Month: February 2020

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

I explored the life of Frederick R. Megan yesterday. Megan was a salesman for the Kansas City Scenic Co. during the early twentieth century, selling a large scenery collection to the Elks Opera House in Leadville during 1902.

Fred Megan and Thomas G. Moses later purchased the name “Sosman & Landis” after the company closed in 1923. That year Sosman & Landis partnered with Kansas City Scenic Co. to production scenery for productions in Olathe, Kansas. The two companies had worked together over the decades, sharing both artists and designs. One example of their working together was the 1902 scenery collection delivered to Leadville, Colorado.

On February 22, 1923, the “Olathe Mirror” reported “Let’s Go Peggy” was using scenery Sosman & Landis, Chicago, and Kansas City Scenic (page 3).  by On March 1, 1923, the “Johnson County Democrat” announced that the Olathe American Legion production, “The Play’s the Thing,” used the scenery for the was by both Sosman & Landis and Kansas City Scenic Co. (Olathe, Kansas page 1).They continued to run the firm successfully throughout the decade, delivering scenery to the Oakland Scottish Rite in 1927.

Today’s posts, jumps ahead of my “Tales of a Scenic Artists and Scholar” timeline, but is being included to provide some additional context for the Tabor Opera House history.

Situated on the shores of Lake Merritt, Oakland’s Scottish Rite was a staggering $1,500,000 project. The painting contract alone for Moses was worth $36,000 (Oakland Tribune, 4 June 1927, page 3). Although this seems an exorbitant, it is on par with what Tabor spent for his opera house in Denver in 1881. Today, these projects would require an estimated $18,000,000.

On Dec. 12, 1927, the “Oakland Tribune” published the article, “Stage Setting and Scenery are Artistic.” The article lists the major players, Moses and Megan of Sosman & Landis, as well as their collaborative endeavor with the Western Scenic Studio. Moses designed the scenery and Megan designed the stage machinery. Here is the article in its entirety as it contains such valuable information, especially in regard to the description of the counterweight system:

“In keeping with the magnificent beauty of the new Oakland Scottish Rite Temple is the stage scenery and equipment installed by Thomas G. Moses, representing the Sosman and Landis company of Chicago. The settings exemplify the degrees of Scottish Rite Masonry and portray an oriental splendor whose style ranges from the Egyptian to the Assyrian, Persian, Gothic, Grecian, Norman Gothic, Babylonian, ending in the land of the Druids of Stonehenge, England.

“Moses bears the reputation of being the most sought-after scenic artist in America. Not only is he known for his masterful production of elaborate scenery and stage settings, but his own hand wields the brush in the majority of his creations.

“Into the stage settings for the Oakland Scottish Rite Temple he has put the knowledge and ability of over fifty years of scenic production work.

“The richness of the stage settings concurs with the art of the ancient courts of Cyrus, Darius and Solomon, through the motif of the scenery is to provide a harmonious background for the colorful robes used in the Scottish Rite degree work.

“The ideas of members conferring the degree were combined with those of the designer. Al painting was done at the new Tempe were the designs could be discussed with the Oakland Scottish Rite officials. The excellent result of the cooperation is apparent in the finished work. Earl Sudderth and Lenn Harris, local artists, aided Moses in the actual painting of the huge settings. [In 1925, Robert Earl Sudderth was listed as a scenic artist working at the Western Scenic Studio].

“The scenery for the Oakland Scottish Rite Temple is the largest Masonic scenery ever to be painted according to Moses. The drops on the stage measure thirty by fifty feet while the average drop for this type of work measure but twenty by thirty-six feet.

“The canvas employed in this work is a heavy six-ounce duck tied to an iron pipe instead of wood. Moses started several months ago painting a complete set of new designs using a large neutral cyclorama, forty feet high and one hundred and thirty feet long, This is used as a background for many of the sets [this is exactly what he delivered to Fort Scott, Kansas a few years earlier].

“A special set of rigging was installed for the operating of the stage scenery. The rigging was designed and planned by Ned [sic. Fred] R. Megan, also of the Sosman & Landis company. Special concentration was given the arrangement and construction of the rigging as the commodious stage of the Oakland Scottish Rite Temple allows thirty-five drops to be raised out of sight, This allows plenty of space for high sets, This is the first Scottish Rite Temple to have wall slots, in which counterweight arbors travel without interfering with the operators. In the old system the operator’s hands were in constant danger f being injured by the counterweight frames. Steel sheaves, with ball bearings, the best tiller rope cable, Cuban bolt hauling lines, irons arbors with counterweights constitute the rigging equipment. Iron pipe battens are used in place of the old style wooden battens. The materials for this rigging was furnished by Oakland foundries. Patterns were shipped from the east while additional ones were made here. Megan was aided in this work by L. A. Abrott, of the Western Scenic studios.”  Larry Abrott, owner of Western Scenic Studios, was a member of the Oakland Scottish Rite. In 1908, it was A. O. Sterling and Bart Marlone who opened Western Scenic Studio and Stage Equipment Co. in the Grand Opera House of Des Moines, Iowa. On July 4, 1908, “The Billboard” announced the opening of the firm, adding, “They have a well-equipped studio and are prepared to turn out good work in the shortest time possible. The write wishes them success” (Billboard, 4 July 1908, Vol. 20, page 11). By 1929, Western Scenic Studios offices were located at 1527 Jackson St., Oakland. In 1929, the Sosman & Landis offices were located at 416 S. Kedzie Ave. in Chicago.

Now this article is a pretty big deal, as I cannot think of a comparable one that describes the rigging with this level of detail, the comparison of the old standards and new installation.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Horace Tabor’s financial fall in the 1890s resulted in the sale of his two prized possessions, opera houses in Leadville and Denver.  The Tabor Opera House in Leadville briefly became known as the Weston Opera House before J. H. Herron purchased it. Herron immediately sold the property to the Benevolent and Protected Order of Elks who renovated it.  The fraternal organization began a massive building renovation in 1901. The $25,000 renovation by the Elks included a new stage with fly loft and enlargement of the auditorium. There were also many cosmetic changes made to the interior décor that included an elk’s head mounted on the proscenium wall. Gone was the original painted décor and characteristic of the 1870s theater.

The 1902 scenery collection delivered to the Tabor Opera House included at least six interior sets: two center door fancies, two plain interiors, a prison, and a Baronial Hall. Over the years, I have encountered dozens of examples of interior settings, especially in social halls and smaller venues. However, I have never encountered any on such an elaborate setting as at the Tabor Opera House. Not all interior sets at the Tabor Opera House are of the same quality, being produced by two different studios. The green gothic interior and yellow center door fancy are some of the best scenic art examples that I have encountered to date. They are products of Sosman & Landis, a firm subcontracted by Kansas City Scenic Co. in 1902.

