Month: April 2020

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1917, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Another order for Gatts and Company.”  Gatts and Company was actually Gazzolo, Gatts & Clifford Co., producers of the well-known musical comedy “Katzenjammer Kids.” Moses recorded that Sosman & Landis produced scenery for the show earlier that year.

The production company of Gazzolo, Gatts, and Clifford Inc. formed in the fall of 1916, filing corporation papers on October 6, 1916 in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to the “Katzenjammer Kids” musical, the firm produced an “educational” piece that spring entitled, “Her Unborn Child.”  Registered as a four-act drama by Howard McKent Barnes, the play took a negative position on birth control for women.

Keep in mind that this was in the midst of Margaret Sanger’s continued fight for women’s access to information about basic birth control.  “The Fresno Morning Republican” reported, “”His play tells the truth about birth control and shows the cause and effect of the world’s most serious crime” (Fresno, California, 14 May 1917, page 6). “The Vancouver Sun” added “It tells the truth about birth control, for it is the theory of the author that be the education of the masses the slaughter of innocent unborn babies will stop” (18 Jun 1917, page 8).  Let’s take a moment to contemplate what this man is suggesting; the great crime of women is to not make every egg a viable candidate for fertilization.  Women need to make sure that regardless of their living situation or circumstances they can become pregnant at any point in time, hence they are only a vessel and instantaneously transferring all power to men.

There were four touring productions that carried the message across the country, prompting women to reconsider using any form of birth control.

In Pennsylvania, the show was performed at the New Academy in Scranton. The “Times-Tribune” reported, “There are four acts and the action takes place within twenty-four hours. The principal characters are a rich widow, a wealthy reformer, Beth Forrester, the beloved one; Ted Livingstone, young and heir; and the family physician. Sensationalism is avoided in the play and the subject is handled in a most dignified manner. Birth control is the vital theme and apparently the author made a deep study into the subject before giving this play to the stage. The mother love depicted in the story makes a strong appeal to an audience, and one of the biggest moments of the play comes when the crisis in the welfare of her family confronts her and she is called upon to make a decision in haste. (28 May 1917, page 15). Matinees were performed for women only. Of the female matinees, the “Calgary Herald” noted, “Because of the sacredness of motherhood and out of the courtesy of the ladies, all matinee performances of ‘Her Unborn Child’ will be reserved exclusively for ladies. Gentlemen will be admitted to all other performances” (29 Sept, 1917, page 8).

On April 4, 1917, the “Buffalo Evening News” reported, “A big play with a serious appeal is the attraction at the Majestic Theater all week, with daily matinees, which are for women exclusively”(page 15). Prominent doctors endorsed the play across the country. The “Oklahoma News” published letters from local doctors addressed to Gazzolo, Gatts & Clifford as an advertisement (25 Oct. 1917, page 2). J. H. Maxwell, M.D. wrote, “Gentlemen: I appreciate very much your performance of ‘Her Unborn Child.” The moral is splendid and timely. I wish that every Father and Mother could have the opportunity of seeing this play, it is clean cut all the way through.” S. A. Dooper, M. D. wrote, “Gentlemen: After having the opportunity of attending a performance of ‘Her Unborn Child,’ I take pleasure in recommending it to the public. I wish every one in the world old enough to understand English could see the performance.”

On April 29, the “Fort-Wayne Journal-Gazette” reported, “So great has the success of ‘Her Unborn Child’ on tour that has been found necessary to organize five companies in order to appease demand from all parts of the country for this sincere and frank portrayal of a topic that is second only in importance to the present hostilities in the battlefield” (29 April 1917, page 48). Really?!? The only second in importance to WWI was birth control?  What about the crimes of rapists, pedophiles, and murderers? 

Like me, not everyone thought the show was fantastic. Lancaster’s “The News-Journal” commented, “The piece neither paints a moral nor adorns a tale, being only a dramatized version of one person’s viewpoint of a much discussed subject. Its dramatic construction is crude, the situations forced, and the final curtain falls on actual absurdity” (25 Oct. 1917, page 5). The newspaper noted, “A few years ago the subject of birth control would not have been discussed in the theatre but with the progress of the playhouses as an educational institution as well as a place of amusement and the desire of the public to be enlightened on subjects which a few years ago they were satisfied to let be known to physicians and those claiming higher education, has made plays like ‘Her Unborn Child’ timely.”

