Part 535: W. H. Clifton, Stage Carpenter for Sosman & Landis
In 1905 there were two articles about a Sosman & Landis stage carpenter in the “Weekly Journal-Miner” (Prescott, Arizona, 1 Feb. 1905, page 2). In February, W. H. Clifton finished installing the curtains and scenery at the Elks Opera House in Prescott, Arizona. It was a name that I had not encountered before and decided to do a little digging. By 1905, Clifton had worked at Sosman & Landis for fourteen years.
The earliest mention of Clifton working for Sosman & Landis was in 1889. That year the “Sterling Gazette” reported, “Mr. W. H. Clifton of Sosman & Landis, stage furnishers and scenic artists of Chicago, returned to Chicago this morning after completing his work in the Wallace Opera House. He has been engaged for the past two weeks in fitting up an entirely new outfit of scenes and stage appliances, and has done his work well. The Opera House now has, for its size, one of the best furnished stages in the state outside Chicago” (19 April 1889, page 3).
Thomas G. Moses grew up in Sterling, Illinois, before moving to Chicago where he became a scenic artist. In 1878 Moses returned to Sterling to paint scenery for various of venues. His incentive to return home was to marry his childhood sweetheart Ella Robbins. Moses continued to work as a scenic artist in Sterling after his marriage, painting an advertising drop and later some scenery for a “barn storming company.” Soon he was employed to both decorate Sterling’s Academy of Music and paint ten full sets of new scenery for the theater. But there wasn’t enough work in Sterling to keep him there.
Moses returned to Sterling again in 1886 to repaint many of the Academy of Music scenes; this was the same year that his daughter, Lillian Ella Moses, was born. In 1886 Moses wrote that he was in Sterling “to repaint the work I did eight years ago. It didn’t look good and I soon made an improvement over the old stuff.” The Academy of Music was a 900-seat theater illuminated with gas and electricity. The proscenium measured 35 feet high by 30 feet wide. The depth of the stage was 40 feet from the footlights to the back wall. The height of the grooves was 16 feet. A decade later in 1896, Charles J. Kennedy was listed as the scenic artist for this venue in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide.
Harry Miner’s American Dramatic Directory for the season of 1884-1885 listed the Wallace Opera House as being a 1000-seat theater with a 21×23 stage, and “fair stock scenery.”
“The Sterling Gazette reported that same year, “The opening of the Wallace Opera House, tomorrow, promises to be one of the great theatrical events in the history of Sterling. The house has been thoroughly renovated and equipped with new and costly scenery, painted by Sosman & Landis, of Chicago, which is being put into place today, under the personal supervision of this celebrated firm of scenic artists. The attraction selected for the opening could not be better. The Gorman’s Spectacular Minstrels, is one of the leading recognized legitimate attractions on the road and that the opening will be a proud success there can be no doubt, as manager Lawrie has pledged the hearty support of our leading citizens. He has also received word from Prophetstown, Prairieville and Milledgeville that goodly crowds will come from those places. The Gorman’s have made it a feature to cater to the better classes, and this fact being so well known the wealth and culture of Sterling will be fully represented. The sale of seats has been very brisk and lovers of refined merriment of the very high order of excellence should procure seats as early as possible and avoid the rush which is sure to be at the door at night. This house will be opened to stay and the management and its support promise to furnish theatre-goers with nothing but the very best attractions” (The Sterling Daily Gazette, 3 April 1889, page 2).
To be continued…