Both firms shared work and artists over the years, but in was F. R. Megan, the Kansas City Scenic Co. salesman, who secured the Leadville contract.

I am going to start F. R. Megan. Frederick Rishel

[sometimes noted as Richell]

Megan was born in Galesburg, Illinois on May 5, 1873. His father was Dr. John W. Megan, an Irish immigrant, and his mother was Cornelia Wookey, a native of New York; they were married in 1871 in Knox, Illinois. [I have to admit, reading “Cornelia Wookey” makes it difficult not to think about “Star Wars”].

The first mention of Frederick R. Megan is in an 1896 Kansas City Directory; his listing notes “trvlg” [traveling] and rmg [rooming] at 1021 McGee. In 1897 Megan was performing and touring with the Barrett & Barrett Company (“Leonardville Monitor,” Leonardville, Kansas, 2 Dec. 1897, page 8). By 1900 the US Census lists Megan’s wife as Thenia Jones, born in Carroll, Arkansas around 1877. The couple was married in Jackson, Missouri, on April 14, 1898, likely while Megan was touring. The transition from performance to technical theater is not a great leap, as many 19^th century touring companies required their performers to complete backstage tasks, including scene painting. Jesse Cox is only one example of a performer who ended up enjoying a successful career as a scenic artist.

On July 19, 1900, Fred and Thenia Megan celebrated the birth of their daughter, Anabel L. Megan; all were living in Kansas City, Missouri.

Megan continued to appear in the Kansas City Directory until 1918, with his first listing as Kansas City scenic Co. salesman in 1903. However, we know that he was already with the company in 1901, as newspapers published his association with the firm.

In 1903, however, Megan established his residence at 507 Monroe, where he would continue to reside from for over a decade before moving to 4136 Warwick Boulevard. Although he continued to be listed as a traveling salesman for the Kansas City Scenic Studio Co. by 1920, Megan was listed as Government Supervisor. Many scenic artists worked for the government on painting projects during WWI, especially in regard to the development of camouflage painting. The 1920 US Census listed Megan and his wife Thenia as living a 16^th Street in Washington, D.C., although Kansas City Directories still included their entry. 

Megan’s 1918 WWI draft registration card describes him as tall and medium build, with blue eyes and grey hair. He was 45 years old at the time. On his draft card Megan listed his occupation as traveling salesman for the Kansas City Scenic Co,, located at 24^th and Harrison Streets in Kansas City, Missouri.

And then there is Megan’s connection to Thomas G. Moses. After the death of Joseph S. Sosman in 1915, Sosman & Landis stockholders elected Moses company president. He was a gifted artist and charming salesman, but was not intricately connected to the same theatre and Masonic networks as his predecessor. The company started to slip, losing projects to smaller companies with the necessary connections. In the post-WWI years, Moses began to realize that Sosman & Landis would not survive. By 1923, Moses wrote, “On our return to Chicago we had a little chat with Fred Megan about buying into the company and getting Hoyland and Lemle out. D.S. Hunt is also bobbing about for the lease of the studio.”  It is this connection with Megan that has always peaked my interest.  Megan was the consummate salesman, having entered the studio scene early in his career. The opera house in Leadville was one of his first big projects for Kansas City Scenic Co. that brought in Sosman *& Landis as a subcontractor.

In 1923, Megan and Moses teamed up and leased the old Fabric Studio in Chicago while they waited to purchased the Sosman & Landis name. By 1924, Megan was on the road most of the time, with Moses making models in his studio and painting scenery. This is how Sosman & Landis had most successfully operated since the beginning- with Landis on the road and Sosman in the studio. Now Megan was on the road and Moses was in the studio. Moses  and Megan would close the contract for the Salt Lake Consistory scenery [Scottish Rite] during 1926. They would also deliver scenery to the Oakland Scottish Rite in 1927 under the name of “Sosman & Landis.” Moses and Megan continued working together until 1931. In 1933, Megan was listed as the Sosman & Landis manager in Chicago, residing at 819 Dobson in the Evanston, Illinois, Directory.

At the time of Megan’s passing on April 16, 1946, his “usual occupation” was listed as that of a “paint contractor.” At the time of his death, he was married to Edith Wilkson and was living in La Joya, Texas. The cause of his death was a heart attack.

To be continued…

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar. The Colorado Springs Opera House and the Scenic Artists Robert Hopkins, 1881.

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Yesterday I explored the drop curtain created by Robert Hopkins for the Tabor Grand Opera House in Denver, Colorado. On Thomas G. Moses, Edward Morange, Hardesty Maratta, and John Young visited the Tabor Opera House in Denver to see the drop curtain by their friend Robert Hopkins in 1884. Moses wrote, “We all attended the theatre, the famous Tabor Grand, and we found it all we had expected it would be, nicely decorated and fine woodwork.  The Drop Curtain was very good: an old ruin with some poetical feeling that pleased everyone.  It was painted by an old friend of mine, Mr. Robert Hopkins, of Detroit, Michigan.  This is a favorite subject of his, he having done a similar one in Detroit” (The palette & Chisel, Vol. 1, No. 3, March 1928). 

So who was Robert Hopkins? He was a scenic artist from the Midwest who began his career in Detroit, and later was associated with other large metropolitan areas through his work. Hopkins came from a family with four consecutive generations of Detroit artists named Robert Hopkins. The patriarch of the family specialized in marine scenes and never appears to have left the Detroit area. I believe that it was his son, Robert Hopkins, Jr. who ventured to Chicago and continued to travel west for theatrical opportunities.

Robert Hopkins, Jr. was born in 1856, the same year as Thomas G. Moses. As Moses sporadically worked in Detroit throughout the duration of his career, it is likely that their friendship began with the Hopkins family in Michigan. Unlike Moses who started his artistic career at the age of 17, Hopkins was already actively working and listed as a painter by 15 years old. The 1870 census listed Scottish artist Robert Hopkins Sr., age 37, as an artist and his son Robert Jr. as a painter. Hopkins Sr. was married to Evaline, age 38 at the time, with four children: Sophia (age 17, b. 1854), Robert Jr. (age 15), William G (14), Marshall (8) and George Ruby (17). During this time, the family was listed as living at 664 Detroit Ward 5, E Wayne, Michigan.

In 1875, Moses recorded that he worked on scenery for the “Naiad Queen” under the “celebrated Robert Hopkins.” Hopkins was a close friend of C. Lou Malmsha (1847-1882), another well-known artist whose career soared, but he passed away at the young age of 35. Malmsha seems to half left an indelible mark on all who knew him. Moses worked as both Malmsha’s assistant and under the direction of Hopkins at the in the beginning and this experience certainly shaped his approach to scenic art. Less than a decade later Hopkins was credited as producing the scenery for Detroit Opera House, according to Harry Miner’s American Dramatic Directory for the 1882-1883.

