Late nineteenth century theatrical guides provide great insight into historic theaters, especially the technical specifications, the staff and network of support for touring shows. I often cite Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide when writing about various historic theaters.
Julius Cahn was the manager of the Charles Froman’s Booking Department at the Empire Theatre. In the theatrical guide’s foreword Cahn states his reason for the publication, citing the need for a “complete and official Theatrical Guide that would give the managers of theaters throughout the country, the managers of traveling attractions and others closely interested in their affairs, a complete and exhaustive volume pertaining to the various braches of business, arranged in a concise and clear manner, so as to make it both valuable and available as a book reference” (Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide, 1895-1896, page VII).
Great idea, but there is the element of human error. Theaters owners, manager and staff submitted the information in regard to their space, mailing it to Cahn’s office. As far as I can determine, there was no independent study to verify that the submitted information was correct. I have noticed that the names of many scenic artists are misspelled.
In the case of the Howell opera house, the scenic artist credited with the stock scenery in Cahn’s Theatrical Guide is “S. E. Landis (Chicago).” This was Sosman and Landis. My guess is that the individual submitting the information read the ampersand as the letter “E” – so he read “Sosman E. Landis.” Thinking that this was an individual and not a company, he further shortened the name to S. E. Landis. I have encountered Sosman & Landis spelled in various ways throughout Cahn’s Guide, including Sausman & Landis, Sussman & Landis, Sosman & Lundis, and Sussman & Lundus to name a few.
In regard to their work for the Howell Opera House, however, corroborating information from many other sources confirms that the company painted the original scenery for the Howell stage. An 1882 article published in the “Macomb Journal” lists all of the theaters “fitted up” by Sosman & Landis from June 1881 to July 1882. The New Opera House in Howell, Michigan, is one of the 73 theaters listed in the article.
Regardless, it is possible that local individuals or other professional scenic artists added to the original scenery collection over the years. In regard to the Howell, the roll drops that have not been unfurled in decades. Although they look in fair shape from the stage floor, there is no way to anticipate the condition of the painted surface or verify a specific scenic artist.
When I visited the Howell opera house on July 11, 2019, I had the opportunity to examine an enlarged photograph of the original drop curtain. It depicted a lovely Venetian composition, one popular for drop curtains at the time, especially those credited to Sosman & Landis. Purportedly, the original drop curtain is still in place, and the painted details visible from the stage floor support that idea.
During the 1880s, Sosman and Landis sent out teams of scenic artists to paint scenery. Joseph S. Sosman and Thomas G. Moses traveled as a team, following Abraham “Perry” Landis as he secured contracts across the country. At the time, there were five scenic artists on staff; it is unclear if this number included studio founder Sosman.
The 1882 “Macomb Journal” article reports, “A visit to the studio of Messrs. Sosman & Landis, in this city, reveals the fact that these gentlemen at this time give employment to five of the best scenic artists in the United States, and that their facilities for turning out first-class work with promptitude and at reasonable figures is unequaled by any establishment in America. At this very moment these gentlemen are actively employed in fitting-up the interior of one or two of the best theatres in the West, and their large corps of artists and stage carpenters are constantly kept busily at work.” Any one of the five scenic artists working for the firm at this time could be responsible for the drop curtain in Howell. Until the Howell drops are unrolled, it is impossible to identify any potential artist.
Although Moses painted in the studio, he was on the road – a lot – traveling from city to city to paint stock scenery and drop curtains on site. In addition to painting scenery at their Chicago shop and shipping it by rail to distant venues, scenery was still painted on site. When looking at the listed of theaters supplied with scenery from 1881 to 1882, the main Sosman & Landis studio could not accommodate the sheer amount of work contracted by their salesmen. Therefor, pairs of artists were also sent on site to paint scenery. Paint frames were constructed for each stage, providing a temporary studio for scenic artists to work. This not unusual, a common practice for nineteenth century itinerant artists, especially as the scenic studio system was relatively new to the country. Keep in mind, that at the time only a handful of scenic studios had been established, with the majority of work being completing by individual scenic artists or pairs or artists in temporary partnerships.
At Sosman & Landis, Moses records that he went on the road to paint scenery with not only with Sosman but also Will Davis and Lem Graham.
More about the Howell Opera House tomorrow.
