Month: October 2018

Part 552: Thomas G. Moses and Chicago’s White City, 1906

In 1906, Thomas G. Moses recorded that he worked on some scenic shows for “White City.” White City was also known as “White City Amusement Park.” Inspired in part by the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, It was named after the white lights that lined many of its buildings. The amusement park’s “Electric Tower” was a steel structure outlined in electric lights that could be seen fifteen miles away.

The park opened on May 26, 1905 and lasted until 1933. The amusement park was on a fourteen-acre former cornfield, located at 63rd Street and South Parkway (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive), in the Greater Grand Crossing and Woodlawn community areas. Admission was ten cents, and the park was open rain or shine.

Advertisements in Chicago newspapers listed a variety of popular attractions at the park. Even the Goodyear Blimp was first assembled at the park. Moses wrote that he worked on a variety of attractions that included “One big show. A Trip to Mars.” Other park attractions included “Fire and Flames (the Chicago Fire),” “The Johnstown Flood,” “the Canals of Venice [water ride],” “Temple of Palmistry,” “Catacombs,” “The Third Degree,”[?] “Famous Cow and Lunch,”[??] “Infant Incubators,” “Midget City,” “Jewell’s Manikins,” Big Otto’s trained wild animal show, a Gypsy camp, “Hale’s Tours of the World,” “Automatic Vaudeville,” a vaudeville theatre, a roller coaster, small Ferris wheel, flying airships, Lindy Loop, Seaplane, Jim Key, a Japanese Booth, a Japanese ball game, a roller rink, penny arcade, a scenic railway, an electric theater, a model laundry, a the “Fun Factory,” electric cooking exhibit, photograph gallery, the House of a Thousand and One Troubles (fun house), “Figure 8,” “Shoot the Chutes,” “The Kilties” (a Canadian band that played Scottish music), a miniature railway, and “Kellar’s Blue Room.” After the park opened, one ride malfunctioned; a visitor was killed and two others injured. Then the park’s roller coaster encountered problems, injuring another twelve patrons.

During the park’s second summer of operation, the White City Construction Company also secured a plot of land measuring 665×500 feet that adjoined the south end of the amusement park. In this area, an open air amphitheater was erected with a seating capacity of 12,000 (Inter Ocean, 15 June 1906, page 6).

By July 1, 1906, the “Inter Ocean” reported, “The principal new attraction at the park this week will be a big revival of the “Last Days of Pompeii” on a block of ground adjoining the White City. Five hundred gorgeously costumed embryo Roman and Egyptian citizens, gladiators, guards, charioteers, musicians, priests, priestesses, choir boys, Pompeian dignitaries, dancing girls, flower girls, etc. will tonight be put through the paces of a final dress rehearsal for Pain’s big spectacle. The initial performance of a ten week’s engagement will be given in the vast new White City amphitheater tomorrow night, and General Manager H. B. Thearle is positive in his assurances of a smooth and finished opening.

The scenic representation of doomed Pompeii represents the fated city that perished in the first century of the Christian era. The scenery used in this production covers and area of five acres of ground, but so deceptive is the perspective that it is said it appears to spread over many times that space.

The scene opens with a fete day in the ancient city, and for upward an hour the audience is entertained with a production of the sports and feats of the hippodrome, chariot races, ballets, aerial and acrobatic performers, pageants, etc. The tragic dramatic episodes of the spectacle are shown in pantomime. The fetes are interrupted by he terrific eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of the city by the earthquake, bringing into action all the skill and ingenious of Pain’s artists. Following these scenes, there is presented an exhibition of fireworks. For the accommodation of patrons, a downtown ticket office will be opened at Lyon & Healy’s tomorrow morning and maintained throughout the season” (page 26).

The Daily Herald described, “These fascinating and thrilling midsummer night shows of the famous Pain have for 27 years been the one big night attraction at fashionable Manhattan Beach New York, also for the same length of time at Alexandria Palace, London. The production given at White City, surpasses anything ever seen in the open air amusement line in this country. As known to most readers, Pain’s “Last Days of Pompeii” is a thrilling realistic reenactment of the greatest catastrophe in the world’s history; the awful destruction of an ancient city and its people by earthquakes and volcano eruption…So thrillingly realistic is the effect, that the onlooker will find it hard to realize he has been gazing only upon a startling scene of mimic destruction instead of a terrible reality” (Chicago, 29 June 1906, page 1).

The spectacle was advertised as a “most stupendous, thrilling and beautiful open-air spectacle in the world – a $100,000 production.” The theme surrounding the destruction of this ancient city razed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius was especially poignant; the great Volcano erupted again during April of 1906. This disaster occurred the same month as the San Francisco earthquake and fire. For many, it may have seemed like the end of the world.

To be continued…

Part 551: The Phobias of Dry Pigment and Aniline Dye – Third of Three Parts

Over a fairly short period of time, the American scenic artists shifted from using dry colors to pre-mixed paints. Dry pigment and binder were replaced with a relatively expensive pre-mixed product in a can. In addition to the expense, pre-mixed paints had a limited shelf life and color selection. Keep in mind that dry colors can be stored almost indefinitely and used even after they freeze, get wet, or are stored in less than ideal conditions. The longevity of dry pigment is due to the fact that it is stored separately from the binder.

So why did we shift to a more expensive product, especially one with inferior paint colors and a shorter shelf life? Convenience is a big reason.

Selecting to use pre-mixed paints instead of dry pigment and hide glue is similar to deciding on take out in lieu of cooking a meal. When we buy fast food there is no shopping, preparation or clean up involved for that meal – just pull up, pay and drive away. You don’t even have to know how to cook. The same can be said for using pre-mixed paint in a can; no instruction needed, just open and apply. Pre-mixed paint was the great equalizer and removed some of the mystery from the scenic art process. You don’t have to understand how certain dry pigment colors interact with others or worry if the binder is either too weak or too strong.