It remains unclear as to whether Moses worked with the elder or younger Hopkins in Detroit. Although it seems reasonable that it would be the elder Hopkins, fame struck many scenic artists at an incredibly early age in the 19^th century; sometimes it just took one show. I believe Moses was referring to Robert Hopkins Jr. Keep in mind, less than a decade later Moses left Sosman & Landis for the first time to form a new scenic studio with Lemuel L. Graham, future founder of Kansas City Scenic Co. Moses’ ascent to the top of his professional was relatively quick too, he was just a few years behind Hopkins despite their same age.

Like many itinerant artists at the time, the Hopkins traveled from town to town and tried to secure as many painting contracts in an area before departing. What I have noticed is that when a scenic artist came to town to paint scenery for one theater, other venues took advantage of their arrival. This means that a talented artist was immediately approached after arriving in any town or territory.  If their name was associated with a popular touring show, the arrival was even more anticipated and people lined up with projects. During 1881, Hopkins seems to have settled in Colorado for a spell, before returning east.  Hopkins produced scenery for both Tabor’s Grand Opera House in Denver and the new opera house in Colorado Springs.

Of his 1881 Colorado Springs project, “The Leadville Daily Herald” reported, “Mr. Robert Hopkins, of Chicago, an artist of large experience, has had charge of the scene painting, and it, together with the arrangements for shifting, are equal to that of any stage in the country. There are thirteen sets of scenes, supplied with all the accessories to make each complete” (April 19, 1881, page 1).

Colorado Spring’s “Daily Gazette” reported, “The appointments of the stage will fully equal and in the best metropolitan establishments. The scenery is of the most elaborate and tasteful description and is painted by the well known artist, Mr. Robert Hopkins” (Colorado Springs, 19 April 1881, pages 1-2). Hopkins was mentioned again in the section entitled, “Stage Arrangements,” providing a little my information about the scenic artists and the stage house for the April 9, 1881, opening of the opera house in Colorado Springs:

“The stage is very large considering the size of the theatre, and the finest scenic effects can be produced upon it. The proscenium arch is 24×24 feet, thus giving ample room. The drop curtain is an exceedingly handsome bit of work, representing a Venetian scene. The decoration of the theatre and the painting of the scenes are under the direction of J. B. Sullivan & Bro. of Chicago, The artist in charge of the scene painting is Mr. Robert Hopkins, who is the general designer of the decorations. These designs are entirely original, having no duplicates in any theatre. The scenery and the arrangements for shifting it are equal to that of any stage. The scenes are shifted upon the Breach system, by means of counter-weights. There are thirteen separate sets of scenes, which are supplied with all the accessories to make each compete. Following is a partial synopsis of the scenes: garden scene, set cutwood flats, garden flat, vases, borders, statuettes, set arbor, walls, balustrades, ancient street scene, modern street scene, street arch, cave scene with accompanying wings, kitchen scene, plain chamber, palace scene, interior gothic scene, garret scene, prison castle, open wood, dense wood, rocks, grounds waters, set trees, horizon, numerous landscapes. There are over 200 pieces in all and the scenery will be so arranged that each scene will be complete from wing to wing that there rarely be need of pillar for instance, to enclose a wood scene, the scene being all woodland scenery within the stage borders, it will be a picture in a frame.”

This was a comparable scenery collection to that delivered to Tabor’s Grand Opera House in Denver during 1881.  It signifies a standard of excellence for western theaters, as well as significant profits for a scenic artist.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

For additional installments, go to www.drypigment.net

One cannot explore the history of Leadville’s Tabor Opera House without taking into consideration Horace Tabor’s second theater, the Tabor Grand Opera House in Denver. It provides additional context for Tabor’s first theatre.

Leadville’s Tabor Opera House opened in November of 1879. By March 1880, Tabor announced that he had purchased land in Denver at Sixteenth and Curtis Street with plans for another opera house. As with many theater owners and architects of the time, they visited other opera houses for inspiration. Known as the Tabor Grand Opera House, to differentiate from the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, the building was designed by Edbrooke and F. P. Burnham of Chicago, with a seating capacity of 1,500. Construction for his second opera house construction began by the summer. Estimates for the new opera house were projected at 750,000 to 850,000, today’s equivalent of over $18,000,000. The theater opened on August 1, 1881, with Emma Abbott and her Grand English Opera Company. Abbott was paid a staggering $20,000, plus railway fares, for a two-week engagement (Topeka Daily Capital, 3 Aug 1881, page 7).

Of the new theater, the “Times-Picayune” reported, “The stage is constructed and fitted up on a scale that would cause envy in many Eastern theatres. The decorations in the body of the theatre itself are of the most beautiful description, and one can see at a glance that expense was not considered in the least” (New Orleans, 6 Dec. 1881, page 9).

I first learned delved into the history Tabor Grand Opera House after reading an article by Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934) for the Palette & Chisel Club newsletter.  In the 1920s, he wrote a series called “Tom’s Travels.” In 1884, Moses was on a sketching trip with three other scenic artists, traveling from Chicago to Breckenridge, Colorado. Their sketching trip was to gather source material for future stage settings and hone their artistic skills.  None of the young scenic artists had ever seen mountains before this trip.

Moses mentioned their stopping by the Tabor Theatre in Denver, Colorado, (Tabor Grand Opera) to see the drop curtain produced by his friend and fellow scenic artist, Robert Hopkins. Of his trip to Denver, Moses wrote: “We all fell in love with the city.  It is beautifully situated, rather hilly but well laid out; fine buildings, very ornate homes, built by men who had more money than taste.  We all attended the theatre, the famous Tabor Grand, and we found it all we had expected it would be, nicely decorated and fine woodwork.  The Drop Curtain was very good: an old ruin with some poetical feeling that pleased everyone.  It was painted by an old friend of mine, Mr. Robert Hopkins, of Detroit, Michigan.  This is a favorite subject of his, he having done a similar one in Detroit” (The palette & Chisel, Vol. 1, No. 3, March 1928). 

While looking for additional information about the Tabor Grand Opera, I discovered a photograph of Hawkins’ drop curtain; it is part of the Denver Public Library’s online collection. Now what is interesting to consider about the Tabor Grand Opera is that Hawkins painted the drop curtain, while Henry E. Burcky is credited with painting stock scenery collection.

