Information about historic theaters, scenic art and stage machinery. Copyright © 2024 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Scenery by Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934) for the Scottish Rite Theatre in Fort Scott, Kansas.
For More information about Scottish Rite theaters use the keyword search function.
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1923 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “June 22nd, I took a run over to Ft. Scott and met the committee on Masonic work. At this new Temple Roy Givens came down and we had quite a showing. Our old work is in the present Temple and as they are well please with it, I feel that we stand a good chance on it, but one can never tell.” Moses landed the work and painted the majority of scenes on site.
It was the fate of this Fort Scott Scottish Rite scenery collection that prompted me to begin the “Tales of a Scenic Artist and Scholar” storyline. It started with a much longer title on February 15, 2017 – “Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.”
I needed to tell the story of why the Fort Scott Scottish Rite scenery collection was so significant, hoping to prevent the mishandling of another Scottish Rite collection. In November 2015, I supervised the removal and transportation of the scenery from Fort Scott to a storage facility in Minnesota where it would await restoration until the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center was completed. At the time I was working as the Curatorial Director for the facility and was slotted to complete the restoration in 2016, after finishing a myriad of other projects. My position was terminated promptly upon the opening of the center, and the restoration work completed by individuals who irreparably damaged the Moses’ paintings. In the end, the collection that I so carefully packed up in Fort Scott became the victim of hot melt glue and scissors. In the beginning, my telling of the tale was quite rough, littered with typos and missing words. My fingers can never quite catch up to my thoughts. I was struggling to find my voice while telling a particularly painful tale. Here is the first installment of story if you are interested: https://drypigment.net2017/02/15/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-acquiring-a-scottish-rite-scenery-collection-for-the-minnesota-masonic-heritage-center/?fbclid=IwAR3Jw6A0fMPDQcfAs-h4CMv6-DBqg1tYiWKCVVtjKNifwUqN4iuZXQIYZnE
It has been four years since I started “Tales of a Scenic Artist and Scholar,” and I would like to think my writing has somewhat improved. The life and times of Thomas G. Moses had been a driving force to get me out of bed and write every morning. Unfortunately, I no longer leap out of bed to write. Again, I am faced with a story that I really don’t want to tell, but am compelled to write. It has become increasingly difficult to research and post about the life and times of Thomas G. Moses on a daily basis. I have entered a period of Moses’ life that is one train wreck after another. This is when everything falls apart for him. It also coincides with a shift in the scenic art industry as the demand for painted scenery declines. Sosman & Landis close, Moses is betrayed by D. S. Hunt, and yet, he purchases the Sosman & Landis name for $20,000. He never financially recovers and ends up working for others, many of whom he trained in the early days. On top of everything else, the Great Depression hits and his health continues to deteriorate. Despite it all, he keeps on painting and doing the best he can. He is old, his body is broken and he yearns for all that is lost; that which will not come again.
I will finish my story, albeit with less excitement than when I began. Mainly because I made myself a promise. I also made a promise to Moses after I read his 1922 entry a few decades ago:
“I trust my diary will be of some interest to my relatives and brother scenic artists. I feel sure that my work will be of some interest inasmuch as I was compelled to travel over the United States a great deal from Maine to California, which gave me a great chance to meet big people of the dramatic world in the days of real actors and plays of real merit.” His story deserves an ending.
To be continued…
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
I am currently exploring the life and times of scenic Thomas G. Moses in 1923. It seems a good time to share images from my visit to the Joplin Scottish Rite Theatre in 2018. The scenery was delivered by the Fabric Studios or Chicago in 1923. For more information about the Fabric Studios, visit https://drypigment.net…/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and…/
For more information about the Fabric Studios, visit https://drypigment.net…/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and…/
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1923, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Left El Dorado for Tulsa, Oklahoma, spent a day with Barnard and saw the city. Enjoyed it immensely.” The next year Moses wrote, “I spent several days with my old friend Herbert Barnard. We had quite a good showing at his studio.” Moses was talking about fellow scenic artist, Herbert Barnard (1880-1949).