But there is one factor to consider when we chose convenience. Just like preservatives placed in a variety of pre-made meals, we need to be aware of hidden ingredients in pre-mixed paint. Yesterday I alluded to ever changing paint formulas and additives introduced to the product; not all paint ingredients are safe. With dry pigments, we worried about the possibility of lead, cadmium, arsenic, or other dangerous ingredients in specific colors. However, beyond the concern of using certain colors, the binder was all natural, simply diluted hide glue. As scenic artists, WE controlled every ingredient that we were handling as we mixed our own colors and binders. This is not the case with pre-mixed paint produced by a company.

We also must always remember that paint manufacturers believe we solely handle and apply their product as recommended, and in a traditional manner with a brush, roller or sprayer. As scenic artists we have a variety of non-traditional practices when applying paint to scenery. We push the limits of the product and bend recommended handling procedures to achieve stunning effects. While doing this, we also get covered with paint.

Here is what I have observed thus far. Many scenic artists are much more cavalier with water-based products than their solvent-based counterparts – regardless of any warning. Water-based paints constantly get on our clothes and skin; we wear it like a badge, signifying what we are to the general public and our colleagues. Paint covers our shoes, socks, pants, shirts, sweatshirts and other personal items. Our phones, keys and jewelry all sport little droplets of paint. We spend hours spattering paint, squeezing paint out the bristles, cleaning spray guns, and scrubbing out buckets.

I have seldom encountered “tidy” scenic artists, those who wear street clothes that show no sign of their profession. We look back in wonder at early-twentieth-century photographs that depict scenic artists who painting in suits, showing very little paint spattered on their clothes. Our predecessors were smart to avoid dry pigment and hide glue from getting on their clothes and coming into contact with their skin.

A few years ago, I began wearing everyday clothes while painting. The immediate change in my behavior was astounding. I worked with the water-based paint as if it were solvent-based paint; avoiding contact with my skin or clothes at all costs. This immediate shift in my perception was fascinating. Our overall perception of all water-based paint needs to change. We must acknowledge that there are hidden dangers in pre-mixed paint and we have yet to discover them all.

To be continued…

 

 

 Part 550: The Phobias of Dry Pigment and Aniline Dye – Second of Three Parts

During the first decade of the twentieth century, much traveling scenery was created with aniline dye, allowing drops to be easily folded and packed in a trunk. This process ensured that the painted composition would not crack or dust off during transit and repeated use.

Dye drops were lighter and far easier to handle, perfect for tent shows, midway amusements, circuses, and vaudeville troupes. The vibrant colors of aniline dye also worked beautifully for certain stage effects, translucencies and stained glass. All you needed to mix it with gum arabic, or a similar binder, and it provided maximum adhesion and minimal bleeding of color. However, just like any chemistry project, you had to get the binder/water/dye ratios correct. For inking in charcoal lines, aniline dye was used with a little bit of shellac. Aniline dye was a wonderful and versatile “go-to” product for painting and staining.

Fast-forward eighty years to the 1980s. Aniline dye was still used in some paint shops, and for more than just translucent effects. The dye was used to brightened paint colors, especially when some pre-mix batches began appearing lackluster and dull. A good dollop of aniline dye dumped into a five-gallon bucket of paint made most drab colors bright and beautiful. But this colorful additive did not necessarily make everyone grab a pair of gloves to prevent the paint from staining their hands, or threatening their health. This was not an anomaly, as the handling of aniline dye was different then; previous generations of scenic artists broke up clumps of aniline dye with their bare hands, not fully understanding the health hazards. We were just starting to acknowledge some dangers in our industry. I doubt that any of these scenic artists were trying to be irresponsible or dangerous to others; they simply didn’t have all of the facts to properly handle the product.

As a parallel topic, there were prolonged debates about cutting Styrofoam with a hot wire. Some of my colleagues insisted it was perfectly safe, while others were adamant that it was an incredibly dangerous process. I then also think about the debates concerning the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke – dangerous or not? We now know the science. It takes time to identify health concerns and disseminate the information to the general public. It takes time to establish and implement proper safeguards. In many cases, something has to happen for a safety warning to be included on a label – or a warning label to go on a product at all. Whether it is a problem documented during the testing of animals, or problems identified among a group of users, a consensus is reached to prior to adding a warning. For scenic artists there can be a long list of health concerns. Some are extremely hard to diagnose if the majority of users also smoke and are exposed to other airborne toxins.

So lets consider how an industry implements changes in handling procedures or identifies alternative products. Is it simply easier for us to distance ourselves from a controversial product that has been used for decades? How does that compare with trying to raise awareness about how to safely handle this product? These discussions become complicated if some belittle those addressing health concerns. Regardless, we now fully understand the necessary for safety precautions that must be in place when handling aniline dye. Has this information arrived too late? Why are some toxic paints acceptable and others not? Aniline dye is still readily available and actively sought out by woodworkers, leatherworkers and other artisans, just not scenic artists. Why?

It is understandable that we constantly seek safer products, especially in lieu of altering our handling methods for a familiar product. Are the new products really safer, or are we once unaware of the hidden dangers once again?

It takes decades of use and generations of artists to identify certain problems or health hazards associated with a particular product. New products simply can’t enter the market place with every danger being known. One example is the popular alternative to aniline dye – thinned supersaturated paint. This switch seems completely reasonable, and far safer. But what if we are unfamiliar with all of the ingredients and take very little care in the handling of this seemingly safe water-based product?

