Part 488: The King Solomon Story
As I started to explore the Ringling Brothers’ grand spectacle, “King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba,” I could not help but think of the many stage settings for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. The designs include a variety of images from King Solomon’s Temple, the Sanctum Sanctorum, palatial apartments and the throne room. The story of the construction of King Solomon’s Temple was a subject dramatically acted in both Blue Lodge rooms and in Scottish Rite stages as part of their degree work. It was also a rich and popular subject for a variety of nineteenth-century entertainment venues.
The construction of the Temple and the assassination of its chief architect Hiram, remain a prominent topic in Masonic degree work, especially as a morality play. This story acted in lodge rooms was expanded upon and theatrically staged for Scottish Rite degree work. Never exclusive to the Fraternity, the reign of King Solomon was a popular subject for a variety of visual spectacles throughout the nineteenth century.
In past posts, I have covered the subject of King Solomon on both public and private stages, including two 1840s touring show that featured “Chemical Paintings,” also known as “Magic Pictures.” These small painted backdrops transitioned from day to night as the composition was alternatively lit from both the front and back (see past installment #320). Newspapers from the time reported, “by modifying the light upon the picture, exhibits two entirely distinct representations upon the same canvas” (The Times-Picayune, 20 Dec. 1842, page 3). The Inauguration of Solomon’s Temple was one of four scenes that toured with the show. For a more thorough understanding of the 1842 exhibition, here is the description of “The Inauguration of Solomon’s Temple” as published in “The Times-Picayune:” “This painting represents the magnificent Temple of Solomon, son of David, which he caused to be erected in Jerusalem. Seen in the daytime, it exhibits to the spectacular the richness and elegance of its exterior architecture. The same Painting soon after passes through all the modifications of light: then night comes on, (effects obtained by the decomposition of light, a new process of painting invented by Daguerre,) the Temple appears illuminated interiorly by degrees, reflecting a bright light exteriorly, which discovers a great multitude of people flocking to adore the Ark of the Covenant, which the High Priest has deposited in the Tabernacle” (New Orleans, December 29, 1842, page 3).
Now to understand the popularity and appeal of the subject to Freemasons, I want to contrast these two events. The 1842 scenic effects, exhibited at the end of a darkened room suggested the possibilities for dramatic effects during degree work. As a Mason who attended the 1842 exhibit, I might leave full of ideas that could make the degree work in my small lodge room better. In contrast, the Ringling Brothers’ spectacle of “King Solomon” was produced at a scale that the Fraternity could never achieve. By 1914, dozens of Blue Lodge and Scottish Rite stages were using painted scenes that depicted King Solomon’s Temple, palatial quarters and the nearby landscape. They all paled in comparison with the grand spectacle at the circus, yet the same scenic artists were painting the sets for each venue.
Tomorrow, I will and taking the day off and will examine the Masonic history of the Ringlings on Wednesday.
To be continued…
