Month: May 2019

In 1910, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “We did a very unique exhibit for the Cement Show.  A model farm, imitation of cement.  It was very interesting and finished very good.”

He was referring to the third annual convention for the National Exposition of American Cement Industries. The Cement Show was held at the Coliseum in Chicago and ran from February 18 to the 26. Educational in its nature, the event was intended to illustrate and explore the various uses of cement and concrete. Millions of pounds of material were used in exhibits ranging from crude products to floating boats that could carry a great weight (Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 1910, page 9). There were concrete burial vaults, water tanks, fences, silos, curbs, homes and other exhibits such as the model farm that Moses mentioned (Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 1910, page 6).

The show included a series of lectures to inform the public, by word and picture, the varied uses and economic advantages of cement. Lecture topics included small farm uses of concrete, how to build a concrete silo, concrete sidewalks, concrete bridges and culverts, concrete in seawall construction, concrete in factory construction, artistic uses of concrete, concrete sheets and floors, concrete tanks, cement stucco, concrete surface and finish, concrete piles, concrete poles, concrete drain, tile and pipe construction, and the basics of mixing and placing concrete.

There were an estimated 100,000 people who attended the event from all over the country that year. Exhibitors filled the entire first and second floors the Chicago Coliseum, including both floors of the annex. There were other meetings of allied interests also scheduled to coincide with the Cement show, including the American Society of Engineering Contractors, the National Association of Cement Users, the National Builder’s Supply association, the Illinois Association of Municipal Contractors, Northwestern Cement Products association, and the Interstate Cement Tile Manufacturers association.

On February 20, 1910, the “Inter Ocean” reported, “The cement show is simply a competitive exhibition for showing the purpose of showing the progress of the industry. Through the combined efforts of the manufacturer and the user it has reached its present high state development. No really great invention ever reached perfection through the work of one man, but through the results of the advice and criticism of the public. Knowing this fact, it is apparent how great a benefit to the entire industry is a competitive exhibition of this kind and size” (page 11).

The article continued, “Record attendance was attained last evening when the largest crowd that has ever attended a cement show thronged the aisles. The most interesting attraction was the second floor of the Annex, where Percy H. Wilson, secretary of the American Portland Cement association, is conducting a moving picture display and lecture. Exhibitors yesterday reported numerous sales as a result of the first business session. One concern closed a contract for 50,000 barrels of cement to be used in constructing a dam on a ranch in the West”  (page 11).

President Edward M. Hagan and his associates of the Cement Products Exhibition company were responsible for the annual exhibition. In 1910, their plan was to take the Chicago event to Madison Square Garden for the week of Dec. 12.

To put the use of cement during 1910 in context: In 1880, only 42,000 barrels of cement were manufactured nationwide.  In 1909 that number increased to 60,000,000 barrels (Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 1910, page 9). 

To be continued…

In 1910, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “I did two scenes for “Miss Nobody from Stageland.” One scene was the deck of an ocean liner – a fog settles down and obscures the ship – that worked out very nicely.”

Moses was referring to the 1910 production, “Miss Nobody from Starland.” On tour, the “Joliet Evening Herald-News” reported, “the action skips from a transatlantic liner to a sleeping car, thence to a theater itself, before and during a premiere  and finally rests after its weary travel in a café” (2 Sept. 1910, page 5).

The article described, “A chorus girl is the leading character; she is introduced upon a steamer, smuggling diamonds. She captivates a gay old gentleman and a detective making each believe she is the other’s daughter. Incidental characters are attached to this bit of intrigue – the aged philander’s son, a waggish clown, and Italian maiden and a sweet young thing from our own U. S. A.”

The first act takes place on board the steamship Lusitania. Of the scene, the “Alton Evening Telegraph” noted, “[it] is brimful of bright musical numbers and artistic dances.” Of the setting, the “Sioux City Journal” noted, “The producers were lavish in costuming Miss Nobody, and the stage settings, particularly in the first act, when the trans-Atlantic boat is shown, and in the final act, the Golden Inn” (20 Sept. 1910, page 7). The same article advertised “Catchy music, pretty girls, fetching costumes, elegant stage settings and a liberal sprinkling of humor: there you have ‘Miss Nobody from Starland” (20 Sept. 1910, page 7). The Ship Scene in “Miss Nobody From Starland” was pictured in “The Rock Island Argus” when the show toured to Springville, Illinois (5 Nov. 1910, page 12).

On tour, the production was advertised as “Dazzling deluge of clever stars, beautiful women, gorgeous gowns, striking original chorus features, stunning stage pictures, tintabulant music and big song hits. The biggest musical revue that has ever played – sixty-five people” (The Decatur Herald, 29 Nov. 1910, page 7).

Initial reviews, however, were heavily critical of the show.

On February 2, 1910, the “Chicago Tribune” reported, “Reverting to the formula with which all reviews of the production of Mr. Singer are introduced, we shall say in regard to ‘Miss Nobody from Starland’ that it is bright in color, rich in fabric, and fatuous to the point of imbecility in libretto. We shall not say tat ‘Miss Nobody from Starland’ is the worst book ever evolved by our local minstrels, the Messrs. Hough and Adams, for we shall not say that about any book. But it is rather a dire affair to submit for the consumption of adult playgoers, and we beseech those sedulous  authors to engage themselves at once in the stealing, remembering, and pasting together of some new jokes and new situations wherewith to enliven their at present mortuary effort” (page 8).