As an artists I read the safety data sheets (SDS). However, it is difficult to read it more than once, beyond that first time prior to handling a new product. It is difficult to continue examining information on updated SDS prior to every use, especially after our initial investigation; certainly when we have limited time and/or are freelancing where this research occurs on our own dime. Regardless, we must remember that many paint formulas change. Cheaper pigments are discovered or other ingredients are added to increase overall flexibility and shelf life. Changes also occur to a formula based on increasing the profit margin. This practice is not unusual and occurs in many other manufacturing industries. However, as scenic artists, we must look beyond the subtle color shifts in new batches of paint.

We must read, and re-read, every SDS each time we handle the product, even if we have been using this same product for years. We must also remember that even when paint formulas remain consistent, acceptable exposure levels could change; new information may come to light. When was the last time that you looked at an SDS for a product that you have used for over a decade? Look one up online and read it again.

To be continued…

Part 549: The Phobias of Dry Pigment and Aniline Dye – First of Three Parts

This seems to be an appropriate time to discuss both dry pigment and aniline dye. There will be three installments about these products.

In the past, I have tried to avoid this subject. Discussing the use of dry pigment and aniline dye has become a hot button topic for some within the American theatre community, almost as volatile right now as discussing politics. That being said, safety has always been my first priority. I constantly refer to safety data sheets for paint products, taking precautions to protect both others and myself at all times. I take pride in being familiar with traditional and new products, as well the dangers for each.  Over the decades, artists’ palettes have been affected by the ebb and flow of color availability.

I start the dry pigment and the aniline dye debate with my own personal stance: I believe that all paints are dangerous when they become airborne and you inhale the product – whether wet or dry. I cannot think of a single paint product where any manufacturer will tell you that their colors can be safely inhaled or ingested. As an artist, it is my job to carefully research and handle all paint materials that I encounter, as well as training my students in the safest way to handle, mix and apply paints. Yet, many in our industry are quick to point out the dangers of dry pigment and aniline dye, especially focusing on their powder form during the initial stages of mixing. Not all pigments arrived at the studio in dry form. Keep in mind that going from dry to wet is a self-contained step. While mixing the dry pigment paste, one takes the proper safety precautions, such as respirators and gloves. These are the same safety precautions when encountering anything that becomes airborne, such as sanding treated/painted/stained wood, foam, fiberglass and other materials used for theatre scenery. Many artists prepare the surfaces that they will paint, and this even includes the sanding of gesso layers.

There was a shift in our industry about two decades ago; dry pigments and aniline dyes went from being used in university shops to being avoided at all costs. What happened? Dry pigments and aniline dyes are still manufactured and distributed all over the world, used by a variety of artisans for many projects.

We can purchase dry pigment from many local art stores throughout North America, Europe and the United Kingdom; we can even order it online. Keep in mind that dry pigment, aniline dye, and hide glue ship Amazon Prime. There are even aniline dye starter kits with set colors for fine artists to use in the comfort of their own home. Website warnings include, “a respirator mask should be worn so that no pigment dust is inhaled.” Pretty straightforward, isn’t it? Dry pigment no longer arrives by the pound in brown paper bags with only the manufacturer label and color. For some dry pigment containers, labels may include additional information and directions; this is standard procedure for most paints today. It helps companies protect themselves from a client’s ignorance about the product.

Dry pigment is readily available from Gamblin, Sennelier, Cornelissen, Langridge Artists Colours, Dick Blick, Michaels, Grapewoods International, Earth Pigments, Pip Seymour Fine Art Products, Kama Pigments, Newton Art Supplies, and many others. Some dry pigment is still shipped in glass jars due to high lead content of the product. Small amounts of dry pigment, like most other products when sold at retail price in minimal quantities, are very expensive. Huge amounts of dry pigment are still purchased by art supply manufacturers, such as Golden acrylics or Conté Crayons.

Aniline dyes are also purchased and used by both individuals and large companies today. Aniline dye manufacturers include Keda Dye and J. E. Moser’s, just to name a few. Woodworkers and those who stain leather love working with aniline dyes due to their transparency and brilliancy; Gibson guitars are even stained with aniline dyes. Like other paint products that we handle in our profession, aniline is a known toxic substance during the application of the product. It has been linked with causing bladder cancer since the late 1890s. Safety precautions are crucial while handling, the same as with many paints.

Sadly, after continued use by generations of scenic artists, a significant part of our theatrical heritage linked to both dry pigments and dyes has been lost. This shift happened relatively quickly. This is especially unfortunate since we now live in a time where safe handling procedures for all art products are readily available to the users. Many scenic artists are simply unfamiliar with the use of dry pigment and aniline dye because they have been labeled as “dangerous.” This means that many historical scene-painting techniques specifically associated with those products are now veiled in mystery. It is unbelievable that techniques associated with a centuries-old trade could be lost so quickly over the span of just a few decades.

The theater community has simply decided that we no longer use dry pigments and aniline dyes. Ever. Again. They are deemed “unsafe.” Fair enough. But, if they are handled properly, as with any paint product that is out there, they can be enjoyed and the traditions passed along to future generations. Keep in mind that a far worse product readily available to scenic artists in prop shops and paint studios is spray paint. It is extremely dangerous. Yet, we are expected to safely handle this product with proper ventilation in a spray booth. Why did we so quickly turn our backs against dry pigment and aniline dye while continuing to embrace other equally dangerous coatings?

Let’s look as what has been lost due to our inability to believe that professionals can use these products safely. Twentieth-century scenery, like that produced before it, was painted with dry pigment and diluted hide glue. We know that dry pigment and aniline dyes should be mixed in a spray booth while wearing protective clothing, a respirator and chemical gloves. This is not too much to ask, as we constantly handle and mix many other dangerous products. When I handle dry pigment, aniline powder, or any paint for that matter, safety comes first. I control the color, I prepare the environment, and I take precautions to prevent any overspray or contamination to people and other projects nearby. These are the same precautions that should be taken for all paint procedures.

