Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
For quite a few years, I believed that the history of the Kansas City Scenic Co. was integrally linked to L. L. Graham. Lemuel Laken Graham was a friend, fellow scenic artist and one-time business partner of Thomas G. Moses. Moses credited Lem Graham with the founding a scenic studio in Kansas City sometime during 1884. I mistakenly believed this studio was Kansas City Scenic Co. Fortunately, I was able to connect several dots while preparing a series of documents for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado; this venue boasts a 1902 Kansas City Scenic Co. collection.
In 1882, Moses and Graham established the scenic studio Moses & Graham. The partnership only lasted until 1884 when Graham moved from Chicago to Kansas City, founding another scenic studio – Graham & Davis. This partnership was also short-lived, lasting only two years, but Graham continued a studio under his own name, Lemuel L. Graham. In 1888, one of the artists in his employ was Benjamin F. Dunn, future president of the Kansas City Scenic Co. and childhood friend of later studio founder, John C. Bronaugh. Bronaugh was listed as a Butcher, working at 2018 Grand ave. and residing at 2006 Grand Ave that same year.
I have to wonder if Graham’s scenic studio was known as the “Kansas City Scenic Co.” but he never officially registered or advertised the business as such.
Back to 1882. In that year Moses recorded that when the theatre season closed, he left his position at Sosman & Landis to partner with Lem Graham, I am focusing on the life of Graham today.
Little is known of Graham’s early years, other than he was born in Michigan, about 1850, although some sources list his birth year as early as 1845. Like Fred Megan, Jesse Cox, and many other scenic artists, Graham began his theatrical career as a performer in a touring company. In 1888, “Industries of Kansas City: historical, descriptive, and statistical” included a section on Graham, reporting, “Mr. Graham is an adept in this line, having followed the business upwards of twenty-five years.” This suggests that Graham’s first theatrical work was in 1863. Regardless of his start date, by 1870, an “L. L. Graham” was touring with J. A. Lord’s Chicago Dramatic Co. Graham played the role of Sir Charles Marlowe in “She Stoop’s To Conquer” that year. Starring Louis Lord, his company toured throughout Kansas. (“The Daily Commonwealth,” 7 Jan. 1870, page 2). By the fall, Graham was performing in “Frou-Frou” alongside Mary Graham (The Leavenworth Times, 22 Nov. 1870, page 4). It is unclear whether Mary was a relation or his wife.
By 1871, the “Junction City Weekly Union” mentions Mr. L. L. Graham is a performer in “The Ticket-of-Leave-Man.” Advertised as a “modern play,” Graham was credited with personifying “Jem Dalton,” the tiger. The newspaper announced he “did it well,” adding, “He is a young man of talent, and we believe a true artiste” (4 Feb, 1871, page 3). Few things make me smile, as thinking of a future scenic artist and studio founder dressed up as a tiger.
In 1872, Graham again appeared with Louie Lord’s Dramatic Company in their production of “Our American Cousin” (Daily Commonwealth, 12 Jan. 1871, page 4), as well as a touring production entitled “Buffalo Bill.” This production is a little confusing, as it was advertised as a “Kansas romantic aboriginal spectacular specialty,” not really a spectacle featuring William Cody, the actual “Buffalo Bill” (Daily Commonwealth, 8 Dec. 1872, page 4). Something happens by the mid 1870s and 1880s, causing Graham to transition from a performer to a scenic artist. The 1888 publication, “Industries of Kansas City: historical, descriptive, and statistical” included a section on Graham, report, “His first experience in the school of art was had at McVickers’ Theater, Chicago, Ill. and subsequent training in San Francisco, Cleveland, Memphis and New Orleans.”
On September 17, 1875, the “Times-Picayune” reported, “opening of the Amusement Season. – The Academy of Music, always first to open and last to close, has been entirely renovated, a new proscenium and ceiling put up, which is being decorated by Mr. L. L. Graham, the Academy’s scenic artist, who, by-the-by, showed us some fine specimens of his art during the last season, repainted all over, new carpets, and other modern improvements” (New Orleans, page 1).
Later that fall, the “New Orleans Republican” reported that L. L. Graham painted the drop curtain for Bidwell’s Academy of Music,“representing Tasso at the Court of Ferrara. Graham’s new drop was to be “unrolled for the first time” on Sunday October 10 of that year (October 16, 1875, page 1). By winter, Graham was mentioned again in connection with the Academy of Music’s scenic attributes: “The truly sublime piece of scenery in the transformation scene is the handiwork of Mr. L. L. Graham, the skillful artist, who gets up some very grand effects, and it riveted the gaze of the spellbound audience” (26 Dec. 1875, age 1).
By the beginning of 1876 the “Times-Picayune” reported, “ACADEMY OF MUSIC. – To-night there will be a change of programme at this theatre in “Dead to the World” in which Mr. France will appear a Philip Warwick, Flip, a negro, and Aunt Hannah. The drama is described as “replete with thrilling effects, exciting situations, startling tableaux,” but no Indians. The play appears to have achieved a remarkable run of twelve weeks at the London Grecian Theatre, which would lead us to the conclusion that there is much merit in it. At all events the public will have the opportunity of judging to-night. The play will be ornaments with new scenery from the brush of Mr. L. L. Graham, whose handiwork has ere now received its need of popular applause.” (New Orleans, Jan 20, 1876, page 8). Graham remains associated with the Academy of Music during the 1870s before moving to Chicago and working with another well-known scenic artist, Henry C. Tryon. Both would later work at Sosman & Landis in the 1880s.