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1917, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Closed with Joe Bren for $900.00, first part, and some front drops.”  Joe Bren was a minstrel show performer and producer. His company, the Joe Bren Production Company, was a Chicago-based theatrical company that partnered with fraternities and civic groups to stage fundraising shows. Company representatives traveled from town to town, working with local talent to organize minstrel reviews and other types of follies. They functioned as the producers, directors and performers for each project, providing instruction and all of the technical trappings. In 1917, Sosman & Landis provided scenery for a Joe Bren show that premiered in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

During this period, the company was especially popular with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Kiwanis Clubs, Lions, American Legionnaires, United Commercial Travelers, and Masonic organizations. In 1916 and 1917, Sosman & Landis provided the scenery, so I have explored the Joe Bren Company in 1916; see past post #941, here is the link: https://drypigment.net2020/03/24/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-part-941-the-joe-bren-company-and-minstrel-shows-1916/

The Joe Bren Production Company staff traveled across the country, helping stage shows that featured local talent. In 1917, the “Marion Star” announced that the Joe Bren Producing company was presenting an Elks’ Charity minstrel show that November (Marion, Ohio, 12 Oct. 1917, page 12). The article reported, “The scenery is also new and used for the first time in Kenosha.” The Kenosha Lodge of Elks in Wisconsin presented the “Jollies of 1917” at the Rhode Opera House in October, advertising that is was “no mere minstrel show” (“Kenosha News,” 6 Oct. 1917, page 3). It was to be a “clever mélange of vaudeville, musical comedy and minstrelsy.” The Marion Elk representatives traveled to see the show as guests of Joe Bren. What a smart move on Bren’s part.

In Kenosha, a hundred members of the Elks Lodge were “drafted” to take part in the program led by Joe Bren and Ralph Hamilton, another company representative (“Kenosha News,” 14 Sept. 1917, page 3). Fifteen young women were included in the second part of the show as guests in the resort hotel scene (Kenosha News, 2 Oct. 1917, page 8). In the big patriotic finale, the United States and the Allies were represented by “gorgeously costumed young men and women.”  It was the introduction of this patriotic element to Bren productions that likely prompted the need for new scenery by Sosman & Landis. Of the painted settings, the “Kenosha News,” reported, “Scenery and costumes will be the finest possible to be turned out by expert scenic artists and costumers in the windy city of Chicago, and they do say that among its three millions there are those who can do ‘some’ turning out of the aforementioned articles” (6 Oct. 1917, page 3).

To be continued…

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…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1917, Thomas G Moses wrote, “Mama and I went to Sterling June 13^th for a few days.  Details of this trip will be found in ‘Back to the Old Town.’”  Moses is referring to his travelogues.  Unfortunately none of these records have survived. Only those tales he published as newspaper or art journals articles remain.

However, on Dec. 28, 1917, “The Pantagraph” (Bloomington, Illinois), published a lovely article that pairs well with his entry. It makes me think of how Sterling initially perceived Moses’ early departure from his hometown:

“Thinks They’ll Come Back.

Editor of Pantagraph: I am informed that a large number of people are intending to leave the vicinity this coming spring. There must have been a tremendous influence brought to bear on the minds of the people to lure so many to decide to leave Old Town, for it has always been known that Old Town was a perfect paradise on earth. Some say it is the original Garden of Eden, and I believe it, for the old apple tree still stands and often bears fruit. Over a dozen of our best neighbors and friends have at some time or another been persuaded to shake the dust of Paradise from their feet and seek homes in the sunny south. We would grieve our eyes out over the loss of so many of our loved ones, if we did not know that they would soon return. Never has anyone left Old Town who did not come back. Those who could not come back pined their lives away and died. Their last sad requests were for their friends to carry them back to Old Town and bury them. We will wait with great anxiety for our friends to return, and when they do return we will received them with cheerful hearts, a loving embrace and a sweet kiss.

A. Bellville, Holder, Ill., Dec. 26.”

In 2019 I visited Moses’ hometown of Sterling, Illinois, driving past on my return from a League of Historic American Theatres conference. He and his wife both grew up there, attending the same one room school house. While passing thru town, I tracked down many of the sites that Moses mentioned in his memoirs, including an early house that the young couple lived in when they briefly returned home for year.