The show was first produced at the Princess Theater, Chicago, and ran for 300 nights before touring (Alton Evening Telegraph, 12 Dec. 1910, page 4). The Joliet Evening Herald-News noted that the book, lyrics and music were created by “the same authors having written all the shows at the Princess Theatre in Chicago” – Hough, Adams and Howard (28 Aug, 1910, page 7). It played an entire season to capacity audiences (The Joliet News, 27 Aug, 1910, page 8). Intially played by Bessie Wynn and Blanche Deyo, Olive Vail later played the title role in this Hough-Adams-Howard production. The show also featured Ralph Riggs, Joe Neimeyer, Lawrence Comer, Adriane Kroell, and Bert Morton Rock Island Argus, 4 Nov. 1910, page 3). The show also included fifty chorus girls.

To be continued…

In 1910, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “We stocked the Great Northern Theatre for the Schuberts.  They were a fine band of ‘regular bandits.’”

On February 12, 1910, Salt Lake City’s “Broad Ax” reported, “The Great Northern Theatre is now a Schubert House, and in the near future they will redecorate it very elaborately” (page 2).

Sam S. Schubert, Lee Schubert and Jacob J. Schubert of Syracuse, New York founded the Schubert Organization, in the late 19^th century. Although Sam died in 1905, Lee and Jacob rose to become powerful businessmen within a decade.  The Schubert brothers steadily expanded their empire, collecting theaters across the country. Moses began working with the Schuberts as their business empire commenced a dramatic expansion across the country. It is not surprising that the Schuberts sought out Sosman & Landis studio for many of their painted settings and décor, such as the Great Northern Theatre.

On February 19, 1910, “The Salt Lake Telegram” reported, “The Messrs. Schuberts announce that next season will have four first-class theatres in Chicago, and will make the windy city a producing center for their attractions second in importance only to New York. At the present moment the only playhouse in Chicago operated by the Messrs. Schubert is the Garrick Theatre. Recently, however, they acquired control of the Great Northern theatre, in which they have already booked a number of offerings this season, and they will inaugurate their management of that house on Sunday, February 20, with their production of the great English spectacular success, “Dick Whittington,” as the initial attraction. The other two theatres completing the list of four Schubert playhouses are both to be entirely new and the work of construction will be begun shortly. Negotiations for desirable sites for those two houses, in the center of the Chicago amusement district, are now under way and should be completed within a few days” (page 18).

By February 26, 1910, newspapers reported that the Great Northern Theatre of Chicago was re-named the Lyric, and subsequently redecorated by the Schuberts. It opened on February 20, with the spectacular production of “Dick Whittington,” featuring favorites such as, Louise Dresser, Ethel Green, Kate Elinore and Sam Williams” (The Daily Times, Davenport, Iowa, 26. Feb 1910, page 14). Decorate in a new color scheme of gray and mulberry, the theater was located on Jackson Boulevard, near State Street. Under control of the Schuberts, the Lyric primarily presented comedies and character dramas, with ushers serving water and selling bonbons.

By 1912, however, the name was again changed to the Great Northern Hippodrome. This name change was only temporary, however, as by 1921, it would return to being known as the Great Northern Theatre.

The Chicago Public Library carries a lovely selection of digitized theatre programs for the Great Northern Theatre. Here is the link: http://digital.chipublib.org/digital/collection/CPB01/search/searchterm/Great%20Northern%20Theatre%20(Chicago%2C%20Ill.)/field/theate/mode/exact/conn/and

To be continued…

I return to writing after cleaning up after a flood and attending to other responsibilities.

Joseph S. Sosman was a successful business man. Fame visited him early in his career and his partnership with Landis flourished, growing into a theatrical supply dynasty by the twentieth century. By 1909, Sosman was nearing retirement and he began redirecting his focus on his family. At first, he sought solace at his summer home, staying at their Fairlawn on the north shore of Lake Bluff.  Like many other wealthy Chicagoans, the summer season was spent relaxing in the cool shade near a body of water. Although well-deserved, Sosman & Landis studio never recovered from his extended absences.

Maybe it didn’t matter for Sosman, as he was well established with ample revenue from multiple business ventures that supported his retirement.  Maybe he was trying to make up for all of the time spent away from his wife early in his career, when he was traveling the country and painting one stock scene after another. Mrs. And Mrs. Sosman began to travel in earnest during 1910. There were no longer children to consider, as their son Arthur, married in 1906 and was currently living in New York. Mrs. Joseph Sosman visited the young couple for an extended stay during 1909, possibly signaling that she was going to start vacationing, with or without her husband (Inter Ocean, 30 Jan. 1909, page 7). Regardless, Sosman’s absence was acutely felt by Sosman & Landis employees as the business began to shift focus and become subject to infighting.

