I transfer planes in Detroit today on my way to teach at Cobalt Studios in White Lake, New York. It seems an appropriate time to include this particular post about Thomas G. Moses before taking a week off from writing. I will return to the life and times of Thomas G. Moses on Monday, November 10, 2019.
In 1913, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Detroit again. New contract with Temple Theatre Company.” Sosman & Landis first delivered scenery to Detroit’s Temple theatre in 1908. The Elks Temple and Temple Theatre originally opened on Dec. 23, 190, and was next door to the Detroit opera house. Located on the north side of Monroe Street in the Campus Martius area, the building boasted a 1500-seat theater designed by Col. J.M. Wood. The Temple Theatre originally hosted the Wonderland Theatre Company and curiosity museum of oddities before the 1908 renovation. Sosman & Landis painted a drop curtain as part of an extensive renovation.
In 1908, the Temple Theatre closed for three weeks during July to complete the renovation of the theater space. On July 2, 1908, the “Detroit Free Press” reported, “Sosman & Landis, the scene painters of Chicago, are in consultation with the William Wright artists carry out in the new drop curtain, to cost $1,000.” The same newspaper further described the new drop curtain on July 26, 1908: “Beyond all this the proscenium arch a mass of burnished gold and set within like a picture in its frame is the new drop curtain – a splendid thing the product of Sosman & Landis scenic studios in Chicago. It pictures an old Italian garden, the spirit of the joy-seeking Renaissance caught here in every other part of the theater. Here too the predominating note is blue with only the suggestion of green in the foliage and a hint of old rose in the costumes of the grand dames, which lend the desired touch of life to the stately old garden. It’s all brightly beautiful and happy thought and ideal as a playhouse should be, and proves with subtle insistence that those responsible for it are artists in a very substantial and satisfying sense” (page 7).
In 1909 and 1910, Sosman & Landis again completed a large scenery projects for Detroit’s Temple Theatre, as the venue hosted touring productions. Much of the firm’s success was based on repeat customers, the return of satisfied customers who ordered additional scenery over the years. Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio was a well-known entity by the first decade of the twentieth century. The fact that the Temple Theatre ordered more scenery in 1913 is not a surprise, especially with Sosman & Landis’ continued work in the city at various venues.
From the very beginning of Moses’ scenic art career, he had completed many projects in Detroit. Later in 1913, Moses reminisced, “I made a business trip to Detroit and Cleveland in July. I left Detroit for Cleveland by the night boat. As I sat on the upper forward deck enjoying a good cigar, my thoughts ran back to 1875, when I was in Detroit broke with no place to go, nothing to do. I sat down on the dock, just below where I was now sitting and wondered if I would be missed and forgiven for falling off the dock. I was either too much of a coward or had a sudden change of heart, for I went on the road very soon afterwards as a ‘butcher’ another name for candy or newsboy on the railroad. A young man was sitting near me and to open the conversation for the evening, I told him the above. He was very much interested, and I found that he knew some of my Oak Park friends, so we put in a very pleasant evening as we sailed or steamed towards Cleveland.”
Our minds often wander back to trying times, whether past events, places or friends. Past obstacles that seemed unbearable became our defining moments. Challenges can provide an opportunity for growth. In 1875, Moses made a choice; he refused to give up and end it all on the docks of Detroit. Thirty-eight years later, he recognized that moment as a defining one in his life.
When I read this passage as a young college student, it shaped my perspective for many future trials. I was nineteen years old and constantly working in between classes. Reading of Moses’ continued struggles made any of my own problems pale in comparison. Although there was that brief period where I lived out of my car and solely ate ramen noodles, I could always return home if I really needed help. Moses could not, yet persevered anyway. I also recognize that some people cannot overcome some obstacles, regardless of a support network.
I made a conscious choice to succeed, regardless of what life threw at me. For me success was never defined by acquiring a large fortune or living in a fancy house, but how I could make myself better and how I could clear the path for those who came after me. That is one of the reasons that I post so many pictures of historic scenes every day, for my fellow scenic artists who may have never been exposed to this history. I hope that this small and consistent gesture will help my colleagues.
To be continued…