At this time, it was not unusual for the drop curtain and stock scenery to be separate contracts. In many instances, the front curtain was considered a project in itself, taking much longer than most other scenery delivered to a theater. Many nineteenth century articles solely focused on those artists who specialized in drop curtains. In 1894, the “Philadelphia Inquirer” included the illustrated article – “Well-Known Drop Curtains in Philadelphia Theatre”  (16 Dec, 1894, page 45). The article reported, “The drop curtain is the most expensive piece of furniture in any playhouse. Managers are more solicitous about the care of a handsome curtain that almost any other appointment in their theatres. They are usually painted by artists of wide fame in a particular branch of art which they represent, whose charges for the work range from $1,000 to $3,000.” That amount is today’s equivalent of $29,000 to $89,000 for the front curtain. This also puts the $1,000 Royal Gorge backdrop purchased for the 1879 Tabor Opera House in perspective.

So consider the 1879 backdrop at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, and the 1881 drop curtain painted by Robert Hopkins for the Tabor Grand Opera; these were incredibly expensive items for each theater, likely the most expensive appointment in the theater. We known that Tabor did not spare any expense and the painted scenes beyond the curtain line would have been no exception.  Painted scenes on the stage transported audience members to other worlds, with the painted front curtain (drop curtain) being the portal. In most cases, the front curtain established set the tone of the painted décor of the space, being the most unifying aspects of all other painted elements. Restoring any theater is incomplete without this original element, and I sometime wonder if todays’ architects are unaware of this aspect.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Before I leave the 1879 Tabor Opera House scenery discussion, there are some other factors to consider, providing an additional perspective that help place the original scenery collection in context. Today’s post has to do with a major New York scenic studio delivering photographic backings to Leadville in 1881. That is less than two years after the Tabor Opera House opened its doors to the public.

On Nov. 1, 1881. The “Leadville Daily Herald” included the article, “PHOTOGRAPHY. Some Facts About the Progress of the Art in this City.” The article begins, “There is probably no art that has improved so rapidly in the same space of time as photography, and at the present day has attained a standing in art and business circles second to no similar enterprise in the world. In the place of the daguerreotype, now almost extinct, the photograph is found in every household, and the process for an ordinary first class picture have been so reduced by new modes and improvement that every family van and does have their ‘pictures taken,’ either collectively or individually, for the gratification of themselves and near friends.” The article continues to note two very important aspects suggest the significance of Leadville, as this is no longer a small mountain community. Here is the first: “Among the many photographers is the state, Leadville has probably the very best, in the person of Mr. Brisbois. Having served for years in the business with the finest in the land and having graduated competent to conduct the extensive studio, which now carries his name, on East Fifth Street. Since the retirement of his late partner, Mr. Brisbois has made a number of improvements, which not only facilitate the business of the establishment, but has added considerably to the comfort and entertainment of his patrons.”

“Mr. Brisbois” was actually Alfred Brisbois, founder of Brisbois Photograph Gallery at 501 & 503 Harrison Avenue in Leadville, Colorado. He was listed in the city’s directory from 1886-1890. The Denver Public Library includes a photography collection picturing his staff: “ Miss Rose Northrupp, Reception Room,” “Mr. A. Muhr, Operator Late of New York,” “Mr. W.W. Cecil, 1st Printer,” “Mr. C.C. Turldon, 2nd Printer,” “Mr. Carl Eitner, Retoucher.”Here is the link if you are in the area for a visit: https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/collection/data/42415291

In 1881 Brisbois has knowledge, experience, and a first-rate establishment in Leadville, perfect for the growing area.  The second part of the Leadville article links his photographic backings to one of the top scenic studios in the United States.

The “Leadville Daily Herald” continues, “One of the requirements of an excellent picture is to have backgrounds that will add to the beauty of the work, and as Mr. Brisbois entertains a full appreciation of this fact he has only the work of celebrated New York artist, L. W. Seavey, in his gallery, although they are procured at a price nearly five times as great as some of the less noted painters. With first class operators and workmen it is no wonder that Mr. Brisbois has been so successful in gaining a reputation second to none, and with his exalted views of the necessity of turning out only the best work, together with a gentlemanly deportment to all guests, whether customers or only sight seers, this success is bound to continue.”

East and west were connected in many ways and people traveled much more than we realize. In 1881, there was a photographer’s convention at the American Institute in New York.  An article in the New York Times reported that the largest number of photographic displays with images and photographic apparatus were from the principal western cities” (New York Times, 10 April 1881, page 8). At the conference L. W. Seavey gave an illustrated lecture about dry plates. This was great publicity for his business. I find this absolutely fascinating; especially in light of the Leadville article about the new L. W. Seavey photographic backings.

That same years, L. W. Seavey placed an advertisement in the New York Clipper, “Theatrical scenery, new and second hand, and to order. Home and foreign trade. Send stamp for illustrated circular. Some credit Seavey as establishing the first scenic studio in the United States, with his establishment dates ranging from 1857 to 1865. By the time he shipped painted backings to Brisbois in Leadville, his establishment had been operating at least two decades. L. W. Seavey was a big name, a New York name, and well-known scenic artist.

I bring this up, because if the photographic studio in Leadville is advertising painted scene by Lafayette W. Seavey, a well-respected theatrical manufacturer in 1881, I have a hard time believing that Tabor would hire a regional fresco painter (Lamphere) to paint the drop curtain or scenery for his flagship theater in 1879. When you look at the Tabor Opera House’s painted décor, opera chairs and other elements – all are the best. It would make sense that he would also have purchased the best scenery that money could buy too. After all, scenic illusion, what was happening on stage, often drew people to the theatre. Why would a Leadville photographer hire a better scenic artist than Tabor for the new opera house?

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In “The History of the Tabor Opera House, a Captivating History,” author Evelyn E. Livingston Furman described the first scenery delivered to Leadville’s Tabor Opera House in 1879. Keep in mind that H. A. W. Tabor was consistently purchasing the best for his first opera house in Leadville, Colorado. For most features he ordered the best that money could buy. One only has to only look at the opera chairs, complete with plush seats and hat racks beneath, top of the line from the Andrews Company.  

The opera chairs, and everything else for the Tabor Opera House were purchased and transported before the railway stopped in this mountain community.

I cannot imagine that the focal point of the stage would have been treated any less.  My guess is that the scenery cost was also considered top-of-the line goods. Furman notes explains that one backdrop, a scene depicting Royal Gorge, was purchased for $1000; that is the equivalent of a $25,000 today. An interesting aside before I move on with the remainder of the 1879 scenery: in 1880, “Western Magazine” mentions Royal Gorge as “located on the Leadville branch of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad” ( Vol. 4, page 176).

Furman explains that ten sets of scenes were delivered to the Tabor Opera House in 1879.  This was a standard size stock collection for many smaller venues. Larger theaters ordered as many as 25 to 35 sets, while smaller musical halls may only purchase four sets.