In 1910, Moses wrote, “Mr. Sosman went to Europe on January 30^th for an extended trip.  It lasted fifteen weeks.  He simply informed me that he was going, just a few days before he went.  Never took the trouble to inform me of any of the details that I should know.  He had a good bookkeeper, and I depended on him a great deal.  I did some hustling while he was away.”

On February 6, the “Chicago Tribune” noted, “Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Sosman, 1628 Washington boulevard, have sailed for a trip down the Mediterranean and to points in Europe. They will be absent for four months” (6 Feb, 1910, page 23). By April 30, the London “Times” reported that Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Sosman of Chicago recently arrived at the Waldorf Hotel (Arrivals and Departures, page 1). On May 21, the couple was again listed as one of the recent arrivals at the Hotel Waldorf in London (Americans in London, Philadelphia Inquirer, 22 May 1910, page 2).

In appreciation for Moses hard work during his absence, Sosman presented him with “a fine ‘scarab’ that he bought in Egypt.” Moses had the scarab turned into a stick pin.”

Yet Sosman’s absence for fifteen weeks in 1909 was a difficult period for Moses, as he did not command the same respect without his friend and colleague. This was a period of intense productivity too. Moses remembered, “I had my own troubles with the stenographer, and old crank that wanted to do everything as Mr. Sosman did it.  She would write Sosman a lot of worry stuff that I had been keeping from him.  We were going along allright, making a little money.”  The stenographer was just one of the obstacle that Moses encountered during  Sosman’s absence. Athough Moses had control over the aesthetic and production arm of the company, David H. Hunt retained control over the administrative offices and expenses.

In his 1910 memoirs, Moses wrote, “Mr. Hunt was secretary and treasurer, and expected to run the business, but I wouldn’t allow it.  Mr. Hunt kept on the road most of the time.” And this is where the downfall of Sosman & Landis commences; Sosman steps out of the daily running of the company, leaving it to others. Keep in mind that Sosman was a scenic artist; Hunt was not. The additional problem was that each of Sosman’s staff has a different focus, or endgame, for the company.  In some ways, Moses and Hunt are diametrically opposed, each with a specific goals; Moses focusing on the artistic product and Hunt focussing on the profits.

Keep in mind that Moses returned to Sosman & Landis studio in 1904. This was his final return to the company after striking out on his own several times with various business partners.  The terms for his return in 1904 specified that Moses gain complete control over the design, construction and installation of all projects. In other words, he was in charge of the shops and labor.  By 1910, Moses had functioned in this capacity for six years and the company was producing an amazing amount of product.

Hunt had remained a thorn in Moses’ side for many years, as his treatment of many of good artists prompted them to leave the studio. This group included the extremely talented John H. Young, who went on to domnate the Broadway scene as a well known designer. Hunt had been with the company since the early 1890s and wormed his way into both Sosman & Landis’ confidence.  In 1894, Hunt convinced Sosman & Landis to establish, the theatrical management firm of Sosman, Landis & Hunt. This was a secondary business venture; a company that leased theaters and founded touring companies in Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Detroit.  The firm kept Hunt busy as the primary manager for the endeavor, yet much of the necessary work was completed by the Sosman & Landis studio staff from Chicago. Moses’ diaries suggest that Hunt did not treat the artistic staff well; Artists were swapped and directed to various projects like pawns on a chessboard, ready to be sacrificed at any point. Hunt had remained on the administrative end of the studio for his entire career, yet always found his way into the spotlight and newspaper articles.

By 1910, Hunt also talked Sosman into investing in a new business venture – New York Studios. That year, Moses wrote, “Hunt had started a New York studio in New York City and he expected us to do a great deal of work, as he had Sosman invest a small amount.” New York Studios listed Adelaide A. Hunt as the President, Edward A. Morange as the vice president, and David H. Hunt, as the Treasurer. The company’s starting capital was $40,000, and listed the following directors: Edward A. Morange, Adelaide A. and David H. Hunt, with offices located at 325 W 29^th  Street, New York. Business listings noted that theatrical equipment was the primary product produced by the company. Now there were two scenic studios to consider, on only one Moses.

Around the end of May, Sosman returned to Chicago an assessed the state of affairs at the studio. Moses returned about the same time, after completing several New York projects that month.  Moses recalled, “I heard some reports as to what Hunt had reported to Sosman about my treatment towards him.  I got mad and wanted to quit.  Sosman wouldn’t listen to me.  I finally got cooled… I arrived June 25th.  Sosman had his doubts as to my coming back.

Later Moses added, “Hunt remained away from the studio for some time, before going back home.” Hunt’s home was in New York.

To be continued…

I return to the year 1909 in the life and times of Thomas G. Moses. For the past several posts, I explored famous Philadelphia drops curtains mentioned in an 1894 newspaper article. Scottish Rite theaters also used drop curtains as the focal point of an auditorium. The ornate draping of fabric popularized on the public stage appeared on a variety of fraternal stages throughout the nineteenth century.  Often, the only difference was the placement of a Masonic emblem in the center.

