Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1917, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “A good contract came in from Youngstown, Ohio, to replace some New York Studios work.” It is difficult to determine which Youngstown theater Sosman & Landis delivered scenery to that year. We know it was not a new theater though, as the contract was to replace scenery previously installed by New York Studios.
New York Studios was the eastern affiliate of Sosman & Landis. Former Sosman & Landis employee, David H. Hunt, established the firm in 1910. What makes Moses’ entry interesting, however, is Moses’ entry about New York Studios the year before. In 1916, he wrote, “Our business relations with the New York Studios are a bit strained, and we have notified them that hereafter there would be no restricted district for us, and we did not care what they did. Pennsylvania and New York used to be our very best states, and we were going after them again.”
Sosman & Landis depended on repeat customers, as did most scenic studios, including New York Studios. Therefore, Sosman & Landis targeting a theater with existing New York Studios scenery, especially after Moses notified Hunt that there would be no restricted districts, certainly reinforced his stance.
I have explored New York Studios in many past posts. Here is the most recent post with additional information about Hunt and his studio https://drypigment.net2020/03/11/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-part-928-restricted-districts-and-new-york-studios-1916/
To be continued…
