Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1921 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Made a side trip to Little Rock to settle on the Scottish Rite Temple. I hope to be able to close the contract very soon.” He returned to Little Rock later that summer to close the contract for $9,548.00. However, it was only a verbal agreement that year. The original contract specified, “When our designs are completed, submitted and accepted, it is agreed that the painting can be started during our dull season soon after January 1, 1922. We agree to store the finished work covered by insurance until such time that it can be taken care of in Little Rock.”
Later in 1922, Moses wrote, “Went to Little Rock to see Mr. Rosenbaum.” He was still trying to finalize a written agreement with Little Rock, although some painting had already begun on the project. In the end, the contract would not be signed until 1923; two years of watching, waiting and starting the work. Those two years made all of the difference in the world for the life of the studio.
It was not until the spring of 1923 that Moses finalized the Little Rock contract under his own name, and not that of Sosman & Landis. He wrote, “I arrived on the 16th of May with the contract of $10,040.00 in my name, out of which I am to get enough to pay Sosman and Landis’ indebtedness to me. I hope I will be able to do it.” Sosman & Landis had closed its doors by the time Little Rock finalized the work. In 1923, Moses was trying to buy the Sosman & Landis name after all of the studio’s assets were liquidated.
From the beginning, Sosman & Landis financed the majority of the Masonic stage projects, with clients paying nothing up front, one-third upon delivery and then the remainder over the next few months, or years. It made sense, as the studio landed the work with an appealing payment plan, winning out over their competitors. However, this only worked if the Scottish Rite Valleys honored the contractual obligations and made all of the agreed upon payments in a timely manner; many did not. Inevitably, that final payment always seemed to be a battle to collect. On top of everything else, Masons did not always understand what they were purchasing or receiving, so the numbers of scenic pieces in final contracts went up and down as specific settings were added or removed during contractual negotiations. Initially, a studio representative was sent to help supervise the scenery during its first use at a Reunion.
Scenic studios constantly waited in fear of not receiving that final payment, making both artists and studios left begging for what was contractually owed. Masonic work made up approximately 25% of all Sosman & Landis studio projects for over two decades. I believe the constant battle to collect funds owed by the Masons created a perfect storm that contributed to the studio’s financial downfall. Unfortunately, this occurred at the same time that the demand for painted scenery also began to plummet. Moses learned much from these experiences at did not offer similar terms of payment once Sosman & Landis closed.
Scottish Rite scenery projects were massive undertakings, often taking months to paint. Masonic stock scenery collections were frequently more than twice the size of those delivered to commercial theaters.
It was not until the late spring of 1923 that the Little Rock contract was signed. Moses wrote, “Went to Little Rock early in April, had my designs O.K. and had made an agreement with Rosenbaum to do the work on the ground… I got settled at the Marion Hotel, Loitz and Naile got quarters up near the Temple. The Marion is a good-sized hotel, and I had a good room and bath. After some trouble getting our bridge and frame, Loitz and I ran through 30 drops in the first 3 weeks. Of course, these were not our hardest ones, as I wanted to make a showing, we worked hard and to good advantage. Early in June the weather got quite warm and the rain did not help us. The high-water mark soon reached in the Arkansas River and I had a wonderful view from my window. My first duty in the morning was to take a look at the river, for I expected it to rise over the banks and that meant to the foundation of the hotel.”
The project took longer than Moses hoped, and not due to his own failings. Mid-project Moses wrote, “Naile and his men are not giving me full service and I am getting desperate, as to my ability to pull the contract through with profit.” In the end, Moses completed the project in less than three months. He wrote, “Finished my work at Little Rock on the 4th of August, got a settlement in full. The last check was $4,995.00 and the $700.00 in old scenery that I am still holding, and I hope I will realize at least $1,500.00 out of it.” I would bet that Moses refused to leave town until receiving the final payment; there was too much on the line and a pattern of non-payment.
In regard to the old scenery that was removed from Little Rock in 1923. Accepting old scenery as credit on a new purchase was always a risky proposition. Unless there was a Masonic client waiting in the wings, the return of an old scenery collection was never advantageous to the studio, only to a future client. Storing an entire scenery collection demands a sizeble storage space. It would take another year before Moses located another Valley to purchase the old scenery – the Pasadena Scottish Rite. During 1924 negotiations with Pasadena, he wrote, “As a final deal, I offered the Little Rock drops for $8,500.00.” Although the Pasadena contract was for $8,500.00, Moses only paid himself $700.00 for the Little Rock scenery.
For the installation of the new Pasadena Scottish Rite scenery, Moses rented an apartment at 159 S. Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena, where he remained for two months that winter after arriving on Feb. 24, 1925. Of the Pasadena Scottish Rite project in 1925, Moses wrote, “The Scottish-Rite Bodies are well pleased with the layout that we have arranged for their new stage, using the old scenery from Little Rock, Arkansas, which I took part payment when I put in the new equipment at the Albert Pike Memorial for Chas. Rosenbaum. The Pasadena contract was for $8,500.00, out if which I paid myself $700.00 for the Little Rock scenery. The settlement was quickly made, and everyone was highly pleased with everything we did. We had our plush curtains on from the studio in time everything arrived on time and was placed in position. The lighting effects were very good all through the 32nd Degrees. Everyone worked hard for a big success which it certainly was in every detail.”
It was in Pasadena that Moses became a Scottish Rite Mason..
To be continued…