By 1884, “Harry Miner’s American Dramatic Directory” noted there were 12 sets of scenery, increasing the original installation by two sets. This is also common, as new theaters continued to increase their stock, even within the first decade. We also know that scenery was again delivered in 1888 by scenic artist Frank Cox. So how do we know what’s up in the attic? We don’t, not yet, at least.

The original 1879 pieces are purportedly stored in the attic, but with an ever-expanding collection before the 1901 renovation it is hard to know what comprises the original collection. There is wing and shutter scenery, as well as roll drops, in the attic that pre-dates the 1902 Kansas City Scenic Co. scenery; of that there is no question. I dug through much of it and documented what I could on my 49^th birthday. I know, without any doubt at all, that the wing and shutter scenery in the attic pre-dates the 1901 building renovation, and I can easily identify the 1902 scenery, as it is too tall for the original stage, and many pieces even included studio stencils on the back.

In theatrical guides, the height of the original grooves for the Tabor Opera House stage was listed as 16’-0”. The height of the proscenium varied in publications from 17’-0” to 20’-0”. All of the 1902 scenery is 18’-0” tall.

Other 1879 scenery mentioned by Furman include a forest scene, a garden scene, a palace scene, a plain chamber scene with a balcony, and a prison scene. Amazingly, we uncovered what is likely the original balcony last week, albeit in very poor shape. It seems to be the appropriate age, complete with rough-hewn lumber and very unlike the 1902 scenery. Our roll drop discovery with the Palace composition was also constructed of rough-hewn lumber.

Furman also recorded a set of double-painted flats: one depicting a New England Kitchen and the other a Baronial Hall scene on the other. I knew exactly what she was talking about as two of those flats were on stage last week; I knew that the rest were in the attic. However, we noticed that the Baronial Hall side (a Gothic interior) was over painted.  Although it was an identical composition below, the flat had been repainted.  This absolutely fascinated me, and I took several photographs of the under-painting that depicted an identical composition with slightly different coloration. Although exciting, it throws a wrench into the works.  It will be harder to determine what is original painting.

Theatre scenery was, and remains, ephemeral in nature. Repainting and replacing are all part of our process; stock sets were never intended to be permanent. Those that remain are really the anomaly.

Finally Furman mentions three sets of wood wings for the exterior scenes and a mountain stream scene. I located the mountain stream scene shutters, and it is beautifully painted.

I also located a few wood borders. What I did notice about the collection in the attic, is how quickly the painting falls apart. It was during this time that the American scenic art wars were in full swing; those who used a series of glazes to paint stage settings versus those who used opaque washes. Opaque washes were employed in many Midwestern scenic studios and their artists, and condescendingly referred to as “slap dash.” Looking at the scenery in the attic, slap-dash certainly comes to mind. Unlike the refined techniques employed on the Sosman & Landis interior settings below, the wings, shutter, and borders in the attic appear in stark contrast. This is a fascinating time to examine the aesthetic shift that was occurring n the American stage.

In the attic during 2018, I noticed there was a grand border and two matching torms, complete with marble columns and draperies. I caught glimpses of fancy interiors, Gothic exteriors, garden walls with colorful vines, brilliant wood borders and so much more. The Tabor Opera House is a treasure trove of scenic art and stagecraft. Their collection shows the delightful transition from itinerant artists employing the slap-dash on site to mass-produced scenery produced at a major scenic studio and shipped from a distant location.  I am left with great anticipation to catalogue what’s in the Tabor Opera House attic this spring.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Today, I examine the life and career of Henry E. Burcky. Burcky was credited as the scenic artist for the Tabor Opera House in “Harry Miner’s American Dramatic Directory” for the 1884-1885 season. As I noted yesterday, theatrical guides are tricky. There is no distinction between the scenic artist who worked at a theater and the scenic artist who simply produced stock scenery for a venue. By 1879, Burcky was a well-known scenic artist living in Chicago, traveling across the country for work. I believe that Burcky delivered painted scenery for the Tabor, but did not work at the venue, creating roll drops, borders, wings and shutters on site.

Like many scenic artists of his day, Burcky travelled across the country, following an ever-expanding theatrical network that steadily spread from east to west. Traveling with cotton sheeting, dry colors, glue, and brushes, Burky arrived on site. Once situated and after the paint frame was built, he painted the entire stock scenery collection for the Tabor Opera House. The railway had not reached Leadville in 1879; so all materials were brought to town by coach. Keep in mind that the Tabor Opera House was just one of many theaters that Burcky provided scenery for in 1879. He is quite a fascinating individual.

Henry Burcky was born in 1852, one of three sons born to German immigrants. Yes, the German contribution to American theatre again! His father, Frederick Burcky (1814-1902), was a widower and baker; advertising in the 1862 Chicago city directory as running a bakery at 86 Wells. Eight years later, Baker Burcky worked as a confectioner in downtown Chicago. He never remarried and always lived with at least one of his sons.

Henry E. Burcky was the middle child; William was three years older and Charles was nine years younger. The 1870 US Census listed all the three boys attending school in Chicago; Burcky was eighteen years old at the time, an advanced age for public schools. It is possible he was attending art school, or another form of advanced education, the education institution remains unknown at this time.

By 1875, the US Census Records lists Henry as an “artist” and his younger brother Charles as a “printer,” all three sons are still living with their father. The oldest son, William works at a restaurant. All three boys were still living at home with their father, who was now working as a baker and renting a unit at 173 Randolph Street. In 1876, Chicago’s Lakeside Directory listed Burcky as a scenic artist working at 83 S. Halsted. By 1878, Burcky painted the new scenery for “Our Bachelors” at Hooley’s Theatre in Chicago. The program from January 28, 1878 noted, “Entire New Scenery for this Piece. Painted by H. E. Burcky.” His stage settings included a Breakfast Room at Mrs. Mouser’s, Terrace at Central park, Drawing Room and Conservatory, and Bangle’s Bower on the Hudson.” In 1879, Burcky was still painting scenery for Hooley’s Theatre when he was also credited wit the new scenery for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado. On May 26, 1879, Hooley’s production of “Adirondacks” also listed H. E. Burcky as their “scenic artist.” Burcky continued to be listed as the scenic artist at Hooleys until 1881, painting settings for “The Danites” that summer (March 20, 1881) and the scenery for “Mulligan’s Silver Wedding” (June 13, 1881). Later that summer, J. W. Ritter was listed as the new scenic artist for the venue, as Burcky began a new partnership.