Now let’s think about the danger of other toxic particles floating around scenic artists in a shop. I want to put the “dust danger” of pigment in context for those of us who paint scenery used for theatre, opera, theme parks, industrial shows, and other venues. Although I may always try to take proper safety precautions while handling any type of paint, those around me may not take similar precautions with their own projects. I am not just speaking to my fellow artists, but also the sculptors and carpenters who construct and carve massive set pieces created from wood, foam, steel and other materials. What I have noticed over the years is that I am always at the mercy of those working around me. I can control the potential dangers associated with my own project, but not the projects of others working nearby, especially those cutting or sanding treated lumber, foam, fiber glass, plaster, or other materials. The dust from these products may be extremely dangerous.

We work in an industry where many airborne toxins are prevalent, some of which are never acknowledged or addressed. Even when there are regulations, standard air quality tests are not common practice for every shop, especially during periods of high productivity. So why did dry pigment and aniline dye take the rap a few decades back, becoming the poster children for “shop danger?” There are several factors to consider that I’ll discuss in detail tomorrow.

To be continued…

Part 548: Al Ringling, Thomas G. Moses, and the Big Storm, 1906

In 1906, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Went to St. Louis in May with new scenery for Ringling Bros. Visited Toomey. Scenery quite successful, excepting canopy. It was done in dye and a big storm came and ruined it. I was ‘called’ good and hard by Al Ringling.”

While attending to the new scenery for Ringlings’ spectacle in St. Louis, Moses visited Patrick J. Toomey, of the Toomey & Volland scenic studio; they were old friends.

It is interesting to consider Al Ringling (53 yrs. old.), yelling at Thomas G. Moses (50 yrs. old). These were two experienced individuals, both distinguished professionals at this point in their respective careers. Having and expensive piece of scenery water damaged had to have been a tense moment, especially with the artist on site for the production. Moses was referring to the scenery that he produced for the Ringling Spectacle “The Field of the Cloth of Gold.” For more information about this production, see past installments 482 and 483.

For the Ringlings’ “The Field of the Cloth of Gold” the show bill advertised, “The Vast Main Tent of the Ringling Brothers World’s Greatest Shows, wherein are presented the Superb Circuses and Hippodrome Displays, is converted into a huge, hundred-fold theatre for the presentation of the gorgeous, brilliant spectacle, the Field of the Cloth of Gold.” Of Moses’ scenic contributions, “The Washington Post” reported “The scenery is massive and brilliantly painted to show the crystal palaces, fairy structures, golden tents, and other flashing and picturesque features of this famous plain, ‘The Field of the Cloth of Gold’” (The Washington Post, 5 May 1905, page 8).

Now, imagine transporting the scenery and setting it up with high winds and rain; even the simplest task could prove deadly. The running of dye would be the least of the Ringlings’ worries. An article in “The Green Bay Press Gazette” reported, “Thousand People Brave Storm to See Circus” (23 Aug. 1906, page 3). They did the show rain or shine. The article described, “Over 1,000 people braved the storm last evening to attend Ringling Bros. circus. The storm was an exceptionally heavy one but did not deter the circus loving people from attending. The reserved seat section was about the only section in the large tent that was filled. The performance was cut short, being all over before 10 o’clock. The show was loaded up and the first section left this city shortly after 12 o’clock over the Northwestern for the Iron Mountain, where it will show today.” The caution to close early was likely a result from a deadly storm the month before.

On June 30, 1906, the front page of “The Moline Daily Dispatch” reported “Panic and Death in a Circus Tent” (Moline, Illinois, 30 June 1906, page 1). A “sudden storm partly wrecks big canvas of the Ringling Brother’s Circus, pitched at Aurora.” Two died as a result of the storm after “swaying quarter-poles mowed down scores among the 10,000 people in attendance.” The article noted, “The band, which had been playing waltz music during the performance of the elephants, changed, under Ringling’s orders, to a ragtime quickstep in the belief that the music would counteract the panic.”

I was curious about the scenic disaster, however, that made Ringling reprimand Moses. The exterior of each tent was coated with a gasoline and paraffin mixture to make it waterproof. Circus tents were supposed to be treated with flame retardant, otherwise the fabric would create a death trap for those inside if ignited. The Ringling Bros. Circus would lose one big top when flame retardant wasn’t applied.

In regard to the ruined circus canopy painted with dye by Moses in 1906, it was still vulnerable to water. Just because a backdrop was painted in dye did not mean that it could not be water damaged. A dye drop simply helps the painted composition stand up to normal wear and tear, especially for traveling shows. The overall weight of the piece is lighter and folding doesn’t harm the scene. Dry pigment can be used in place of dyes, when applied in a series of thin glazes. Many of the colors remain quite vibrant when watered down. It is possible that early translucencies on stage were simply produced with a thin glaze of dry pigment. After all, when handling pure dry pigment, the color will easily stain fabric – as well as any exposed skin. The staining of dyes is similar to getting ink on your hands when a pen leaks.

To be continued…

Part 547: The New Auditorium at the Immaculate Conception Academy, 1906

In 1906, Thomas G. Moses recorded that Sosman & Landis provided scenery for “a big contract for Davenport, Iowa.” He was referring to the new auditorium at the Immaculate Conception Academy. This was the Catholic girls’ high school established by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1859. In 1906, a new building joined the main building on the north, replacing the old frame conservatory building. Located at Eighth and Main streets, the new three-story brick building included an auditorium, conservatory of music and gymnasium.

The Quad-City Times,” reported, “The superbly appointed hall, with its stage equaling in width that of the Burtis Opera house and beautiful scenery, painted by the firm Sosman & Landis, of Chicago, delighted the eyes of the patrons of the institution” (Davenport, Iowa, 17 May 1906, page 9). For the opening, the seating hall of the new hall was “taxed to the utmost” with a crowd of 600 or more.