I imagine that  friends and family thought the couple had returned for good, yet Sterling was not a town of solely happy memories for Moses. Even his father eventually left the area, deciding to live near Moses in Chicago. Moses’ father, Lucius Moses, initially gave up the life of a sea captain, traveling inland to Illinois after one child died at sea. His children, however, remained a family of wanderers. In some ways this was conducive to the life of a scenic artist, venturing from one town to another and coming home between projects.

Moses’ memoirs do not reflect a happy childhood. As a young boy in Sterling, he lamented over the loss of his mother at an early age and dreamed of escaping the stench of the tannery. I don’t think that Moses was ever able to really fit in with Sterling social life.

It would be the young town of Chicago that welcomed this hopeful artist, providing friends, a new family and lots of opportunities. Moses was able to remake himself as a successful and respected businessman, not the son of a tanner. His return to Sterling in 1917 may have been difficult, especially for those who still believed that he had traded Paradise for success.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1917, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Some new work for Harvey D. Orr; quite elaborate.”

Harvey D. Orr was quite an interesting character. Born in Wooster, Ohio, in 1865, both he and his brother Harold entered the theatrical profession. In 1890, he founded the Harvey D. Orr Musical Company. By 1906, he was the director for the School of Opera and Acting at the Bush Temple Conservatory. The Chicago institution was advertised as “the leading school of music, opera, acting and languages,” with fifty teachers of international reputation on staff” (Inter Ocean, 2 Sept. 1906, page 25). By 1907 he Orr managed the Harvey Stock Company. A decade later, he was still working as producer and performer with two extremely popular productions.

The Orr brothers were well known for their 1914 musical comedy success, “The Million Dollar Doll.” By the beginning of 1917, the show was enjoying a successful third season, traveling with a carload of special scenery. Advertised as a big scenic production, the show carried “special electrical effects” and “big novelty scenes” (“Caruthersville Journal, Missouri, 8 March 1917, page 4).

During the spring of 1917, Orr contacted Moses at Sosman & Landis as he planned a new musical, “There She Goes.” On October 18, 1917, the “Dunkirk Evening Observer” reported, “‘There She Goes’ is a mammoth scene spectacle with a whirl of whirling dances and a wonderful chorus of youth and beauty gorgeously costumed. There are two tremendous acts, four glorious scenes and a joyous potpourri of tuneful melodies and truly mirth-provoking comedy situations supplied y the Orr brothers. One of the features is the latest New York craze, a ‘Jazz Orchestra,’ the first to be carries by a road show” Advertised as Orr’s “most amusing musical comedy” and “a mammoth scenic spectacle” (Tomes Herald, New York, 23 Oct., 1917, page 6).

Later, “The York Dispatch” described, “The opening scene is enacted from a setting of a beautiful Long Island Country Club golf course, the second down in Honolulu. The leading action of the play centers around Harvey and Harold Orr, who as Professor Ichabod Simmons, bugologist, with a very absent minded trait, and his lackey Rufus Washington, a colored gentleman of distinction, whose antics are in a large measure the laugh of comedy. ‘There She Goes’ hinges about the love story of Vadentine Van Dyke and Patricia Parmalie, which finally evolves in the marriage of Mr. John Smith and Mary Brown, the latter being the real names of the couple, the former their society dressings. Replete with mirth-making situations, tuneful melodies and really pretty stage effects, ‘There She Goes’ is one of the best popular-priced musical comedies now on tour” (York, Pennsylvania, 28 Dec. 1917, page 3). Advertisements promised, “Beautiful Hawaiian Scenes, including the famous beach at Waikiki” (Oil City Derrick, Pennsylvania, 18 Oct., 1917, page 13). The show was extremely popular across the country, offering a much needed escape from world events.

“The West Virginian Fairmont” reported the production was a “joyous potpourri of tuneful melodies, mirth provoking comedy situations, colorful up-to-date costuming and dazzling surprises. Dramatic scenic magnificence. Twenty-four song hits, a veritable landslide of latest gown and millinery effects, rippling waves of laughter and bevies of fascinating beauties in the chorus as well as among the principal” (Fairmont, West Virginia, 26 Sept, 1917, page 6).