As in commercial theaters, Masonic drop curtains were hung on the first line, concealing the remainder of stock scenery, often numbering between 80 to 120 drops. In addition to backdrops, scenic studios manufactured set pieces, props, and stage machinery for Scottish Rite stages.  Although massive in scope, Masonic theater work only accounted for approximately 25% of all work contracted by studios such as Sosman & Landis. Of that percentage, Scottish Rite scenery consisted of only a fraction of the total number for Masonic work.

By the end of Moses’ career, spanning from 1873 to 1934, his Masonic work included the design and supervision of scenery production for 55 Scottish Rites, 14 Commanderies (York Rite), 9 Grottos (MOVPER) and 7 Shrine (AAONMS) Auditoriums. In 1909, Moses wrote, “We have forty-eight on the payroll, which includes the sewing girls and foremen.  At 20^th Street we have an average of twelve.  I think we should turn out some work and we do.  It is often a puzzle to me where it all goes, but the Masonic work requires a lot of time, and there is an average of eighty drops in each order so it makes plenty of work and is very interesting.  The artists never grumble when they get it to do.

In 1909, Moses also wrote, “The Dallas Masonic work came in early, so did San Francisco and Cleveland, Ohio.” Other Scottish Rite scenery collections that year produced by Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio included, Kansas City, Kansas, Memphis, Tennessee, Winona, Minnesota, and Atlanta, Georgia.

While, Sosman & Landis were cranking out stock scenery collections for Scottish Rite theaters, their primary competitor, Toomey & Volland Studio of St. Louis, Missouri, was gaining ground; the St. Louis company was becoming increasingly popular among Scottish Rite Masons in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. That year, Toomey & Volland delivered two large scenery collections to Scottish Rite theaters. Although they produced much less scenery than Sosman & Landis at this time, the firm would soon grow to dominate the industry after World War I.

To put all of this Scottish Rite scenery production in context, by 1910, I have identified the following Scottish Rite installations:

33 scenery collections were delivered by Sosman & Landis

18 scenery collections were delivered by Toomey & Volland

2 scenery collections were delivered by E. T. Harvey

2 scenery collections were delivered by Henry C. Tryon

This list counts for only a fraction of the Masonic scenery produced during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. It does not include painted settings produced for other fraternal groups, such as the Elks or Knights of Pythias. The list does not take into account scenery for other Masonic stages, such as those used in Grottos (Mystic Order of the Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm), Commanderies (York Rite), or Shrines (Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine).

The numbers above do not reflect any of the early scenery manufactured for some of the very first Scottish Rite lodge rooms, those scenic pieces and roll drops painted by itinerant artists or talented members.  There are also those other collections produced by unidentified studios prior to 1910.  Yet, when we look at the amount of historic scenery still hanging in Scottish Rite theaters across the country, the sheer amount is somewhat staggering to comprehend when considering the ephemeral nature of commercial stage scenery.

I spend a significant amount of time exploring Masonic scenery produced by Sosman & Landis in my blog, primarily because it remains a significant part of American Theatre history, long after a traditional painted aesthetic declined on the commercial stage.  Much Masonic scenery is also still in use, an aspect that makes these fraternal theaters living history museums.  Scottish Rite stages, machinery, scenery, lights, properties and costumes are a primary resource still available to theatre technicians for study and reference.

Masonic business for Sosman & Landis continued to boom until the onset of World War I. They road the crest of a fraternal wave that produced unprecedented profits until approximately 1915. This year also marked the passing of studio founder Joseph S. Sosman.  The years 1909 to 1910 is a peak period in Scottish Rite scenery production at Sosman & Landis; the studio was swamped with it.

As I continue with Moses’ life and times from 1909-1910, keep in mind that the production of Masonic scenery is ever-present in his daily life and the running of the studio. At first, the Masonic scenery, as well as all worked subcontracted by M. C. Lilley & Co., were completed in the Sosman & Landis annex studio. However, as business boomed, Sosman & Landis’ eastern affiliate, New York Studios, run by David H. Hunt, also completed numerous Masonic projects.

To be continued…

The last mention of a drop curtain in “Well-known Drop Curtains in Philadelphia Theatres” mentioned Gustave Dore. The article was published “The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec. 18, 1894.

“The famous curtain, ‘The Sleeping Beauty,’ said to have been painted by Dore, which for many years formed the chief attraction at the South Broad Street Theatre, was taken down by Mr. McCaul in 1880 and painted out.” Nothing else is mentioned of the composition or artist.  I decided to do a little digging and discovered a few other mentions about Dore’s drop curtain.

In 1878, the “Pittsburgh Post” reported, “A specimen of Gustave Dore’s early work may be seen in Philadelphia, in the shape of a drop curtain of the Broadway Theatre. It was painted for the theatre of the Porte St. Martin, in Paris, and was brought to this country by the Kiralfys. It is unusually handsome” (23 Feb. 1878, page 1).

In 1879, the “Wisconsin State Journal” reported, “Gustave Dore was born in Alsace and is 48 years of age. He is a brunette – dark-eyed, black haired – and is a bachelor. It is not generally known outside of Philadelphia that the drop-curtain at the Broad Street theatre was painted by this artist. It is the only curtain Dore ever painted” (Madison, 9 Dec, 1879, page 1).