On May 13, the “Quad City Times” noted, “There will be a very fine entertainment given at the Immaculate Conception, on Main Street, Wednesday evening, May 16, for the benefit of the furnishing of the new auditorium. The pupils of the academy and the sisters have gone to much trouble to make this one of the best entertainments ever given, and all who attend will be amply repaid. The staging for the classical drama, ‘Margaret of Anjou,’ which will be given, is very fine, the scenic painting having been done by Sosman & Landis Scenic company of Chicago, and the chief artist put his best efforts in the work, feeling a personal interest in its success, as his wife is a graduate of the Immaculate Conception academy” (13 May 1906, page 12). “The sisters in their choice of scenery for the stage, have secured the best that is available, and the effects in stage setting in the production last evening were beautiful. Sosman & Landis of Chicago painted the scenes” (The Daily Times, 17 May 1906, page 7). There new scenery installation included a garden scene, a fancy interior, two parlors, and other scenes that were installed after the opening. The fancy interior was used as a royal house in France for their first production.

Of the auditorium, the newspaper reported, “The whole top story is given over to the spacious entertainment hall which for nicety of arrangements in regard to acoustics and scenic equipment and for seating an audience, except for the professional play houses, stands unexcelled in the tri-cities and will compare favorably with the auditoriums of an institution of its size. The body of the house is an inclined plane, thus permitting and unobstructed view of the stage, no mater where one is seated” (Quad City Times, 22 May 1906, page 7). The “Daily Times,” provided additional information about the auditorium, reporting, “From the rear of the room to the foot of the stage there is a pitch of some five feet, and the stage floor is four feet above the lowest point in the auditorium (17 May 1906, page 7).

There were 535 opera seats “of the latest pattern, complimenting” the walls that were painted in dark green with gold and white accents. The newspaper noted that “The stage is a model of its kind. Equal to that of the Burtis opera house in width, 58 feet, with a corresponding depth, with electric footlights and are lights, it presents fitting conditions for the presentation of any amateur theatricals or the conducting of any school exercises. The main curtain and other scenery, which equipment is complete in every respect is hard to be surpassed in artistic workmanship, as their chief artist requested that the entire work be entrusted to him as his wife is a former graduate of the academy.”

The same year that Immaculate Conception Academy’s Hall was built, the Burtis Opera House was remodeled, also by involving Sosman & Landis. Local newspapers reported that F. W. Chamberlin & Charles T. Kindt were to purchase the theater originally constructed by J. J. Burtis (1811-1883) in 1867. Burtis built the 1600-seat opera house in Detroit 1867. “The Daily Times” reported , “Theater will be completely remodeled from stage to foyer” (Davenport, Iowa, 16 March 1906, page 6). Manager Kindt, was quoted saying, “The Burtis will be completely remodeled. In fact, when it is improved, it will be practically a new theatre. Everything that is in it will be removed, and it will be fitted up in modern shape throughout.”

Changes included altering the size of the proscenium, although the boxes were to remain (The Daily Times, 24 March 1906, page 12).

Clamberlin, Kindt & Co, formed in 1894, and began managing the Burtis Opera House (Quad City Times, 10 Dec. 1906, page 10). The firm continued to expand, controlling over 25 theatres on the Illinois-Iowa circuit. Their theatres were located in Marshalltown, Rock Island, Ft. Madison, Burlington, Oskaloosa, Davenport, Galesburg, Monmouth, Muscatine, Rockford, Grinnell, Keokuk, Kewanee, Creston, Sedalia, Quincy, Peoria, Boone, Joliet, Elgine, Waterloo. Chamberlain passed away by the end of the 1906, a severe blow to Kindt and the company. That same month J. R. Lane, C.T. Kindt and Isaac Deutsch purchased the Burtis property, consisting of the Burtis Opera House and Kimball House for $55,000 (The Dispatch, Moline, Illinois, 13 Dec 1906, page 4).

To be continued…

Part 546: The Majestic Theatre in Grand Rapids, Michigan

In 1906, Thomas G. Moses and his family traveled to Colorado for a month-long sketching trip. After the trip, Moses wrote, “On my return I did a lot of work for Grand Rapids, Michigan, Majestic. I closed the contract for the society stunt.”

In 1906, Grand Rapids, Michigan, had a population of 110,000 people. The Majestic Theatre had been opened since November 23, 1903. The venue was listed in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide (1907-1908) and managed Orin Stair. Orin and E. D. Stair were the proprietors for this first-floor theater. Illuminated by electricity (110 volt, Edison system), the seating capacity was 1,754. The width of the proscenium measured 42 feet wide by 31 feet high. The depth of the stage from the footlights to the back wall was 40’-6”, with the distance from the curtain line to the footlights measuring 6 feet. The distance between the side walls was 72 feet, and the height from the stage to the rigging loft was 65 feet. A fly gallery was positioned at 26 feet above the stage and the depth under the stage was 9 feet. The stage had 4 traps and an adjacent scene room.

By 1915 the theater became a movie house; it was operated by the Butterfield Theaters chain from 1929 until July 1974. Fortunately for the Majestic, live theater returned in 1979 when the Civic Theatre Company took over the space. Www.cinematreasures.org reports, “It is one of the oldest community theaters in the country. With more than 6,000 season ticket holders, it is the largest community theater in the state of Michigan and the second largest in the United States. During a single season the theater reaches almost 100,000 people. Each season there are a mix of main stage productions, two productions for children, and various other special events around the community. The theater is currently under the leadership of twelve professional staffers and more than thirty guest artists, and numerous local volunteers.”

