Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1054 – California and Oscar L. Fest, 1920

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1920 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “The Madam and I have concluded to go to California this summer, so we started to make our plans, going in August.” 

“We left for the West August 19^th.  As I have written the trip up very fully in my travelogues, I will not repeat it here.  Arrived home on September 28^th, having been gone forty days, it was certainly some trip.” This was Moses’ “summer vacation” before really settling in at the Sosman & Landis main studio. Although Moses’ desired to move west, his strong ties to Chicago kept him tethered in the Midwest. Later in life, Moses would spend an increasing amount of time in California, joining the Pasadena Scottish Rite and frequently landing scenery contracts along the Pacific Coast.

Moses was one of many scenic artists across the country who migrated west as employment opportunities continued to skyrocket; they followed the work.  The scenic art business was rapidly changing as the demand for painted scenery continued to decline in many areas. However, California continued to offer new opportunities that ranged from parade floats and circus shows to legitimate theater and film sets. In addition to an abundance of work, the temperate climate was ideal. Many Chicago scenic artists moved to the west coast, after apprenticing in Chicago. One California contemporary of Moses was O. L. Fest. Only four years older than Moses, he began working as a scenic artist in Chicago and then moved to San Francisco by the late 1870s. Fest became a mainstay at the Tivoli Theater, a venue where Moses’ mentioned stopping to visit friends.

In 1920, the “San Francisco Examiner” announced Fest’s passing:

“Scenic artist at Tivoli Dies. Oscar L. Fest Widely known among theatrical people passes away at 67” (6 March 1920, page 4). The article continued, “Oscar L. fest, for more than twenty years the chief scenic artist at the old Tivoli Opera House, died yesterday at his home, 1616 Turk st., after a lingering illness. Fest arrived in this country from Germany when 9 months old. His work as a scenic artist was a feature of the Tivoli operas, and his yearly transformation scenes at Christmas were much admired by early-day theatre-goers.

“He was a life member of Cleveland Lodge, No 211, F. & A. A., and of Golden Gate Camp No. 64, Woodmen of the World. A widow [Minnie] and two daughters, Helen A. and Mattie Lois Fest, survive. Funeral services will be held this afternoon from the undertaking parlors of Theodore Dierke & Co., 901 Divisadero st., Interment will be private.”

“The San Francisco Chronicle” added, “Fest is well remembered by those who attended the performances at the old Tivoli Opera house a generation ago and up to the time of the 1906 fire, where he was a scenic artist, and his Christmas season transformations were considered wonderful” (7 March 1920, page 12.)

Oscar Louis Fest was born 10 August 1852 in Breslau, Germany. His parents, John and Helena “Ellen” Fest, emigrated to the United States, sailing aboard the Mathilde, from Bremen, in 1853. In Syracuse, Fest’s father became a naturalized citizen on 29 Sept. 1858. The family was still residing in Syracuse, according to the 1860 US census. By 1870, the Fests were living in Chicago. At the age of 18, Oscar L. Fest was listed as a painter in the 1870 US Federal Census. His father was employed as a cooper. On May 6, 1874, Fest married Minnie Burkhart in Cook County, Illinois.

By 1877, Fest was listed in the San Francisco Directory as a scenic artist, residing at 548 ½ Tehama. At the time, he was listed with the Grand Opera House.

By 1879, the directory listed Fest was working for the Adelphi Theatre. The earliest mention of Fest at the Tivoli was in 1883. That year, “The San Francisco Examiner” reported, “The new drop-curtain, ‘The Spanish Mail” painted by Oscar L. fest, will be used during the run of the piece, which judging from the manner of its first presentation and the applause that welcomed each successive scene, will be a long period” (27 Feb 1883, page 3). In 1889 Moses recorded visiting fellow scenic artists at the Tivoli Theatre, including Bill Porter. In 1891 the San Francisco Directory still listed Fest at the Tivoli.

Fest’s 1896 passport application noted that the artist was 56 years old with a height of 5’-9.” His physical description listed brown eyes, iron gray hair, a square and high forehead, straight nose and “ordinary” mouth and chin.

To be continued…