The only other scenery that I came across noting Dore’s scenic art work appeared the “Boston Globe” during 1877. The article reported, “The revival of ‘Robert le Diable” at the Grand Opera is chiefly noteworthy for the magnificent scenery which has been given the production. The forest scene in the second act by Gustave Dore, is pronounced very fine, and the cloister scene in the last act a marvel of artistic skill” (13 Jan 1877, page 2).

Much has been written about Dore as an artist, with very little mention of any scenic work. Only three years after his drop curtain at the Broad Street Theatre was removed in Philadelphia, the artist passed away. “The Daily Republican” published an article about Dore’s passing, reporting,

“The best known artist of modern times, Paul Gustave Dore, died on the twenty-third of January 1883. He had survived his extraordinary popularity, which was due rather to fertility and daring originality of genius than to superiority of conception and thorough work, which give enduring value to artistic productions. During his short life he made about fifty thousand designs founded on a remarkable diversity of subjects. He developed surprisingly capacity in various departments of art, but did not attain an enduring distinction in either. His work was too diffuse, his undertakings too numerous, to give him more than ample income and an evanescent eminence. That chapter in the history of art covering Dore’s period of activity will not record his name among immortal master.

Dore was born in Strasbourg, January 6, 1833. He was taken to Paris before his school-boy days, and educated in the capital, at Lycee Charlemagne. The bent of his genius was disclosed early in life. His first lithographs were produced when he was only eleven years of age. When he was fifteen his series of sketches entitled ‘The labors of Hercules’ was exhibited at Paris. His earliest efforts as an artist yielded him a precarious income, made chiefly by illustrating cheap books and illustrated periodicals. In 1848 certain sketches made by him in pen and ink, were exhibited in the Solon, Paris. Six years later his designs for ‘The Wandering Jew’ gave him a reputation in other countries beside France. In the same year, 1854, he produced the most powerful designs originated by him throughout his whole career, namely, those for Balzac’s ‘Contes Drolatiques.” His pictures illustrating Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ were made in 1865, in which and the subsequent year, he illustrated the Bible. In 1866 and the two subsequent years, he illustrated Tennyson’s ‘Idylls of the King.” ‘Christ Leaving the Prætorium,’ a gigantic picture, was exhibited at the Solo, 1876, and in the same year and place, his ‘Entrance of Christ into Jerusalem.’ His last seven years of the prodigious activity, which terminated only with his death, were I part bestowed on the illustration of Shakespeare. The disease which carried him off was inflammation of the throat, a result of a severe cold.

The deceased artist lived a simple, quiet life with his mother. He was a bachelor, married, as he expressed it, to his mother and his art. He would facetiously ask his friends, when they spoke of his wifeless condition: ‘Must a man be a Turk to prove he is of a domestic turn.’ The two wives he had were enough for him. He was a strongly-built, athletic man, and in his youth excelled in feats of strength and agility. His complexion and eyes were exceedingly dark, and his hair raven black. Visitors to his studio, which was the best provided in all Paris, found him in one of two contrasting moods – either in frolicsome, frank, childlike Dore who was irresistibly amiable, or a saturnine, morbid being, ashamed of himself and an affliction to his friends. In a review of his life the necessity is to deplore the fact, that Dore’s attainments as an artist were vastly disproportioned to the originality, versatility and power of his genius” (The Daily Republican, Monongahela, Pennsylvania, 5 Feb. 1883, page 4).

To be continued…

Gilmore’s Auditorium constructed at 807 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, just one in a series of popular nineteenth-century theaters located at the same address. Welch’s National Amphitheatre and Circus, the Continental Theatre, the American Variety Theatre, Fox’s New American Theatre, the Grand Central Theatre, and Gilmore’s Auditorium. The tale of four fires is presented in an interesting post by Harry Kyyriakodis about about the various entertainment venues at this address. Here is the link: https://hiddencityphila.org/2013/05/blazing-ballerinas-and-a-rampaging-elephant-at-807-walnut-street/

The theater’s proprietor, William J. Gilmore, had made a career in theater management by the time Gilmore’s Auditorium was constructed.  He had successfully managed several Philadelphia theaters as well as others across the country.

“The Times” included an article on Gilmore’s Auditorium rising from the site of the burned Central theatre on June 4, 1893 (page 15). The article reported, “From the ruins of the New Central Theatre is rapidly rising a new building that will be, when completed, one of the finest playhouses in America. The new theatre will be known as ‘Gilmore’s Auditorium,’ and built in the Moorish style of architecture, from brownstone, terra cotta and light buff brick, beautifully embellished with colored glass and new electric lights. Architect John D. Allen, under whose direct supervision the house is being erected, has provided every device known to modern science that contributes to the safety and comfort and convenience of the prospective patrons, resulting in a building that is practically fireproof. One of the chief factors contributing to this end of the building is the proscenium wall, having no opening between the stage and auditorium except the arch, which is protected by a heavy asbestos curtain, while the stage roof is fitted with an automatic ventilator, so adjusted that a rise of a few degrees in temperature will at once open it and form an excellent flue by means of which any flames that might possibly break out in the stage or among the scenery, would be diverted from the building proper. The system of heating and ventilating adopted has been proved absolutely effective, thus insuring a cool house in summer and a warm one in winter. The colors selected for all interior decorations are such that everything harmonizes in the manner, forming a perfect rest for the eyes, which is not destroyed even when the full glare of the innumerable electric lights is turned on. So rapidly has the work of construction progressed that although the ground was broken only on February 8 last, it is expected to throw open the building for inspection early in August. Taking into consideration that only thirty-two clear working days were available since the beginning of the work the progress has been wonderfully rapid, although everything has been done in the most careful and workmanlike manner.”