By 1923, Barnard had gained quite a reputation throughout the south. On July 22, 1923, the “Tulsa Tribune” reported, “As director and designer of outdoor festivals with their floats and other spectacular trappings. Barnard stands almost unrivaled in America. Despite the number of years that he has been engaged in scenic decoration, his work displays ever-increasing ingenuity and originality. He builds the floats in keeping with the spirit and nature of the event for which they are designed, and in some of his former connections has produced carnivals and festivals of bewildering lavishness and startling originality.”
Herbert Barnard was born on August 20, 1880 in Chicago, Illinois. He changed his last name from Bernard to Barnard by 1918 when he registered for the draft in San Antonio. His draft registration listed his physical appearance as medium height and medium build, with dark hair and brown eyes. Herbert’s extended family was quite large. His grandparents, Martin and Elizabeth Bernhard, emigrated from Germany two years apart; Elizabeth arriving in 1849 with the first of their two children. The couple settled in Chicago, where their family expanded to thirteen children. They eventually moved to New Canada, Minnesota, after all but four children became adults. When Martin passed away in 1886, Elizabeth moved back to Chicago and began living with her children. In 1900, she was living with Phillip – Herbert’s father; the census, however, listed her as “head” of the family.
In regard to Philip Bernhard, he dropped the “h,” going Phillip Bernard. Herbert would further alter the name to Barnard (replacing the “e” with and “a”). In Chicago, Phillip Bernhard worked as designer, although I have to locate any firm or specifics. Regardless, Phillip encouraged his son’s artistic abilities, with Herbert entering the scenic art trade.
It is very likely that Herbert first met Thomas Moses in Chicago at the Sosman & Landis shops, staying with the firm until he moved south. By 1911, Herbert moved to San Antonio Texas, with his young wife Katherine. In 1913, the couple was boarding at 418 S. Press with Herbert’s brother Jacob. The City Directory listed Herbert as working at a studio located on Soledad St. Jacob was working for the architectural firm of Harvey L. Page Co. In 1918, he was still listed as an artist, now running his own business, and living at 610 St. Mary’s in San Antonio, Texas. The couple moved around in San Antonio during the 1920s, going from 310 W. Grammency Place in 1924, to rooming at 1508 Main Ave. in 1926, and finally settling on W. Woodlawn in 1927.
By 1929, the San Antonio City Directory listed Barnard as an art director at Walter J. Daly Studios. Walter J. Studios was responsible for the stage scenery and equipment for a reinforced concrete and stone open-air theater in the Lone Star Garden in San Antonio. I have not found out much more about that scenic studio yet.
The 1930 US Federal Census lists Barnard as an artist and decorator, living with his wife Katherine (42 yrs. old) and son Phillip (19 yrs. old). I have uncovered very little about his work in the 1930s to date. Barnard’s WWII Draft registration card listed a new employer – the WPA Engineering Department, specifically, “Mr. Steinfeldt at Randolph Field in San Antonio, 2036 Addison, Houston, Texas”.
On May 12, 1949, the “Abilene Reporter-News” reported “Texas Artist Dies. Houston, May 11 – Herbert Bernard, 68, San Antonio, died of a heart attack Tuesday night as the home of his son here.” (page 11).
The “Lubbock Morning Avalanche” published a longer obituary, noting “He came to Texas from Chicago in 1911, and since had been associated with the major festivals and parades in the Southwest, including the Battle of Flowers in San Antonio, the Tulsa Oil exposition, and the Mardi Gras celebration in Galveston. He exhibited many paintings of the Texas state flower, the Bluebonnet, and designed and decorated floats for numerous parades throughout the state.”
To be continued…
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
I am currently exploring the life and times of scenic Thomas G. Moses in 1923. It seems a good time to share images from my visit to the Joplin Scottish Rite Theatre in 2018. The scenery was delivered by the Fabric Studios or Chicago in 1923.
For more information about the Scottish Rite scenery or the Joplin Scottish Rite, use the keyword search function.
Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1923 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “During June, Mr. Hall and Mathis came down from Chicago to see me, on their way to San Antonio. I will have a chance to get in on that job with Barnard, who is entitled to the work, being a member and boss of the Shrine stunts.” Moses was referring to Herbert Barnard, a well-known scenic artist and art director in San Antonio, Texas. In 1923, newspapers listed Barnard as a pageantry expert whose work was famous throughout the south. Later that summer, Moses later wrote, “Left El Dorado for Tulsa, Oklahoma, spent a day with Barnard and saw the city. Enjoyed it immensely.”