In 1876 Graham partnered with Tryon to deliver a new drop curtain and stock scenery to an opera house in South Bend, Indiana. An article in the “Southbend Tribune reported, “L. L. Graham of the academy of music in New Orleans, La., and Henry C. Tryon, of McVicker’s theater of Chicago, scenic artists, are engaged at the opera house in painting a new drop curtain, a wooded landscape, a place scene, a parlor scene and others” (“South Bend Tribune,” 9 Aug, 1876). This seems to be a turning point, as Graham becomes increasingly connected with the Chicago theatre scene.
By 1881, he was working at the Academy of Music in Chicago. Enter Thomas G. Moses who is a young artists working at Sosman & Landis. In fact, Moses is the first employee that Joseph Sosman hires and the two go on the road, completing one project after another secured by Perry Landis. Between trips in Chicago, Moses looked for a second job as his finances are stretched thin after the birth of another child. Moses secured a part-time position with Graham at the Academy of Music. The two were painting for the Academy’s stock company, the same stock company that included Moses’ sister Illie who is an actress [Illinois Moses]. By the way, in 1882, Graham is listed as an artist residing at 230 West Washington in the Chicago Directory. Graham was also listed as the scenic artist at the Standard Theatre in Chicago; this is before partnering with Moses to form the new scenic studio Moses & Graham. Of the partnership, Moses wrote, “We got together and I quit the firm after refusing a big salary – that is, for me. Our first contract was at Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Academy of Music. We worked night and day. I did all the foliage and I was astonished. On seeing my stuff set, to see how I improved.
The Academy of Music in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was a 1250-seat opera house located on South Rose Street. The venue was directly across from Bronson. John McCullough’s “Virginius” was the opening production at the venue. The theater owners wanted to make it a big affair, so they paid Graham and Moses “a good price” for special scenery to accompany the production. Moses noted that they were all Roman scenes, recalling, “We spread ourselves and it was very pleasant work.”
After Kalamazoo, Moses and Graham completed a project in Grand Rapids, Michigan for Redmond’s Opera House, also built in 1882. The venue was later known as the Grand Opera House. While in town, Moses recalled that Graham fell in love with the head waitress at his boarding house; the two later married on Nov. 20, 1884. Her name was Elizabeth “Lizzie” West (b. 1860), and of her Moses wrote, “she proved to be a good wife and good mother.” The Grahams celebrated the birth of two children, Rachel Elizabeth (b. 1892) and Revard Parker (b. 1895),
Now, this was at least the second marriage for Graham, if you read everything listed in the newspapers and between the lines, he was married a few times. His first marriage ended in divorce during 1870, Chicago. We know this because the original divorce decree was destroyed during the Chicago fire. On April 17, 1884, the “Inter Ocean” reported, “Martha Elizabeth Graham of Cumberland, Maine, filed a petition in the Circuit Court yesterday for the restoration of a decree of divorce. The decree was rendered against her on Nov. 30, 1870, in the Circuit Court of Cook Country in favor of Lemuel L. Graham and was destroyed by the great Chicago fire.” (page 8). That same year, a Lemuel L. Graham also severed marital ties to Nellie H. Graham, as reported in the “San Francisco Examiner.” On Oct. 28, 1884, “Judge Maguire has granted Nellie H. Graham a divorce from Lemuel L. Graham, willful neglect and desertion.” Interestingly, both of these events occurred the same year he eventually married Lizzie. By 1889, Lizzie was working as a seamstress.
Back to Moses & Graham in 1882… After completing scenery for the two opera houses in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, the pair traveled to Elgin. At this time, John H. Young also joined their team. Young would become one of the top Broadway designers in the first decade of the 20th century. Of Young in 1882, Moses wrote, “He was then working as a candy concern, but was delighted to join us.” Moses had previously worked with Young in Michigan during the 1870s. I have written extensively about Young, see past posts 140, 171-173, and 186.
Moses, Graham and Young next worked on a project in Racine, Wisconsin, where they painted scenery for the Black Opera House. By this point, Moses wrote, “Graham and I were doing much better now and we had two good jobs at the same time. He was a regular Shylock, a good fellow and a hard worker, but altogether too close to please me.” I am not even going to hazard a guess to his comment, but the two soon split; Graham and Young departed for Hannibal, Missouri, leaving Moses alone to finish the Racine project.
By 1883, Moses & Graham went after a project in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Sosman & Landis were also competing for the same work. Of the encounter, Moses wrote, “I met Mr. Landis there. I got the contract. We rode to Chicago together and met Mr. Sosman on our arrival. We were offered $45.00 a week. I wired Graham at Burlington. He answered $50.00 and extras. We closed for that. I had Oshkosh to finish, which I did and May 1st found Graham, Young and myself back on Clark Street at the Sosman and Landis Studio.” Graham remained at Sosman & Landis until 1884.
In 1884 Graham partnered with a “Mr. Davis” to establish a scenic studio in Kansas City, Missouri, named Graham & Davis (Sioux City Journal. 9 May 1885, page 3). According to the newspaper accounts, Davis married Cora in 1884. He only remained with the company for two years before withdrawing and moving to Chicago. He was listed in the 1887 Chicago Directory, living at 850 W. Madison and working as a scenic artist. I believe that this was the same William P. Davis (b. 1855), who later worked at the Chicago Auditorium and established the Twin City Scenic Co. in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Davis moved to Minnesota in 1894 and was listed in the St. Paul Directory as the scenic artist for the Grand Opera House. Interestingly, Davis first worked for Moses in Richmond, Indiana, during 1881; Will Davis was Moses’ assistant at the time, just before Moses partnered with Graham. All three were working in Chicago for Sosman & Landis.
A little more about Graham after 1884 tomorrow.
To be continued…