The Majestic Theatre is just one of the thousands that Moses created painted settings for during his sixty-year career. Multiply his productivity by the thousands of scenic artists that came both before and after him. Only a very small percentage of an historical scenic art remains hanging in historic theaters. Often the only remaining drop from an original collection is the fire curtain. This is what makes Masonic scenery collections so important. Scottish Rite theaters are like time capsules, housing numerous examples of scenic art. Sadly, these collections are often in jeopardy as membership perceives them as solely “old and worn out backings,” and not “large-scale artworks created by nationally recognized artists.”

If you know of a historic theater, please do not hesitate to plan a visit with your camera and document whatever you can – especially before it is renovated. You may be the last person to document the backstage area, stage machinery and scenery for that venue. Share your images with the local community and your colleagues. It is only an awareness and understanding of this cultural treasure that may help its future preservation for subsequent generations. That is my main reason for posting two things every day: an installment about the life and times of Thomas G. Moses and a painted setting from a historic theater. It is all disappearing so quickly.

To be continued…

Part 545: Thomas G. Moses’ Annual Colorado Sketching Trip, 1906

In 1906, “The Oak Park Leaves” reported, “Thomas G. Moses, the artist, with his wife and daughter Lillian starts next week for Colorado, where he will do a month’s sketching. He will make colored sketches in the Garden of the Gods, Ute Pass, Ruxton’s creek, Cripple Creek, Silver Plume and Georgetown, and expects to get some brilliant studies, as the color in Colorado is said to be as strong as Arizona and New Mexico” (7 July 1906, page 20).

For those unfamiliar with this region of the United States, Garden of the Gods is located in Colorado at the foot of Pike’s Peak, west of Colorado Springs. The area is known for its massive rock formations; they appear to be bursting through the earth’s surface. It is magical to see brilliant orange-red rock against a bright blue sky. My husband and I first drove through the area with our infant daughter Isabelle during the spring of 1998. We even celebrated her first birthday in Colorado Springs. While returning from our trip to USITT in Long Beach, California, we dawdled to Colorado Springs, veering off on unpaved roads to sightsee at every opportunity. Clouds of red dust rise up when the wind sweeps through an area, enhancing the foreign appearance of the rocky outcrops. Garden of the Gods is a sacred place for many people, and has inspired artists for generations. It is the color, the light and the contrast that people want to capture. Driving along the dusty roads, we had to replace the air filter in our car by the time we reached the town with an automotive store, as the small red particles clog everything.

After Moses sketched Garden of the Gods, he continued along Ute Pass, Ruxton’s creek near Manitou, Cripple Creek, Silver Plume and Georgetown. The Ute’s name for the pass was “El Puerto del Sierra Almagre,” which means “Doorway to the Red Earth Mountains.” The buffalo trail along through the pass was initially used to transport salt from Bayou Salade, the salt valley of South Park, to trade in Santa Fe and Taos. By the 1860s, Ute trail became a wagon road to transport people and goods to mining towns, such as Leadville.

The pass skirts along the north side of Pikes Peak through Fountain Creek canyon. West of Manitou Springs, the pass climbs 3,000 feet to its summit in Divide, reaching 9,165 feet. Starting in 1888, the Colorado Midland Railway ran tracks through Ute Pass to reach the mining communities in Leadville, Aspen, and Cripple Creek.  As Moses and his family toured the area, they stopped at Ruxon’s Creek, Cripple Creek, Silver Plume and Georgetown.

Of the trip, Moses wrote, “I got my annual sketching trip to Colorado with my big sketching trunk, made especially for this work, and it is very successful. Ella, Lillian and Miss Adair went with me. All details will be found in “Colorado Trip of 1906” which proved to be a fine trip.” I have been unable to locate any of Moses’ travelogues, only those published in Palete & Chisel club newsletters and Oak Park newspapers.

Moses’s first sketching trip to Colorado was in 1884 (see past installments #192-197). He published his adventure in the Palette & Chisel newsletter during 1928. His articles were called “Tom Moses’ Trips” with the first one about his trip to Breckenridge, Colorado, in 1884. That year, Moses accepted quite a bit of “night work” to fund the trip. He wrote, “John H. Young, Edward Morange, Hardesty Maratta and myself talked and planned for over a year regarding a trip to the mountains of Colorado. In our every day work of Scenic Painting we were called upon to paint all kinds of mountain scenes, and, as we had never seen a real mountain, we had to rely upon photographs or magazine cuts for our ideas. So we were, naturally, anxious to see the wonderful piles of rock and earth.”

At the time he was twenty-eight years old and had never visited the mountains before. The ages of his traveling companions were Young (26 yrs.), Morange (19 yrs.), and Maratta (20 yrs.).

Moses wrote of their first glimpse of the Rockies, “We were all up and dressed before six o’clock. We discovered a bright golden and pink object on the horizon away to the northwest. The porter informed us with a hearty laugh at our ignorance, that that was the snowcapped Pike’s Peak, one hundred and twenty-five miles away. We thought he was joking; it was simply wonderful and resembled a dish of strawberry ice-cream. The day was bright and hot, but we kept our eyes on that ice-cream… As we drew nearer to the foothills the outlook became more interesting; the ice-cream cone was becoming more blue, and the richer blues and purples were creeping in between the great opalescent distance and the golden brown of our foreground, framing a picture that was far beyond our wildest dreams of what was in store for us. We sat at the window or stood on the platform every moment we could, afraid that we would miss some of it.” As the group headed to Royal Gorge, Moses recorded, “The wonderful rock formation was beyond our wildest imagination. While we had seen many photos and magazine cuts of this exact spot, we were very much surprised by the color.” For the remainder of his life, the mountains would beckon to Moses and he would continue to paint them whenever he could.