In 1923, Barnard was secured by the parades and pageant committee of the International Petroleum Exposition of Congress to supervise the presentation of the three spectacles which were given in connection with the big oil and gas show in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Expo was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that July. The “Tulsa Tribune” described the Barnards spectacles on 29 July 1923: “A second entertainment feature will be the brilliant pageant staged during the week under the able direction of Herbert Barnard, of San Antonio, Texas, well known scenic artist. The first of these will be a fashion show, the most gorgeous ever presented in the southwest, given though the co-operation of the merchants of Tulsa. The second pageant will tell by means of floats the history and development of the petroleum history, from the earliest discovery and use of oil by the ancients down to the present day. The third pageant will take place on the last night of the exposition and will lead into the coronation of Queen Petrolia. Every state and every foreign nation represented at the congress will be requested to enter one of its most beautiful women as a princess, and from this number the Queen will be selected. The crowning of the Queen, a beautiful and impressive spectacle, forms a fitting close to the first annual international Petroleum Exposition and Congress. “
On July 22, 1923, the “Tulsa Tribune” reported, “Barnard’s work as a director of festivals is famous throughout southern states. For many years he has had charge of San Antonio’s annual Fiesta San Jacinto, designing and supervising the construction of the floats for the pageant, the ‘Battle of Flowers,’ and setting the ceremony for the coronation of the queen. Previous to this, he was connected with the Mardi Gras at New Orleans, where his brilliant work excited much favorable comment. His remarkable versatility is displayed in the number of varied activities in which he is engaged in San Antonio. An artist as well as scenic director and designer, he has decorated three of the largest theaters of the Texas city, and is now under contract to make the stage scenery in a number of the junior high schools. He has also been connected with the establishment of some of the most prominent architects of San Antonio.
“As director and designer of outdoor festivals with their floats and other spectacular trappings. Barnard stands almost unrivaled in America. Despite the number of years that he has been engaged in scenic decoration, his work displays ever-increasing ingenuity and originality. He builds the floats in keeping with the spirit and nature of the event for which they are designed, and in some of his former connections has produced carnivals and festivals of bewildering lavishness and startling originality.”
To be continued…
Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
I am currently exploring the life and times of scenic Thomas G. Moses in 1923. It seems a good time to share images from my visit to the Joplin Scottish Rite Theatre in 2018. The scenery was delivered by the Fabric Studios or Chicago in 1923.
For more information about the Fabric Studios, visit https://drypigment.net2020/12/21/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-part-1140-p-t-blackburn-and-the-fabric-studio-of-chicago/
Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Early in 1923, Thomas G. Moses was in Indiana trying to drum up work for Sosman & Landis. He wrote, “Went to Evansville, Indiana, and closed a small $1,200.00 order. On March 13th went to Terre Haute and caught a train for Buffalo, had a little trouble on account of the cold weather and snow.” At this same time, Fred, the son of studio founder Joseph S. Sosman, was also traipsing across the state of Indiana in a vaudeville act. Moses had worked with Fred in the Sosman & Landis shops for years, instructing the young man in landscape painting. It didn’t take.
On April 16, 1890, Sosman married Maria (also, May or Mary) Pinney Jones (1858-1947), adopting her two sons from a previous marriage to Benjamin Hodge Jones. At the time Arthur Burton Jones (1878-1929) was twelve years old and his brother and Frederic Pinney Jones (1882-1946) was only eight years old. Over the years, Sosman provided for the boys and repeatedly attempted to train them into the family business, but it never took, as their passions remained elsewhere. By the age of twenty-six, Fred was touring a solo act as part of the amateur line-up in many venues. On April 4, 1908, he performed at the Orpheum in Los Angeles (Los Angeles Herald). On May 29, 1908, he performed on amateur night at Chutes Theatre in San Francisco.
