Part 575: M. Armbruster & Sons Scenic Studio
The 1901-1902 Columbus Directory lists that M. Armbruster & Sons studio was located at 247-253 South Front Street. Matthias, Otto H., Albert E. and Emil G. were all listed as part of the firm in the city directory. Interestingly, Otto H. was working in New York for Moses & Hamilton during this same time. The home address for each of the men was noted as 247 S. Front Street.
The main studio building included offices and a property storage room. Wooden sheds provided extensions that provided additional storage for larger scenic pieces. By 1904, a journalist for the “Columbus Sunday Dispatch” described the interior layout of Armbruster’s studio. The first floor housed the carpenter’s shop, sewing room and storage areas. There was also a paper maché workroom on this level. It was in this room that a variety of set pieces were manufactured, including mantels, statuary, ornaments, and stage food for dining scenes.
The second floor of the building afforded the best light for the paint shop. This area was 64 feet long, 62 feet wide, and 58 feet high. The Sunday Dispatch article described, “The canvas is stretched on frames, the largest of which there are two in number, extends almost the entire length of the floor as to permit of their being lowered, to accommodate the artist… A feature of the movable frames is that they are sort of set out from the wall, a sufficient distance to permit working behind. This is necessary in painting stained glass windows, where colors must not be seen until thrown through the canvas form lights behind.” The article continued, “In the center of the room are two large stationary frames, close together, between which is a platform which may be elevated or lowered as desired.” Each large movable paint frame was approximately 40 feet by 50 feet. The standard paint frame used by Armbruster artists was only 30 feet by 50 feet. The gridiron in the studio accommodated two standard frames lashed together, allowing the final size to measured 60 feet in length.
The painting process for the studio was also described in detail, “The palette, for use in mixing the paints, is a table about ten feet long that can be pushed wherever needed. It has a separate compartment for brushes and for a number of pails of paint…The colors are taken from the cans and mixed on the flat surface of the palette or table.”
To be continued…