Gilmore’s Auditorium was illuminated by electricity and boasted a seating capacity of 3,076. John R. Wilkins was listed as the scenic artist in Julius Chan’s Official Theatrical Guide, 1896. With the theatre on the ground floor, the proscenium measured 33 feet wide by 34 feet high, with the distance from the footlights to the back wall being 30 ½ feet.  The distance between the side walls was 75 ½ feet and the distance between the girders measured 42 feet. It was 60 feet from the stage to the rigging loft, with the depth under the stage measuring 9 feet. There were three traps and one bridge along the back wall. By 1905, Gilmore’s Auditorium became the Casino Theatre, soon gaining a reputation as a popular burlesque venue.

The Gilmore’s Auditorium asbestos curtain was mentioned in “Well-known Drop Curtains in Philadelphia Theatres,” published in “The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec. 18, 1894. Instead of listing the scenic artist, the article highlighted the stage carpenter for his innovative stage machinery-  hydraulic engine was used to lift the asbestos curtain.

“The asbestos curtain in Gilmore’s Auditorium is a model of its kind. The curtain is thirty-four feet wide by thirty-six feet high, and is lifted and lowered by means of a one-half inch steel wire cable over a drain in the flies. The curtain, which is nearly one-half an inch thick, is not rolled up, but lifted bodily, away up in the flies by a small hydraulic engine. It is painted a creamy buff in harmony with the other decorations, but is devoid of any ornament save the single word “Asbestos” painted in the center. All of the act and scene “drops” in this popular amusement temple, like the asbestos drop, are made to lift bodily, the system, which is new, being devised and put in by Mr. Gilmore’s stage carpenter, H. J. Overpeck.”

. The only information that I have uncovered pertaining to anyone named Overpeck in the theatrical profession is an A. J. Overpeck who was listed as a stage machinist with Baitley Campbell’s Siberia in Harry Miner’s Professional Directory (1884). By 1896, Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide would list Harry Spillman as the stage carpenter and electrician.

Of asbestos curtains, however, an interesting article was published the same year in the “Boston Globe” (23 Feb. 1894, page 8). 

“Asbestos Curtain at the Boston.

It is the duty of every theatrical manager to provide his patrons with the best protection possible against fire. No means has yet been discovered equal to a fireproof curtain, and such a one as the Boston Theater has just been put in place is the best of its kind. The curtain is 52 by 50 feet and is made entirely of asbestos. It is hung by wire rope which runs through iron chives [sheaves] fastened into the brick wall over the proscenium, and as all the battens are of iron piping, there is not a bit of woodwork or anything combustible about the entire construction.

The curtain was put in place by Mr. W. P. Prescott, the theater’s machinist, who also made all of the machinery. Last week a test was made before the insurance commissioner, and he pronounced it a splendid piece of mechanism and an ample protection.

By pulling a small wire rope at the prompt stand the curtain can be lowered in three seconds, so that in case of fire not an instant will be lost in shutting off the auditorium from the stage by an asbestos wall through which no flames could penetrate.”

Furthermore, an article in the “Democrat and Chronicle” (Rochester, New York) on Dec. 6, 1894, was entitled “Theater Fires” (page 6). It reported, “Statistic of theater fires from 1751 to the present year have been compiled by the Scientific American, and the figures show a total of 460 theaters destroyed in all countries during the period covered. There were 31 of these disasters in London, 29 in Paris and 29 in New York. The number of victims was great, but as separate lists of the killed and wounded are not given, no accurate statement of the loss of life can be made. It was, however, appalling.” The article later commented, “We believe that most of the modern theaters in this country afford fair protection of their patrons, by means of asbestos curtains, which can be lowered quickly, separating the stage from the auditorium, and by reasonably ample facilities for exit.”

Finally, as asbestos curtains gained prominence by the end of the 19^th century, a funny article came out that reminded me of the plain asbestos curtain hanging at Gilmore’s Auditorium. It was published in the “Philadelphia Inquirer” on Feb. 7, 1897, page 20: “I has an afternoon off this week,” said a well-known comedian to me last evening, “and as I had nothing else to do I wandered into a theatre where a matinee was being given. Directly in front of me sat two stylishly-gowned girls, and they wore hats that were veritable flower gardens. Of course, I could se very little of the stage, but I was repaid by the charming conversation I was forced to overhear. It was just previous to the opening overture and the fair maids were discussing the asbestos curtain.