By 1914, Sosman was part of the Keith Circuit and advertised as “King of the Cabaret.” On June 9 of that year, the “Detroit Free Press” reported, “With a whole flock of new ‘Broadway Hits,” Fred Sosman, justly styled ‘King of the Cabaret” comes to Edelweiss for a limited summer engagement. Many vaudeville devotees will recall Mr. Sosman as a Keith headliner, for it was not so long ago that Sosman adorned the boards along with Bert Williams and other celebrities. Fred Sosman has the ability which folks along New York’s ‘Big White Lane’ term the ‘Speed ‘em Up Stuff.” You can’t keep from shuffling your feet when Sosman is working. Mr. Sosman’s entertainment does not consist of coarse comedy. His fun is of the clear, sparkling kind – in short, the work of an artist. The ‘King of Cabaret’ handles dialect work as cleverly as straightaway stuff and, during his Edelweiss stay will feature some humorous talking songs.”
Reviews were not always glowing for Fred. On August 27, 1915, he was mentioned in the “Stage Jottings” section of the Terre Haute’s “Daily Tribune.” He was performing at the Hippodrome and the review noted, “Fred Sosman has a couple of very good songs which he reserves for the finish of his otherwise so-so act.” It may have been the critic, or the timing. Two weeks earlier his stepfather passed away. The death of Joseph S. Sosman left both his business and personal affairs in dire circumstances. Until his passing, no one truly understood the financial balls that Sosman had continued to juggle over the years, or the dire financial circumstances despite booming business.
Upon his passing, Moses was elected president of the firm, with Sosman’s eldest son Arthur becoming vice-president. In 1915, Moses wrote, “It is very strange to me that I had never given this change of the business a thought. I had never thought of Sosman dying.” No one did and all of their lives were tied to the same business. Although Arthur was elected as vice-president, he didn’t last long at Sosman & Landis. Three years later, Moses and Arthur left the company. Although Moses would return, Arthur did not; he began working as a salesman elsewhere. Fred seems to have made a good choice by leaving the company early and joining the vaudeville game.
By 1920 Fred Sosman was a popular singer and comedian, advertised as “a lively boy with good shape and good clothes, and he, too, has a personality.”
In 1923, Fred Sosman was performing in an act with Gladys Sloan. On Feb 21, the “Indianapolis Star” reported:
“In Between Dances,” a comedy act presented at the Lyric this week by Fred Sosman & Gladys Sloan, is a combination of repartee and songs. Mr. Sosman and Miss Sloan recently entered vaudeville after extended engagements at the Moulin Rouge and Café DeParnee, New York, and the Marigold Gardens, Chicago. Miss Sloan was formerly engaged in concert work. Mr. Sosman is the son of Sosman of the famous firm of scenic artists Sosman & Landis. For several years he specialized in landscape painting, and has been awarded prizes for his work at exhibits in New York, Chicago and London.”
His relationship with Sloan was short, as he married someone else that fall.
To be continued…
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1923 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “We had some very good work for the Public Schools of Dubuque, Iowa, and we put in extra effort to please them as it was a $6,000.00 contract.” $6,000 in 1923 is today’s equivalent of approximately $92,000 – a sizable project for a studio that was preparing to close.
The 1923 Sosman & Landis project was for the Dubuque Senior High School auditorium. The newly-constructed building was formally dedicated on February 9, 1923. It was an impressive structure, albeit looked somewhat like a fortress.
On March 9, 1923, the Gazette reported,
“PUBLIC TO INSPECT NEW DUBUQUE SCHOOL TONIGHT.
Dubuque’s new senior high school building, erected at a cost of $715,000, will be formally thrown open to the public tonight. Classes have been conducted in the building since Feb. 20. An interesting program will be staged in the auditorium, which seats 1,200 persons” (page 2). The High School’s dedication ceremonies drew a massive crowd of approximately 4000, twice the number that would fill the new theater. Attendees at the event had to be split between the auditorium and gymnasium, with program speakers going from one location to the other.
That year 733 students were enrolled at Dubuque’s new high school, and the number kept climbing over the decades. The building has survived, and today is home to more than twice that number. The high school’s current theater is known as the Lamb-Hedeman Auditorium. In 2006, the space was completely renovated. None of the original features or décor of the 1923 auditorium remain. Any Sosman & Landis scenery installed in the Dubuque Senior High School in 1923 is long gone.
