Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 559 – Thomas G. Moses and Ansel Cook

Part 559: Thomas G. Moses and Ansel Cook

In 1907, Thomas G. Moses wrote, ““We opened our annex studio at 19 W. 20^th Street in July, and Ansel Cook went there as a manager.” Moses commented on Cook as a scenic artist, “He did some very good work but was a long time doing it, which, of course, didn’t pay us.” Moses divided his time between Sosman & Landis’ main and annex studios that year, in addition to being on the road a lot. After one extended absence from the annex studio, he wrote, “Took charge of the 20^th Street Studio on my return weeks. Cook did $750.00 of work in three weeks. My first three amounted to $3,500.00, some difference. I hustled while he talked art and what the firm ought to do to get business.” This is a pretty interesting observation made by Moses about Cook, as Moses was known for his speed. Anyone that dawdled or didn’t pull his weight was criticized by Moses.

I have found no information about Ansel Cook beyond his scenic art. Moses records that he was primarily a drapery painter who began working at Sosman & Landis studio during 1904. Prior to his time at Sosman & Landis, Cook worked as a scenic artist with stage mechanic Ben W. Craig for the Castle Square Theatre Company. Together they designed and built many shows from 1896 to 1902. Some of their projects included “The Ensign,” “Captain Swift,” “Rosedale,” “The Heart of Maryland,” “The New South,” “The Prisoner of Zenda,” “Caste,” “Men and Women,” “Mignon,” “Tannhäuser,” “The Prodigal Daughter,” “Darkest Russia,” “A Social Highwayman,” Cumberland 61,” “Col George of Mt. Vernon,” “Nell Gwyn,” “Cyrano de Bergerac,” “The Little Minister,” “Jim the Penman,” and “Quo Vadis.”

By 1905, Cook was working in Chicago, establishing Ansel Cook studios. In addition to painting under his own name, he was also working in the Sosman & Landis studio. This is similar to what Moses did at Sosman & Landis, taking many projects after hours. It also explains his advertisement in White City Magazine where he includes, “All the scenery in beautiful Canals of Venice at White City painted my me.”

The Ansel Cook studio was mentioned in “Minneapolis Journal” as producing the accompanying painted backings for the first formal American production of Lorenzo Perosi’s La Risurrezione di Cristo, the Resurrection of Christ, at the Minneapolis Auditorium in 1905 (2 Sept. 1905, page 14). Perosi’s oratorio was part of the Banda Rossa program performed at the Auditorium during State Fair week, and included Gina Ciaparelli (soprano), Bessie Bonsall (contralto), Albert Quesnel (tenor) and Salvatore Nunziato (baritone) for the solo parts.

Cook’s compositions included “Mary at the Tomb, the meeting between the Savior and Mary Magdalene, the meeting of the Saviour and the Disciples on the Road to Emmaus, the Savior in the Multitude and the Ascension Scene” (Minneapolis Journal, 2 Sept. 1905, page 14). The “Minneapolis Journal” article described, “As the music progresses, these views, each 30×40 feet, with the wonderful electric lighting effects, are dissolved one into another. The effect is intensely interesting, and the mind, acted upon alike by the music and the pictures, is almost overwhelmed by the reality, the beauty and the solemnity of the scenes thus depicted by tone and brush.” The “Star Tribune” added, “These are exquisite works of art and when lighted by the different electrical devices used in their presentation are wonderful, beautiful, and fantastic, illuminating the music as it progresses” (Star Tribune, 3 Sept 1905, page 31). In 1905 Cook’s office was in room 60 of the Grand Opera House Building in Chicago. He was listed as a scenic artist, designer, originator and constructor in The White City Magazine. The Banda Rossa had also performed for four weeks at White City Amusement Park where Cook had painted the scenery for the attraction, “Venice.” The water ride included 90,000 square feet of painted panoramas depicting the sites of the city.

There is little mention of Cook again until 1908 when he is working in California. The “Los Angeles Times” reported, “Ansel Cook, late scenic artist for Henry Miller, has just been engaged for the same position at the Belasco Theatre here. ‘The Great Divide’ settings were made by Mr. Cook. He was for six years with the Castle Square company of Boston” (27 July 1908, page 7). Also that summer, Cook was mentioned as providing new scenery for the Weyerson & Clifford’s Southern Thorne and Orange Blossoms Company (Billboard, Vol. 20, 8 August 1908, page 25).

By fall 1908, the “Los Angeles Times” announced, “Belasco Theatre has a new scene painter, Ansel Cook. He has the reputation of being one of the country. His “Exterior of the Black Snake Ranch,” in Acts II and III, is a Texas landscape, beautiful in color, and one of the most effective backgrounds ever seen on the Belasco stage” (Los Angeles Times, 30 Sept. 1908, page 17). By winter, Cook was also credited with also decorating the green room of Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles (Los Angeles Herald, 13 Dec. 1908, page 32).

I have been unable to locate any information of Ansel Cook beyond 1908, only brief mention of Mrs. Ansel Cook’s attendance at social gatherings. Interestingly, however, a Vaudeville palace drop sketch by Cook sketch was donated to the Morgan Library & Museum by Mr. and Mrs. Donald M. Oenslager in 1982. As with many designs, notes were scribbled all over the back of this painting the Scollay Square Theatre in Boston in 1900. There is a New York Studios stamp on the back: “THE NEW YORK STUDIOS / 1004 TIMES B’LDG, – NEW YORK.” New York Studios was the eastern affiliate of Sosman & Landis managed by David Hunt. This would have been the initial connection between Cook and Sosman & Landis. Moses was also working in New York from 1900-1904. The design also includes a note in pencil, along top edge: “Palace Drop Ansel Cook, Scollay Squ. Theater. Died aft 1915.”

This notation suggests that Cook passed away by 1915, however, I have been unsuccessful in locating any obituary for him during that year.

To be continued…

Here is the link to the Cook design at the Morgan Library & Museum: https://www.themorgan.org/drawings/item/187745

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