In many cases, large painting projects required more than one scenic artist on site. Scenic artists would partner up, sharing experience and contacts.  In 1881,  “The Cincinnati Enquirer” credited H. E. Burcky and Henry C. Tryon as providing the scenery for the city’s Opera festival (15 Feb 1881, page 4). The article reported. “The scenery is nearly completed for every opera. Messrs. H. E. Burcky and Henry Tynor [sic. Tryon], the young and talented artists who came here from Chicago to assist in painting the scenery, have been doing excellent work. They are bright, intelligent and rapid workers, and by for their assistance it would have been difficult to have scenery ready by the Monday next. Mr. Burcky is scenic artist at Hooley’s Theatre in Chicago, and Mr. Tryon at McVickers. They express themselves as amazed at the extent and magnitude of the affair.”  Messrs. Burcky & Tryon of Chicago were especially credited with the sixth scene of the production, noted as a “Beautifully painted scene – massive rocks in the foreground appear so real as almost to deceive the eye.  Rich masses of dark foliage relieve their barrenness while their golden-yellow color is projected boldly from the deep blue sky.  Two transformation tableaux occur in this scene, the first the ordeal, by fire, remarkable for its brilliancy and warmth of color; the second, the ordeal by water, for its cool and delicious coloring, complete contraries delightfully portrayed” (Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, 23 February 1881, page 4). Tyron worked all over the country, including in the Sosman & Landis studio in Chicago.

By 1885, the “Chicago Inter Ocean” reported that H. E. Burcky provided new settings for Dion Boucicault’s Irish Drama “The Colleen Bawn,” at the Olympic Theatre.  (9 Aug. 1885, page 13).  The article reported, “New sets of scenery, showing the Lakes of Kiliarney, the cave by the sea, and other beautiful bits of scenery incidental to the play have been painted for the occasion by H. E. Burcky, the scenic artist.” That same year, the “Chicago Tribune,” advertised “Realistic stage effects and the great battle scene by H. E. Burcky” for the production of “Custer” at the Olympic Theatre. The advertisement listed “Custer” as the great drama by Alfred Trumball that starred Wm. J. Fleming and company.

By 1887, roles had reversed for parent and child, as Burcky’s father began boarding with his son at 254 Ogden Ave in Chicago, an address that would remain constant until the younger Burcky married and moved to Cincinnati. On June 26, 1888, Henry Burcky married his second wife Lizzie Smith, a native of New Orleans, in Hamilton, Ohio. The “Cincinnati Enquirer reported, “Henry Burcky and Lizzie Smith were married yesterday by Squire Hauser” (27 June 1888, page 6). I have been unable to find any information about his first wife. By 1888, Henry and Lizzie were living at 6611 Halsted Englewood in Lake City, Illinois, although Burcky was still listed at 254 Ogden Ave in the Chicago Directory that year.  His son Charles was listed as a painter, residing at 3636 Dashiel. By 1889, the Chicago Business Directory listed Henry E. at the Same address, still working as a scenic artist.

By 1893 and 1894, Burcky was listed as the scenic artist for the Walnut Street Theatre in Cincinnati, residing in nearby Newport. Burcky remained in the area, and in 1897, Burky was living with his two sons, George and Thomas, at 330 E. 5^th Street, Both were paperhangers.

By 1900 the US Census listed Henry and Lizzie the couple living with six adult children:  Charles (b. 1871), George (b. 1875), Thomas (b. 1880?), Charlene (b. 1880), and Milton (1882). All of the sons were involved in the decorative arts with Henry and his youngest son Milton working as scenic artists. Charlie worked as a carpenter, with both George and Thomas making their living as paperhangers. In 1900 the Burcky family was living at 716 Kenyon in 17 Precinct of Cincinnati with his second wife Lizzie, five children and a daughter-in-law. However, the new century brought new opportunities, as Burcky followed many other artists east to the coast where another building boom was occurring.

In 1905, Burcky was listed as a “scenic painter” residing at 232 Ambler, in the Camden City Directory (New Jersey). And that’s where Burcky’s trail has ended so far.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Evelyn E. Livingston Furman credits J. B. Lamphere, as creating the Tabor Opera House drop curtain in 1879. In her publication, “The Tabor Opera House, a Captivating History,” she notes that Lamphere was a prominent New York and Philadelphia artist, writing that he was “one of the most prominent artists in the west.”  I have not been able to uncover any mention of a scenic artist named J. B. Lamphere, and Furman did not credit her source. However, there was a James E. Lamphere working as a fresco artist in Denver during 1879. This is probably the same Lamphere mentioned by Furman.  Lamphere likely decorated the Tabor Opera House, but I question whether he painted the scenery.

The 1879 Denver Directory lists James E. Lamphere as a frescoe painter and grainer.  The listing records his working for C. A. Treat, a wallpaper and sign works company located at 306 15^th St. in Denver (Western Magazine, Vol. 4, 1880, page 5).  That year, Lamphere was residing at the West Lindell Hotel. All things considered, Lamphere’s connection to Leadville remained strong and he even married a local girl. On January 1, 1881, the “Leadville Daily Herald” reported that a James E. Lamphere married Mary S. Faxon (nee Ainsworth) in 1880; they were listed with all the other couples married that year (1 Jan. 1881, page 5). It is possible that Furman conflagrated Lamphere and Burcky, as both Lamphere and Burcky had Denver and Leadville connections.

In regard to the new Tabor Opera House in Leadville, it is possible that Lamphere solely decorated the auditorium of the Tabor Opera House and Henry E. Burkey painted the scenery for the stage; Burcky was later credited with the Tabor Opera House scenery in Harry Miner’s Directory (1884).

Lamphere was a regional decorator and Burcky was a well-known itinerant scenic artist. As theaters popped up across the western plains, scenic artists followed an unending source of income, as these new performance venues always demanded stock scenery. Although Leadville was beyond the reach of any railroad line in 1879, the owner, Horace Tabor, enjoyed ample funding to transport any good or service to this remote mountain theater.

Most stock scenery collections were manufactured on site over the course of weeks in the 1870s, if not a full month. In many cases, the scenic artist was also a stage carpenter or mechanic who designed and installed the stage machinery. A scenic artist could complete the entire project with the help of an assistant, even an enthusiastic and talented local. The first aspect to any project on site was the construction of a paint frame, and then scene after scene was rapidly produced.

I cannot imagine that Horace Tabor would have hired a local fresco painter from Denver and not a professional scenic artist, especially when other Leadville theaters were hiring and crediting new scenes to well known scenic artists.  By 1881, a scenic artist named Carter was involved in a deadly attack in Leadville (13 Jan 1881). That same year, scenic artist George Heiman created the stage scenery for Leadville’s Academy of Music; he was also a nationally acclaimed scenic artist. The local paper referred to Heiman in Leadville as  “a gem,” adding, “and in fact so are all his designs about the building. He is evidently the man for who Colorado has been waiting for years”  (Leadville Daily Herald, 20 March, 1881). Heiman was also credited as being the scenic artist for the Madison Square Theatre in New York (Leadville Daily Herald, 25 March 1881).

