Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1146 – The Fad for Fabrics, 1922

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1922 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Our work has been running fabrics, so much so that I have no notion to make on painting…We that paint, as well as design, frown upon the new fad for fabrics. We trust it will soon die out and we will all return to the old way of painting with up-to-date designs.”

Moses must have sensed that the situation would not change anytime soon, and he would be too old to profit from any future scenic art revival. In hindsight, he was at the wrong age, in the wrong profession, in the wrong location, and at the wrong time. In 1922, Moses was 66 years old. He passed away in1934. In that twelve-year period, his health continued to decline and the stock market crashed, forever putting the death nail in the coffin for many scenic artists at the time. Although Moses’ mind was still sharp, his body was deteriorating, and work was rapidly drying up.

Scenic art techniques continued to shift in the 1920s, as the demand for scenic illusion on stage plummeted, accommodating ever-shifting designs and products. Many scenic artists saw the writing on the wall, and rapidly tried to adapt to the changing times. Moses was not one of them.

In 1923, Moses continued to worry about the decline of painting projects. That year he wrote, “Very little painted scenery for the vaudeville acts is being done, mostly fabrics, and if the wage scale keeps on, I don’t see where the artists are going to find enough painting. They will have to become dressmakers and learn to sew on sateens and velours. A few of the old melodramas would be very welcome.”

In 1923, Sosman & Landis also closed their doors, liquidating all of their assets. Moses and Fred Megan purchased the Sosman & Landis name, but it was too little too late. The live entertainment industry was slowly shifting from painted draperies to ornate textiles. If a scenic artist had not side-stepped into a compatible industry, it was almost too late to make a successful change. Yes, there was still a demand for painted scenery in the motion picture industry, Masonic theaters and other performance venues, but not at the previous scale.

Although a few big painting projects continued to appear on the horizon in the Midwest, the constant stream of opportunities slowed to a trickle. By 1925, Moses and Megan were running the new iteration of Sosman & Landis, constantly searching for work. That year, Moses wrote, “Megan left for the south where we have several good prospects, but I presume they will be chiefly draperies.” John Hanny, a one-time Sosman & Landis scenic artist and founder of Chicago Service Studios, wrote “About this time it was becoming evident that scene-painting, as such, was on its way out. Almost every Artist automatically was becoming a freelancer, picking up odd jobs perhaps a day or two here and there – ‘touch ups’ and the like.” It was the wrong time to own a scenic studio, one specializing in painted illusion.

In an undated letter to Dr. John H. Rothgeb at the University of Texas (c. 1980), Hanny described the decline of painted scenery during the 1920s and 1930s. Hanny began work as a scenic artist at Sosman & Landis in 1906; Moses was the one to hire him that year. By 1920, Hanny and four others established Service Studios of Chicago, a competing firm to their previous employer. Service Studios did not last and quickly became ACME Studios.

Of scenic art after the market crash, Hanny wrote:
“The depression of 1929 just about stopped the production of stage scenery – at least in Chicago. Road shows, musicals, etc., if any, were being produced in New York and Hollywood. At this point all the Studios disappeared, but the scene painters just couldn’t disappear and had to become free lancers. There was no such thing as a steady job and the boys were hard put to find a day’s pay. Most of the following 10 years were really tough and 1929 proved to be a big change in our business, in purpose, in design, paint and other materials. As the economy slowly improved – work was to be had on industrial exhibits, Home shows and Auto shows, etc. These were contracted for by such firms as Bromels Detroit, Dramaturgy Cleveland, Wildings Chicago and a few others. These were not Scenic Studios but rather combinations of carpenter and machine shops equipped to turn out booths, revolving turn-tables, electrical effects, and so on. The artwork was done in any available loft or vacant store space. The biggest change to us painters was our paints. Luminal Casene [sic. Luminall Casein] was pretty well established as a very practical and useful medium so, it, and show card color was the norm. So – no more ‘dry’ colors – no more soup bowls or hot size and of course no more paint frames. Drapes, if any were painted on the floor. The house painter’s sash brushes came into use and many of the former ‘tools’ such as snappers, and center-poles and others were no longer needed. The folding 2 ft. brass bound rule gave way to the yard stick.”

To be continued…