“That curtain is not half as pretty as the one they used to have here,” said one.

“No indeed it is not, chimed in the other.

“By the way, Marie, who was Asbestos?”

“Asbestos?” queried her friend.

“Why Asbestos was a Roman general, wasn’t he?”

“Was he?”

“No. Laura; let me think – Oh, I remember now; he was a mythological character.”

“Why to be sure he was,” acquiesced Laura.

“How foolish of me not to have thought of it.”

“And they resumed munching caramels.”

To be continued…

Scenic artist Clarkston Dye was mentioned in the article “Well-known Drop Curtains in Philadelphia Theatres” published in “The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec. 18, 1894.

“One of the prettiest landscape pictures on a drop curtain is that of the Kensington Theatre, painted by Mr. Clarkson Dye, giving a view of the river-bank of the Delaware. A picturesque bit of marsh land to the right, and a representation of the wharf traffic, with the empty boats, carts, dock-loafers, etc., in the foreground lend life to the scene.”

Built in 1888, the Kensington Theatre had a seating capacity of 1,400. Situated on the corner of Frankford Avenue and North Street. The land and building were surveyed by E. Hexamer & Son on February 23, 1889. The owner was John W. Hart, with Jacobs and Hickey as the lessees. The proscenium opening was 29 feet wide by 35 feet high. The distance to the back wall was 34 feet and this distance between the footlights to the curtain line was 4 feet. The distance between the side walls was 53 feet with the distance between the fly girders at 36 feet. There were five sets of grooves for scenery with the height of the grooves from the staging measuring at 18 feet high; they could be taken up flush with the gallery. The distance between the stage to the rigging loft was 44 feet.

Dye also painted a drop curtain for the Ninth Arch Street Museum in Philadelphia that was mentioned in the same article:

“A reproduction by Mr. Clarkston Dye of a very charming picture painted by Mr. Irving R. Wiles for the Academy of Music at Baltimore forms the drop curtains of the Ninth and Arch Street Museum. The flower market at the entrance of Central Park, New York, is the scene represented, with the wide boulevard thronged with stylish turnouts and promenading figures of pretty girls. The coloring is high, yet delicate, and the picture is altogether a fine specimen of the kind.”

Of the artist, I have been unsuccessful in locating any information at all beyond this article- a first for me.

To be continued…

The scenic artist, E. H. Chase, was mentioned in the article “Well-known Drop Curtain in Philadelphia Theatres” on Dec. 18, 1894 (The Philadelphia Inquirer, page 45). He replicated an artwork for the Bijou’s drop curtain.

“’Le Bal Champere’ is the subject of the scene on the well-known drop curtain at the Bijou Theatre. The picture, which covers the entire curtain, appears to be set in a skillfully painted representation of a handsome gilded frame with panel border, about which light blue velvet curtains are artistically draped. The painting was executed by E. H. Chase, the scenic artist of the house, and is a realistic copy of the famous painting of that name in the Louvre, at Paris” (The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec. 18, 1894, page 45).

The article was referring to “Les Plaisirs du Bal (Le Bal Champêtre),” an oil on canvas work by Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), ca. 1715-1717 (20.66” h x 25.66” w).

In 1894, the “Buffalo Evening News” noted that Chase was “the well-known scenic artist of the Union Square Theater in New York (23 May 1894, page 3). Three years earlier, Chase was noted as “Keith’s own scenic artist” (Philadelphia Inquirer, 5 Feb 1891, page 5).

The 1885 business letterhead for “E. H. Chase, Scenic Artist” advertised “Landscapes, Figures, Panoramas, Scenes in Tempera, Intricate Mechanical Transformations and Scenes of every description, Designed and Painted in the Best Style of Art.” I discovered this information from a group o three letters, signed by the artist about painting stage scenery for a “Mrs. Barth” in 1885. They were sold for $250 at an auction in 2016.

Like may scenic artists of the time, Chase was also contracted to complete the painted decoration in theater auditoriums.  In 1897, the “Philadelphia Inquirer,” reported that Chase was working on the new decoration for the auditorium at the Ninth and Arch Museum: “The new dome decorations, the work of E. H Chase, one of the best known artists in the country, is a splendid example of artistic drawing and coloring” (8 Aug 1897, page 24). Described as a “curio hall,” the space was noted as “One of the handsomest halls in the country.” The “Philadelphia Inquirer” reported, “Many thousands of dollars have been expended upon the decorations alone, all of which were made under the personal supervision of E. H. Chase, the eminent scenic artist who has himself embellished the walls and ceilings with a number of exquisite water color paintings. There are over 600 incandescent lamps in the new curio hall” (4 Sept. 1898, page 10).

To be continued…

Four drop curtains painted by Lee Lash were described in the article “Well-known Drop Curtains in Philadelphia Theatres” published in “The Philadelphia Inquirer” on Dec. 18, 1894 (page 45).