Burkey [sic.] was listed as the scenic artist at Leadville’s Tabor Opera House in “Harry Miner’s American Dramatic Directory” for the 1884-1885 season. He was also noted as the scenic artist for the Tabor Grand Opera in Denver and Denver’s Academy of Music. I am sure that these three listings, despite slight spelling variations are the same artist, Henry E. Burcky.  Burcky was not a Leadville local; he was an itinerant scenic artist, well travelled and well known across the country by 1879.

Theatrical guides are tricky, as there is no distinction between a scenic artist that worked at one theater, versus one that was credited with delivering stock scenery to several theaters. If a scenic artist is listed at more than one venue, especially in different states, it is likely that he delivered stock scene to that venue instead of working at the venue. I believe that Burcky painted the roll drops, borders, wings and shutters for the first stage at the Tabor Opera House, and that Lamphere decorated the Tabor Opera House’s auditorium. We learn much by just looking at the 1879 photograph and interior set. Both the skills of a fresco artist and scenic artist are featured in this photo.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

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The opening of the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, made news across the country. Even in Camden, New Jersey, the “Morning Post” reported, “Two years ago [Leadville] contained a half dozen log cabins, and to-day it is the second city in the State, with a population of 30,000, and doing an immense mercantile business, having finely laid out streets, and some very large buildings, the finest of which, just completes, is the Tabor Opera House, costing $30,000, besides four other theatres, all doing a good business. There are five first class hotels.” (24 Nov. 1879, page 1). With five theaters in town, even if there was only one “legitimate” one, each stage still needed some type of scenery or backing.

The earliest mention of the Tabor Opera House in any American theatrical guide appears in 1882, “Jno. B. Jeffery’s Guide and Directory.” Less than five years old, the Tabor Opera House was listed in the guide as one of three theaters in Leadville, alongside the Academy of Music and the Grand Central Theatre.  The Academy of Music opened on March 28, 1881 and listed a seating capacity of 859 and “full stock of scenery.” There were no specifics given about the Tabor Opera House other than a seating capacity of 1,000 (page 12). By 1889, the entry was altered to note that the Tabor Grand Opera House “seats 750. A. H. Andrews’ opera chairs.” Jeffery’s Guide only provided limited information, so I checked out the other theatrical guides.

Harry Miner’s American Dramatic Directory for the Season of 1884-1885 gave a little more information about the Tabor Opera House. This listing was published only five years after the venue was built, noting that the size of the stage was 34’ x 60 feet and the proscenium opening was 17’-0” high by 23’-0” wide. The height from the stage to grooves was 16’-0” and the height from stage to rigging loft was 19’-0.” There were twelve sets of scenery credited the scenic artist “Burkey, of the Tabor Grand, Denver.” It was actually Henry E. Burcky, the scenic artist who created scenery for Tabor’s second theater – the Tabor Grand Opera in Denver, Colorado. Burcky did not live in Colorado, he was simply an itinerant artist with permanent residence was in Chicago.

By 1896 the Tabor Opera House had changed hands and was known as the Weston Opera House. It was listed in Julius Cahn’s Theatrical Guide for the 1896 season, noting a seating capacity of 900, but no mention of a scenic artist. The width of the proscenium was listed as 20’-0 wide, with 57’-0” between side walls and 47’-0” between girders. The grooves were still listed as a height of 16’-0”, with stage to rigging loft at 19’-6”; not much had changed beyond cramming more people into the auditorium. The listing noted five grooves for the stage. These measurements would remain constant until the opera house was renovated in 1901.

When the Leadville Elks purchased and renovated the building in 1901, the stage house was dramatically enlarged.  Now known as the Elks Opera House, the proscenium width greatly increased from 20’-0” wide to 30’-0” wide. The height increased from 16’-0” to 24’-0”. The original height of 19’-0” to the rigging loft increased to 50’-0” and a fly gallery was added at 22’-0.” This necessitated the replacement of original scenery, consisting of wings, shutters, and roll drops, with fly scenery. Theatrical directories after 1902 specified “no grooves.”

Over the years, there were at least three scenery collections delivered to the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado: 1879, 1888, and 1902.  I am going to try and examine the various scenery installations and theatrical manufacturers over the next few posts.

When the Tabor Opera House opened in 1879, the “Chicago Tribune” included an article about Leadville, Colorado (24 Dec, 1879, page). In the section titled “ Legitimate Drama,” the article reported, “It has often been asserted that in Leadville only the low variety shows could flourish, and that a first-class theatre could not be supported. Lieut. Gov. Tabor, W. H. Bush, and others of our leading citizens, having a better faith, accepted the challenge, erected a substantial and ornate building, supplied it with all the required fixtures and appliances, seated it with the latest improved opera chairs from the shops of you’re a. H. Andrews & Co., and finally engaged a first-class company, marshaled by Colorado’s favorite actor, J. S. Langrishe, and, with the genial Lou C. Leonard as treasurer, they opened it several weeks ago. Full houses have ever since greeted the players, and endorsed the enterprise. The auditorium, without having the florid gildings of many Eastern cities, is neat, graceful, and complete, – the only defacement being a picture of Gov. Tabor over the drop curtain, which is rather a caricature than a portrait.”

Evelyn E. Livingston Furman describes the 1879 scenery and drop curtain in her book, “The Tabor Opera House.” Furman moved to Leadville in 1932 and took a great interest in the history of the theater and Tabor family. However, she was not a scenic artist nor theatre professional.  She may not have accurately dated all of the scenery while documenting it. Furman describes the composition of the 1879 front curtain as a “glorious” mountain scene with castle on a hill, stream at the mountain base and a road winding away to a distant canyon. This was a common composition for the time. The only missing elements not described my be an ornate frame around the central composition, painted draperies and center medallion of some sort to identify the location, or a cameo. She further described that at the top the scene was a life-sized portrait of Horace Tabor, which correlates to the “Chicago Tribune” article’s mention of his portrait.

Now this is where I begin to disagree with the published history. Furman credits J. B. Lamphere, as the creator of the piece and comments that he was a prominent New York and Philadelphia artist, and “one of the most prominent artists in the west.”  I have not been able to uncover any mention of a well-known scenic artist named Lamphere to validate any of her statements.  In fact, Lamphere is the first scenic artist that I have been unable to track down at all. I have not located him in theatrical guides or newspaper articles, which is extremely odd. In the 1870s and 1880s, scenic artists made top billing in newspapers and programmes. If Lamphere enjoyed any notoriety, especially in the major East Coast cities, there would be some mention of him. Who I did find connected with the manufacture of scenery for the Tabor was Henry E. Burcky. More on him tomorrow.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

By 5:30 P.M. on February 7, 2020, we had catalogued over 95 scenic pieces, as well as setting up four interior settings.  The snow was coming down harder than ever as we crossed the street to the Silver Dollar Saloon. Over the course of five days, we shifted, documented, and reorganized all of the historic scenery on the Tabor Opera House stage, with the exception of the contemporary stage settings. We did not have an opportunity to document those painted after 1980.