 “The Reading Times” announced, “Scenic magnificence, many song hits, a veritable landslide of latest gowns and military effects, rippling waves of laughter and bevies of fascinating beauties in the chorus as well as among the principals, all contribute to the success of the elaborate production” (20 Dec. 1917, page 6). The “Lima News” noted, “Dreamy waltzes, lively one-steps, tantalizing tangoes, whirling eccentric dance tunes and modern ballads, all blended into a carefully arranged mélange to please from start to finish” (8 Sept, 1917, page 8). The performers included the Polo Girls, the Imperial Quartet, as well as the jazz orchestra, Songs included “When You’re Twenty-one,” “In Honolulu Town,” “Am Absent Minded Man,” “Some Girl in the Summertime,” “Hawaiian Moon,” “I Fell for You in the Old Fall River,” “The Seaside Rag,” and “Sometime if Dreams Come True.”

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1917, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “I went to Fox Lake on Decoration Day, official opening.  I had a new cot sent up and it was certainly an improvement over the old one.  I actually rest now and enjoy going up.”

Decoration Day honored the deceased, with soldiers decorating the graves of their fallen comrades; flowers, flags and wreaths ornamented headstones. The day became known as Memorial Day. This also became the official opener for summer, marking travel to summer homes, cabins and resorts.

The Palette & Chisel Club’s summer home was on Fox Lake. Only 55 miles northwest of Chicago, the picturesque area provided artists with a retreat to escape the summer heat in Chicago.

As I was looking at Decoration day events in Chicgao during 1917, I can across a lovely article at Chicagology https://chicagology.com/decorationday/  

Here is an excerpt from the post:

“Chicago Tribune May 30, 1900

DECORATION DAY.

The day set apart for commemorating the deeds of the nation’s honored dead loses none of its patriotic significance as the years come and go. While it is becoming less of a day of mourning than in the years when the grief over the losses of the civil war was still fresh, its patriotic scope is widening. Another war has also intervened and left its quota of new graves to be decorated reverently with flowers and hags. Far off, in the Philippines there are rows of mounds that will be draped today with the Stars and Stripes and the day will be observed in Cuba and Porto Rico. By strewing upon the water it is proposed the part played by the navy in fighting the battles of the nation. There is an added impressiveness in the thought that the Memorial day exercises are being observed simultaneously not only from one side of the continent to the other, but also in islands of the sea on opposite sides of the globe.

Chicago has always paid especial attention to Memorial day, and today the usual impressive parade will be seen, with the civil war veterans and their time-honored flags in the place of honor at the van. There is inspiration as well as sadness in the sight of this dwindling band of old soldiers in each city and town as they go forth each year to decorate the graves of the comrades who fell in battle so many years ago. But as their ranks grow thinner there are stronger escorts of the younger generation to take up the old banners and defend the things for which the others fought.

One of the most valuable features of the Memorial day exercises is the part connected with the public schools. Patriotic Speeches, tableaux, and the singing of national anthems in all the Chicago schools yesterday ushered in the present holiday. The impulses of patriotism stirred in eager young minds by these exercises are worth more for securing the future safety and perpetuity of the union than a great standing army. When it is remembered that the same spirit of devotion to the flag now animates the South as well as the North, there is every reason to look forward with high hope and confidence to the great future before the nation. While Memorial day is a time for a backward glance it is also a day for a hopeful and confident outlook upon the future.”

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1917, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Pitt came out for a short visit and for the first time in twenty years, we had only the four children at home for a dinner.  They were not allowed to mention their families.  We sat each in their accustomed place.  We all enjoyed it immensely.  It carried us back many years when we were all much younger.  I wish we could do it every year.”

Moses wrote this in the spring of 1917; he was sixty-one years old at the time. His children ranged in age from twenty-eight to thirty-eight years old and the United States was preparing to enter World War I.  Just a few months later, we would enter the fray and family dinners would become creative tales on rationed foods. I will say that if the “homemakers” ran the world, they would plan ahead and there would be no shortages of food or supplies. Those in charge of children and managing homes have to plan for every event or disaster that Mother Nature throws at them, intimately understanding how to stretch rations. Unfortunately in 1917, woman were still unable to vote.  

Different times have different demands. What was once scarce is now attained without restriction. I first began to panic about the current pandemic when I encountered when no flour or rice at our local grocery store. It was a wake up call for me. I now sit at home, planning, shopping and cooking for both my own family and my parents during COVID-19. I am a planner; I know how to grow food, the canning process and stretching small amounts of meat for a week. This is not the case for many around the world and we will all find ourselves living next to those who have not. Family dinners are important. Think about your next door neighbors and check in on them. It is time to pay it forward, especially if you have the means and are able to gather your loved ones together for a meal.