Of the four, two depicted American scenes. Capturing life in the United States became a more prevalent theme as the nineteenth century progresses. Scene of the old world, its history and legends, began to be replaced with scenes of American activities and expansion:

Lash painted a drop curtain for the Chestnut Street Theatre by 1894:

“What might be called realism in scenic effects-the representation of actual sights and scenes of daily life-is becoming more and more, a feature of stage curtains. Bits of “local color” appear on several of these, as in the drop curtain of the Chestnut Street Theatre, painted by Mr. Lee Lash, which is a view of Broad street, looking south from Jefferson with the Public Buildings silhouetted in the distance. The big bus unloading a flower-laden troop of pretty women and children, the hand-cart, the street gamin, and other characteristic Broad street sights, are prominent in the foreground. At the right is the Mercantile Club building, in process of construction. The picture is a fine, bold piece of coloring and the figures are admirably life-like.”

The first Chestnut Street Theatre was located on the north side of Chestnut Street, between Sixth and Seventh. It was referred to as the “New Theatre,” to distinguish it from the “old” theatre in Southwark. Built in 1792, it was destroyed by fire on April 2, 1820. The second Chestnut Street Theatre opened Dec. 2,  1822, and was also later destroyed in 1856. It was rebuilt and later opened by William Wheatly on January 26, 1863. The third Chestnut Street Theatre was located 1211 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. It was the third Chestnut Street Theatre that Lash created a drop curtain for by 1894.

Lash’s second curtain noted in the 1894 “Philadelphia Inquirer” article was for Philadelphia’s National Theatre. As with the Chestnut Street drop curtain, it depicted an American scene:

“The curtain of the National Theatre, by the same artist [Lee Lash], illustrates the picturesque side of American village life. The foreground figures, a group of women and children gossiping at a quaint old-fashioned well, are faithfully rendered, and the effect of sunshine on the whitewashed exterior of the quaint country cottages is excellent.”

Lash painted a third curtain for the People’s Theatre in Philadelphia. Originally opening in 1890, the venue’s seating capacity was over 2,200. The building was located on Kensington Avenue at the corner of E. Cumberland Street. In 1914, Thomas Lamb was hired to remodel the People’s Theatre. Part of the renovation included the reduction of seats to approximately 1,930. From 1924-26, the People’s Theatre was renamed the Desmond Theatre. In 1927 the theatre was remodeled again and renamed Kent Theatre by the Stanley Theatres Corporation.

The People’s Theatre drop curtain by Lash depicted a French scene:

“A fishing village in the south of France furnishes the motive for the picture curtain of the People’s Theatre. Grouped against the clear horizon are a picturesque handful of old houses, while on the wharf in the foreground is a cluster of fisher girls and men engaged in lively “chaffening” over the day’s catch. Large figures to the left of a young girl and her dog, and the realistic basket of coils of rope, etc., scattered around, are effective bits of still-life.”

The article then noted Lash’s drop curtain for Forepaugh’s Theatre too:

“The same artist who painted this, Mr. Lee Lash, designed also the striking curtain at Forepaugh’s Theatre, a broad boulevard in the Champs Elysees, Paris, with the commanding arch of the Porte Smarting in the background, a statue of Beethoven to the left, and the mounted figures of fashionable dames and a fine tally-ho adorning the foreground. The whole is a handsome effective piece of work.”

I have covered Lash in several posts over the past three years, but here is a lovely article from 1935, that briefly sums up his career. It was printed in the “Latrobe Bulletin,” on 25 June, 1935.

“The story of Lee Lash is an epic in American Art annals. At 70 he has achieved an artistic goal from which he sidetracked in youth and kept in the paths of commercialism for more than 33 years. Today the name of Lee Lash known the country over as the perpetrator of advertising drop curtains, is acclaimed with true artistic fervor. His first one mane show just held in the Keppel Galleries, New York, has revealed an artist of the first water, a painter of rare power and sensitive feeling.

The most discriminating of critics, remembering what the Lee Lash Studios stood for, were taken aback when they gazed upon the exquisite pictures to which the man has devoted his life for the past years. Not only were critics unstinted in their praise but the public came to admire and buy as well. His lovely vistas of New York roofs and skylines have been purchased by private collectors.

Lash was born in San Francisco and began to draw before he could write. His father a prosperous reporter from Prague recognized and encouraged his son in his artistic ambitions. He studied in San Francisco and then in Paris. He was already an excellent artist well on the road to fame when his father’s business crashed. Lee’s career as an artist was checked. He had to earn money. The advertising drop curtain was the result. At first he followed the European idea of surrounding the central scene with advertisements. Then he placed the “ads” in the picture itself, as signs in the landscape. The Lash family recuperated its fortune even though the art sense of the country suffered.

Today Lash, who lives with his wife in frequently changed, sky-high apartments where he studies new view, has been compensated. At this exhibition 67 picture, ranging from Brooklyn in the clear morning light, to Manhattan through its customary haze, gave glimpses of roofs, skylines – all breathing the spirit of New York” (page 3).

Other newspaper articles throughout the course of his career note that Lee Lash drop curtain composition were often street scenes or country lanes, often blocked with commercial ads. For another perspective on Lee Lash and the history of the American ad drop, see past installments 578-580.

To be continued…