the Anglican Church in Collie, a coalmining town in Western Australia’s south-west. It is wonderful to see that a piece of a theatre history will live forever in Australia.

To be continued…

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. View all posts by waszut_barrett@me.com