To be continued…

 

 

 

 

Part 544: Alphonse Mucha Receives Tribute of Chicago Artists, 1906

In 1906, Thomas G. Moses recorded joining the Palette and Chisel Club in Chicago. Of his decision, Moses wrote, “I don’t know why, as I had so little time to give to pictures, but I live in hopes of doing something some day, that is what I have lived on for years, Hope, and how little we realize from our dreams of hope.” The year that he joined, the Palette & Chisel Club, the group sponsored “Bohemian Night” in honor of Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939). Mucha was in town teaching at the Art Institute of Chicago that Fall.

Mucha is one of my favorite artists and a well-known representative of the Art Nouveau style. A Czech painter, sculptor and illustrator, prints of his work have always adorned the walls of either my home or studio. To place Mucha in context with Thomas G. Moses (1856-1943); he was just four years younger than Moses. The two artists’ paths crossed in Chicago during 1906 at the abovementioned Palette and Chisel Club event. At the age of 19, Mucha worked as a scenic art apprentice for Kautsky-Brioschi-Burghardt, a Viennese theatre design company. This employment was short-lived, however, as his position was eliminated by 1881. He and several staff members were all dismissed after Kautsky-Brioschi-Berghardt suffered a financial loss; a major fire destroyed the theater of a significant client – Vienna’s Ring Theatre. Years later, Mucha would paint the front curtain for the newly renovated German Theatre in New York.

To place Mucha’s time in Chicago within the context of his career, he had previously worked in the United States from 1904 to 1905. During 1906, he returned to Prague to marry Marie Chytilová, “Maruška,” on June 10.

The couple honeymooned in the small village of Pec in the highlands of South Bohemia, before traveling to America. Their time spent in Chicago was at the beginning of the couple’s four-year visit in the United States; Mucha accepted a one-term teaching position at the Art Institute. After completing this job in Chicago, the couple lived in New York City and Mucha completed a variety of artistic commissions, including decorating the newly renovated interior of the German Theater in New York. He painted five decorative panels, the stage curtain and painted ornamentation throughout the building. His central panel was known as “Quest for Beauty” and was flanked by to vertical compositions – Tragedy and Comedy. Unfortunately, the theatre was demolished in 1929 and the only surviving works are Mucha’s prelimary drawings for the theatre. In 1909, Mucha was working with the well-known actress Maude Adams and depiction of her in the of Joan of Arc; her portrait was used for the theatre poster.

Mucha became a father in America too, when their daughter Jaroslava was born in New York City during 1909.

While in Chicago during 1906 there were two receptions held in Mucha’s honor. The first was a reception was sponsored by the Art Institute of Chicago to honor their visiting instructor. “The Inter Ocean” reported, “Five hundred students and invited guests of the Art Institute assembled in the upper galleries of that building at 8 o’clock last evening, and for three hours paid social tribute to Alphonse Mucha, admittedly the greatest living exponent of the poster school of art. The artist came to the city from Paris three weeks ago to give a brief course of instruction to the most advanced class in the institute. He leaves next week for New York, where he expects to make his home. Mr. Mucha is widely known both in this country and abroad as an illustrator and poster artist. Several of his works, the most noted of which are La Plume calendar posters, and those representing Sarah Bernhardt in her various roles, have won places at the exhibition in the Salon, at Paris. The walls of the room in which he received his admirers last night were hung with more that a hundred of the best posters and sketches. Owing to an unexpected delay in his arrival in Chicago last month, Mr. Mucha missed the reception which the art students annually hold in honor of all the exhibitors in the institute. His regret in having missed that function resulted in the planning of last night’s reception, which was held solely in his honor” (4 Nov. 1906, page 5).

On November 17, the Palette and Chisel Club sent out invitations for another event honoring Mucha – “The Bohemian Night.” It was held in the Athenaeum Building at 26 Van Buren Street.

On November 21, a social column in the “Inter Ocean” described Mucha’s adventures in Chicago (Inter Ocean, 21 Nov. 1906, page 6): “What does Alphonse Mucha think of Bohemian Chicago. The students over at the Art institute, who are getting the curve theory of composition into their “block” filled systems from Monsieur Mucha’s daily lectures, have had a mad revel or two, under the fatherly eye of Charles Francis Brown or Lorado Taft or some other of the “grads” among the artists; and last Saturday night Monsieur Mucha witnessed a really wild carouse at the Palette and Chisel clubrooms, where members decked themselves out as ladies – the members are men- and simply tore up the earth with burlesque and beer. According to all reports things were just too bohemian for anything – but a Parisian schooled artist. Therefore Monsieur Mucha was able to attend to his Monday afternoon lecture, with only thirty-six hours in which to recover.

It is rumored strongly that Monsieur Mucha is here on his honeymoon trip. And if that is the case we must all pray that the artist and his bride may not leave Chicago for the Mucha studio in New York, which is all ready and waiting on West Twenty-Second street, until after Thanksgiving day. For what would it mean to a real bohemian like Monsieur Mucha to miss the annual orgy of Little Roomers – our real bohemian club – who hold their frantic feasts on the tenth floor of the Fine Arts building, and serve the seductive baked bean canned, which is not a baked bean but a boiled bean; the alluring sardine in his little lake of oil; the stuffed mango pickle, which biteth like an adder, and very sour lemonade, which stingeth like the deuce. At the revels of the Little Roomers, lest Monsieur Mucha throw up his beautiful hands in horror at the thought of Mme. Mucha witnessing such bacchanalian sights, let us hasten to say wives freely take their own husbands, and husbands their own wives. In fact, the idea of a gentleman genius taking his friend’s wife, without written permit, or a lady genius her friend’s husband, without equally definite permission, would be frowned down and out. Wherefore the lemonade. But of the Thanksgiving feast more anon.”