The 1902 historic settings that we assembled included a center door fancy, Gothic interior, plain setting and prison scene. There were partial collections that we did not have try to assemble this time. This number does not include any of the original scenery delivered to the opera house before the renovation in 1901, pieces that are currently stored in the attic.

Of all the historic scenery collections in the United States that I have encountered, this is the most unique. There are others that are larger and more impressive, as well as others that have been moved to off site storage units to preserve their posterity. But the scenery at the Tabor Opera House spans decades and remains on site despite new owners and building renovations. I have written extensively about the resale of scenery collections throughout the late-nineteenth and early twentieth century, using examples across the country. Used scenery ended up in new locations for many reasons.  For example, used scenery was left at the final destination after a touring show closed. Used scenery from touring shows was purchased by smaller venues in need of stock scenery, or those expanding their original stock.  Used scenery was retrofitted and sold to new theaters without their knowledge. In other words, the purchase of used scenery was not an uncommon practice.  In the past three decades, I have repeatedly identified used scenery collections still in use at various venues.

In many ways the Tabor Opera House exemplifies what occurred across the country during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Like many other performance venues, they continued to update their stock scenery, yet never really replaced it. What makes the Tabor collection remarkable, however, is that everything is still on site despite the venue changing hands and undergoing extensive renovations and structural changes. Even scenery that was manufactured for a previous stage, one without a fly loft, was retained after a remodel. I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that the wing-and-shutter scenery was not thrown away, given away, sold, or repurposed. This is extremely atypical, as their old scenery designed for grooves was not ever retrofitted for the new fly system, just kept.

Keep in mind that the entire building was renovated in 1901, both the auditorium and stage house were enlarged.  The roof was ripped off and a fly loft added; yet the smaller scenery designed for grooves remained on site, unaltered and tucked away.  For what purpose, and why did they just store it in the attic? Sentimental attachment?  Too hard to dispose of at the time?  We may never know the reason as to why the original scenery was kept.

I have often referenced used scenery collections, such as the 1901 scenery and stage machinery at the Scottish Rite Theatre in Little Rock. Two decades after the original installation of this collection by Sosman & Landis, it was transported and installed at the Scottish Rite theater in Pasadena, California, where it is still used today.  That scenery was manufactured around the same time as the Tabor Opera House’s center door fancy set. Other examples of used scenery collections that I have explored include Salina, KS, Yankton, SD, and Deadwood, SD. Used scenery and stage machinery were carefully transported, refurbished and installed in second, and sometimes third, venues. We were an industry built on the repurposing of not only ideas, but also artifacts.

And then there is the sheer volume of scenery at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado. There are almost 100 historic pieces on stage and dozens more in the attic, representing a scope of American scenic art in one venue that is unheard of. The Tabor’s 1879 through 1902 scenery collections that I examined this week did not include all of the modern scenery manufactured for melodramas and community productions after 1980.

The Tabor Opera House is a living history museum, unlike any of its kind in the United States, with wonderful examples of the ever-shifting stage aesthetic, all situated in one place. This is a destination location for theatre historians, practitioners, and art enthusiasts to visit. But the venue needs financial help, here is the link if you want to contribute to a good cause, as volunteer labor can only do so much: https://www.taboroperahouse.net/donate

Then we top off this remarkable collection with its extensive artistic provenance and stewardship. In 1933, the 1902 scenery collection was catalogued, by theatre folk who knew what they doing; the project was led my Muriel Sibell Wolle. The fact that this 1933 documentation is digitally accessible to the general public is also unusual in its own right. We have dozens of performing arts collections across the country that are almost impossible to access for general research without a site visit.

The preservation of the Tabor Opera House’s physical structure and artifacts were later spearheaded by a Minnesota school teacher, who purchased and began the preservation of the building in 1955. Then her daughter, Evelyn E. Livingston Furman, included the history surrounding the construction of the Tabor Opera House in a series of books. 

The United States has thousands of examples of historic scenic art collections located in opera house, social halls, cinemas, fraternal theaters, and other performance venues.  We have examples of painted scenery that range from fraternal ceremonies to famous film sets, yet nothing can compare to what is owned by this small mountain community in Leadville, Colorado, when considering historic scope.

The Tabor Opera House scenery collection has been stored in less than ideal conditions, complete with roof leaks and renovations. That being said the low humidity and high elevation helped a lot. The scenery has also seen plenty of use over the past century; maybe this is why the collection has been treasured and kept over the years.  In many ways, what is the point of preserving historic scenery if it is never used again? For a painted scene to remain on a roll, or tacked to the wall of a lobby diminishes the overall significance of a piece. It is like taking off the original frame of an artwork, one carefully selected by the artist to display his work. The theater’s environment is intricately linked to the scenic art; these pieces were designed and manufactured to be viewed on a stage, placed a specific distance from the viewer.  To observe them up close in a museum destroys the illusion and purpose of each piece.

I have a month’s worth of work left to go to complete the documentation of the piece that have been catalogued, each page based on my site notes and photographs. The easy part of the project is done.  There are condition reports, historical analyses, replacement appraisals, and a collections care document to prepare.  It is a daunting task, especially knowing that more clues remain hidden in the attic of the Tabor Opera House. The last time the collection was catalogued was in 1933 and I have big shoes to fill. At that time, the sets were documented in their entirety, but the individual state of each artifact was not examined. Muriel Sibell Wolle looked at the big picture, and this was very important for all research that would follow. Her “big picture” provided a guide map for those wishing to understand the history of scenery at the Tabor Opera House.  Without her studies, my work this week would have been difficult at best; I would have been working “blind.”

In addition to Wolle’s contribution is the continued stewardship of those who followed her, including volunteers for this project. The careful documentation and cataloguing of all on site artifacts is just one more chapter in the Tabor Opera House history. One small example of this stewardship included the actions of volunteer Robyn; she found an old stage brace marked “Tabor Opera House” at a local antique store, purchased it and returned it home to the theater. All of the artifacts are finding their way home, as if drawn by a magnetic force.

The preservation of the old theater has remained a community endeavor since its inception. Even in the 1890s, when Horace Tabor had to let his prized possession go, there were those in the community who took over the care of his grand building. The Tabor Opera House, Augusta Tabor, Baby Doe and the Matchless Mine are all entwined with the captivating history of Leadville. Both Leadville natives and transplants have equally contributed to the preservation of this remarkable building.

To be continued…