Supply and demand is affected during many events or disruptions in distribution.  The demands also change from decade to decade. In 1917 red meat and white flour were among the precious commodities that we shipped overseas, causing demand to outweigh supply on the home front.

On April 6, 1917, the United States of America entered WWI. By the fall of 1917, an increasing number of meat-free and other helpful recipes appeared in newspapers. A caption next to “War Bread Recipes” announced “Remember Jack Spratt. Why serve the fat to those who don’t care for it? The trimmings saved from slices of ham will shorten gingerbread” (“Herald and Review,” Decatur, Illinois, page 18). Yesterday, I read an internet post that stated we will now all understand why our great grandmothers washed used foil and saved bacon fat.

“War Bread Recipes” accompanied the heading, “Meatless Day No Bugbear With These Recipes.” An entire page was devoted to cooking with limited supplies; great recipes for vegetarians by the way. The “War Bread” article noted, “Because graham, bran and whole wheat are flours made from wheat, many housewives have been wondering if they are being disloyal by using breads made from these flours on wheatless days. They are not, because the Government does not prohibit the use of these coarser flours. They are note shipped to Europe. Only the white flour, which has better keeping qualities, is shipped there, and the coarser, darker flours may be used here as substitutes for white flour. Wholewheat flour is the fine, clean, and sound product made by grinding wheat without the removal of more than 1 per cent of the wheat in the form of bran. Graham flour is the unbolted wheat flour made from clean, sound wheat in the form of bran. Bran flour is made up of the broken coat of seed of wheat separated from the flour by sifting and bolting. It is the coarse, chaffy part of ground wheat. Bakers in Decatur are using these coarse flours considerably well. Local bakers said that last week that but little change in the taste of breads would be noticed when the new recipe Herbert Hoover is sending out is used.”

On September 9, 1917, the “Chicago Tribune Cookbook” included a section on fish and potatoes for the family dinner (page 2). A pescatarian’s delight today. The article reported, “It is again going to be a point of honor in our country to eat fish in certain amounts, if not on certain days. Possibly presented food conditions would lead us to eat it any day instead of on a church day. Many a grandmother of ours answered the question, “What shall we have for dinner”” by saying “Fish and potatoes.” And in the days when it was appoint of honor to serve the sacred cod even at dinner parties there originated a number of food dishes that are just as attractive today as then.”

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Early in 1917, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Did “Faust” for Sheehan and Beck, very complete.” Moses was referring to Joseph Sheehan and Edward M. Beck. The scenery was for a summer touring production. In 1917, Beck was managing the Boston Opera Company and Sheehan was performing with the group.

The Boston Opera Company selected “Faust” for their special limited tour of Canada, with Joseph Sheehan playing the title role (“Ottawa Citizen,” 12 June 1917, page 7). On June 11, 1917, the “Ottawa Journal” reported, “From a standpoint of product The Boston English Opera Company has excelled all previous efforts. Special attention has been given that every detail is carried out to perfection making the scenic picture one of rare beauty. There are few operas which give the opportunities for beautiful stage setting which ‘Faust’ does; its different scenes all picturesque to the extreme and full advantage has been taken to make this end of the production on a par with its wonderful artists which comprise the Boston English Opera Company” (page 11).

Of Sheehan’s performance, the “Ottawa Journal” commented, “As Faust, Mr. Sheehan is at his best. His voice meets its every requirement, and those who have heard the great American tenor have noticed that strain of sentiment in his work which has made his impersonation of Faust one of the best, if not the best, in his extensive repertoire” (2 June 1917, page 21). Nelli Gardini played the role of Marguerite.

Moses first encountered Sheehan when he performed with the Aborn Grand Theatre Company. In 1910, Sosman & Landis delivered scenery for their production of “Madame Butterfly,” with Sheehan performing the role of Pinkerton. That year Thomas G. Moses wrote, “We did an elaborate set for Mme. Butterfly for the Aborn Opera Company at McVicker’s.” The “Gibson City Courier” noted the production’s “special scenery of unusually beautiful design” (6 May 1910, page 6). Moses provided another “Madame Butterfly” for the Sheehan Opera Company of Chicago in 1911. In advertisements, Sheehan was billed as America’s Greatest Tenor and Famous Opera Star” (“Akron Beacon,” 5 April 1913, page 8). He toured the company, starring in a series of operas that appeared in not only large metropolitan areas, but also many small towns.