The Muchas returned to Prague in 1910 where Mucha continued to work on a variety of projects. Their second child, Jirí was born in 1915. By 1939, Mucha was one of the first people arrested by the Gestapo when German troops marched into Czecholslavakia that spring. During the lengthy period that he was interrogated, Mucha fell ill with pneumonia. Although he was later released, the illness took its toll on the artist and he died from a lung infection later that year.

To be continued…

Part 543: Bestor G. Brown and the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, continued

The San Francisco earthquake struck in the early morning hours on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. Bestor G. Brown provided an eyewitness account for the “Topeka Daily Capital” (April 25, 1906, page 7). Here is the second half of the article.

“Thursday is the day when the real horror of the situation came. The boats which came across the bay from San Francisco were packed with people who looked like they had fought to get on the boats. I left Oakland on the Southern Pacific on Thursday and all the tracks could be seen the effects of the earthquake. Every water tank along the line had been thrown down. I suppose that the vibration from the earthquakes set the water to slopping from side to side in the tanks and as the affairs are ordinarily top heavy they went over.

“This is not the first earthquake I have felt in San Francisco. I went through a small one there last August. I understand that they are comparatively common there. I am no scientist and do not claim to be able to tell why San Francisco is so frequently visited by earthquakes, but I am inclined to think that the peninsula on which the city s located has been thrown up by some volcanic forces. The Indians, so I was told some years ago, have a tradition that some monster of the ocean built it for a place to rest. The Indians never landed there from their canoes and never camped there. So I am inclined to think that they knew hundreds of years ago that this region was subject to earthquake shocks.

“What impressed me was the supreme confidence the people had in San Francisco. There was no excitement on the streets after the earthquake. Most of the people were in the streets but they were all cool. There was no panic in San Francisco on Wednesday, at least. The cars were not running. It never occurred to me to wonder why. I suppose it was on account of the power being cut off.

“I saw Market street shortly after the first shock. There seemed to be three distinct waves or swells in that part of Market street which I saw. The car tracks, asphalt pavements and sidewalks seemed to have been left in dips and swells. There was some debris in the street, broken glass, cornices, etc., but the damage would have been small if it had not been for the fire.

“The Monadnock building, west of the Palace Hotel, seemed to have had its pillars shoved out from the walls of he buildings but did not seem to be greatly damaged. The Palace hotel on the outside showed no effect form the shock except that a few bits of cornice had been shaken to the street below.

“The city hall was the worst wrecked building of any I saw. They say that political jobbery figured largely in its construction and the complete ruin of the building seemed to bear that out. The framework of the dome was still standing when I saw it and did not seem greatly damaged. But the rest of the building at the base of the dome was twisted and smashed and totally wrecked by the earthquake.

“The Palace hotel did not look like it had received a scratch while a saloon across the street had its entire front thrown out into the street. The sidewalks along the streets were covered with loose bricks, broken glass and cornices. I saw the Call Chronicle and Examiner buildings and they did not appear to be even damaged. It was the fire which destroyed them.

“From Market street I could see the flames starting on Montgomery and Mission streets and closing in towards the center of town. One fire seemed to me to start in, or near, the Grand opera house. The origin of those fires is something they have not satisfactorily explained. Many seem to think that they were started by crossed wires but from what I know of crossed wires I do not agree with that theory. I do not think that the fires could have started so quickly from crossed wires, if they could have started at all. I think that probably the power houses were wrecked as soon as any and that the current would have been shut off before the crossed wires could have started any fire. I am rather inclined to think that the fires were caused by the individual power and electrical light plants which some of the buildings are contained. Most of these places were operated by steam and the earthquake occurred at a time in the morning when the fires would have just been started under the boilers. The earthquake seemed to throw down anything built of brick and as most of these boilers were bricked in I think that their brick walls were thrown down and the destructive fires started from the debris thrown into the fires which had been lighted under the boilers.

“The brick buildings were the ones that suffered most from the earthquake. The earthquake seemed to throw the four walls of the brick buildings outward. I saw one man in Los Angeles Thursday night who had gone through the earthquake at Santa Rosa. He said that he was afraid to go to bed that night and I asked him why. He said that the night before he had gone to sleep in the third story of a hotel in Santa Rosa and had waked up in the street. I didn’t believe him and so he explained. He said that he had gone to bed in the third story of a three story hotel. He woke up all covered with plaster and rubbish and ran to the window of his room. He had said that he thought the building was on fire and that the roof had partly fallen in, so he called for someone to bring him a ladder so that he could get out. Someone in the street asked him what he wanted with a ladder and told him was in the street and to walk out of his window. He did and climbed over a pile of rubbish that had formerly been the first and second floors of the hotel into the street. He climbed back into the room again and found and put on most of his clothes. He told me that he did not know what happened to the people who were asleep on the lower floors of the hotel but that he supposed they must have been killed.

“The great damage in San Francisco was caused by fire. I suppose that it could have been successfully checked almost before it got started but the water supply gave out completely. I don’t know why it was but I know that it did and that I couldn’t get a drop of water to drink until I got to Oakland in the afternoon. I should judge that the failure of the water supply was due to the earthquake breaking the mains. I know that this was the cause of the water supply failing in Oakland. The big mains which carried the water from the pumping plant into Oakland were broken and disjointed by the shock so that Oakland was without water for a large part of the day and would have been completely at the mercy of fire as San Francisco of a fire had started. But 1,500 people of all classes turned out and mended the Oakland mains so that they had water again in the afternoon.

“The thing that impressed me the most as I waked through the streets of San Francisco after the earthquake was the absolute confidence the people seemed to have in their city. They were perfectly cool, probably on account of having gone through so many slighter shocks. The shock occurred at 5:30 o’clock. It wasn’t difficult to know the exact time as every clock in the city stopped on the minute that it happened. The people came down town at the usual tie and many of them entered their offices as though to do their usual work. Some of the merchants opened their stores.” The end.

To be continued…