There 1920s were a turning point for many scenic studios and other theatre manufacturers. They began to target a new client – schools. As the demand for painted scenery continued to decline, studios desperately searched for other opportunities and projects. In the 1920s, school contacts offered the much-needed income for struggling firms. High school theaters also offered an affordable space for many community productions. Some studios formed entire departments to deal with school projects. The Twin Cities Scenic Co., even published an entire brochure about their completed stage installation for schools and high schools.
Many academic stages were constructed fo multipurpose use and there was in increased demand for fabric draperies. In some cases, draperies were used in lieu of painted scenes, reducing the overall expense of school productions.
Sosman & Landis delivered scenery to another another high school stage in 1923. It was for a two-night production by the Y. W. C. A. in Shamokin, Pennsylvania. On April 11, 1923, the “Shamokin News-Dispatch” reported:
“BETTY WHO
Two-act Modern Musical Comedy
to be Given at the High School April 23 and 24.
Scenery – New scenery made by Sosman & Landis of Chicago.”
Big names were brought in for this fundraising event. In addition to Sosman & Landis, Eaves of New York and Lester of Chicago were responsible for the costumes. Wigs were attributed to Schmidt of St. Louis. On April 24, 1923, the Shamokin News-Dispatch” reported, “The musical comedy, produced under the personal direction of Madame Mabel Chenault, was arranged for the benefit of the building fund of the Y.W.C.A.” (page 2). 300 locals were included in the cast. The show was advertised having catchy music, spectacular dances, splendid scenery and gorgeous comedy” (Shamokin News-Dispatch, 21 April 1923, page 7).
I am including a few high school designs by the Twin City Scenic Co. in the 1920s. They are part of the Performing Arts Archives, University of Minnesota.
Here is the link to the Scenery Collection database: https://umedia.lib.umn.edu/search?facet_field=collection_name_s&facets%5Bcollection_name_s%5D%5B%5D=Scenic+Collections
To be continued…
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
My past few posts have explored the lives and careers of Charles L. Hoyland and William H. Lemle. Hoyland and Lemle were involved with the Allardt Advertising Co., Hoyland-Lemle Advertising Co., Lemle-Barrett Co., Charles L. Hoyland Co., William Lemle, Inc., and Lemle Studios in the 1920s. While completing preliminary research for each artist and their respective studios, I came across an interesting article about an illuminated curtain, one that the Hoyland-Lemle Advertising Co. delivered to the Majestic Theatre in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It is worth mentioning before I return to the life and career of scenic artist Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934)
On May 18, 1923, the Cedar Rapid’s “Gazette” reported, “An illuminated curtain presenting a street scene has been added to the equipment of the Majestic theater. It is one of the latest developments in theatrical accessories and adds much to the effectiveness of the stage scenery. The curtain was installed today by H. L. Winckler of the Hoyland-Lemle company of Chicago, one of the largest curtain advertising companies in the country. The curtain is built so that the manipulation of lights it presents either a night scene or a day scene. An artistic coloring effects effect results when soft lights are turned on back of the curtains so that it appears as a panoramic view of the city at night. Many local business firms have reserved space on the curtain which provides an excellent background for their advertisements. The curtain will be shown for the first time Sunday when the Dixon Players open an engagement here.”
This is a translucent street scene with advertising spaces placed in the composition. The advertisements were incorporated into the architecture of buildings, street signs, walls, marquees, windows, etc. This also means that the ads were visible during the production, an appealing prospect for any merchant. In a way, it’s similar to a brand name product appearing in a television show or movie. Traditionally, advertising curtains were lowered at specific times during a production, coming in between scenes or acts. Ad spaces traditionally created a border around a central composition. They were also incorporated into the ornament of the surround. Over time, the number of ad spaces multiplied, greatly encroaching upon the central picture and reducing its dominance in the overall composition.
The “Gazette” article’s use of “illuminated” indicates translucent sections on the ad drop with backlighting. In other words, street lamps, windows, or stars in night sky would glow for the nighttime depiction. The street scene was a success.On June 2, 1923, the Gazette reported, “Last night was the first time the boys had seen the new illuminated curtain at the Majestic and when it was shown, they burst into a round of applause” (page 15).
I am attaching a few examples of similar deigns from the Twin City Scenic Co. collection at the University of Minnesota’s Performing Arts Archives. Each design could have incorporated translucent sections into the design, thus appearing illuminated.
To be continued…