Sheehan continued as a repeat customer at Sosman & Landis after he partnered with Edward M. Beck. In 1913, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Sheehan and Beck dropped in with ‘Bohemian Girl.’” The Sheehan English Opera Co. production of “The Bohemian Girl” was on tour of 1913. Sheehan and Beck were in Chicago with the production when made a point of visiting Sosman & Landis about another project.

Another Sheehan-Beck production with Sosman & Landis scenery that toured in 1913 was “Salome.” Of the production, Moses wrote, “We turned out a big production of ‘Salome’ for Sheehan and Beck – some very effective scenes.  A good portion of the contract price never saw our office – one bad feature about shows that don’t go.” And then all was quiet for a few years, until Sheehan and Beck contacted Moses again about scenery for “Faust.”

In regard to the 1917 production of “Faust,” the Boston English Opera Company revived “Faust” at the Strand Theater in Chicago after the summer tour (Chicago Tribune, 14 October, page 37). The Musical Courier reported, “Inasmuch as Chicago has not had a season of opera in English for several years and in view of the fact that this city has had an almost marvelous growth as a music center in the last few years, the announcement that the Boston English Opera Company has been incorporated to present a season of opera in the vernacular at the Strand Theatre, beginning Monday, October 1, will be of unusual interest to music lovers and music students. Edward M. Beck, who has had wide experience in the organization in the organization and management of English opera companies throughout the United States and Canada, has been engaged as a general manager of the new organization. Mr. Beck did not conclude to launch this enterprise until he had made a very careful investigation of the situation in which he found that there seems to be a great demand for English opera. (Musical Courier, Weekly Review of the World’s Music, Aug. 4, 1917). Of the performance, “Musical America” reported, “Joseph F. Sheehan, as Faust, astonished everyone by his singing, doing as well as he ever did in his palmiest days. His voice was full and rich, His phrasing and musicianship were above reproach, and he took the high C of “All Hail, Thou Dwelling” with perfect ease and rich tone” (Vol. XXVL, No. 26, October 27, 1917, page 32).

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1917, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “April 18^th, I went to Detroit and closed with Hoffmans for their new Colonial Theatre, $3,800.00, and the Palace Theatre, all new scenery at $2,000.00.  Another good days work.  I rested a day, then went home.”  Moses was referring to past clients C. A. and Graham Hoffman. On February 15, 1914, the “Detroit Free Press,” reported that Sosman & Landis delivered the scenery for the New Palace Theater. The “Detroit Free Press” announced, “Scenery is the Best. The scenery is from the Sosman & Landis studio of Chicago, leaders in the art, and for particular reasons the work is extraordinary.”

There are few things to consider about Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio in 1917. The first is repeat customers. The firm delivered stock scenery to Palace theatres in Chicago (1912), Minneapolis (1914), and Fort Wayne, Indiana (1914) and Detroit (1914). Once they secured a contract, the client is far more likely to come back if they needed something else, and they did. Sosman & Landis a quality product, on time, every time, and prompting repeat customers. Their business model relied upon this.

It all began to change by 1920. The proverbial rug became pulled out from under the feet of the firm. I have noticed that after WWI, there is a shift in the industry; theater owners begin to care less about the quality of new scenery and are more concerned with the bottom line. The phrase, “good enough for who its for” comes to mind.  In other words, the painted aesthetic begins to shift as a second-tier of scenic studios pops up and begins to produce scenery on a mass-scale. The second-tier studio offers an inferior product at a cheaper price. Some of the artistic demands begin to diminish the there is an increased use of fabric draperies in lieu of painted drops. In many cases the “art” aspect of scenery becomes a “craft,” allowing those with less artistic experience to easily complete projects. Stencil patterns replace pictorial painting on front curtains at many entertainment venues. This trend is closely associated with rise of combination houses and strict cinemas.

Many new theatres during the second decade of the twentieth century also took film into consideration. Sosman & Landis had a significant amount of work for combination houses at this time. Sosman & Landis got a foot in the door delivering picture settings that featured a central projection area amidst a painted composition. This type of project featured the studios high-end painting skills while adapting to new technologies – photoplays, moving pictures, silent films, or you name what constitutes entertainment.

Another aspect to consider concerns is the continued increase and power of theatrical circuits; multiple venues managed by a single organization. It is easier to contract one company for all of your stages, than look for a new scenic studio each time. In 1917 Sosman & Landis were able to benefit from multiple theatre chains such as Palace theaters in the Orpheum circuit.

To be continued…