Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
It has taken me four years to explore the life and times of Thomas G. Moses from 1856 to 1924. There is one whole decade to go until his passing in 1934. Moses started his art career in 1873, so I have covered fifty-one-years’ worth of scenic art projects, significant events, and interesting personalities.
My initial plan was to have my daily posts result in three books: The Life and Times of Thomas G. Moses; the History of the Sosman & Landis Scenic Studios, and Scenic Art in America, 1880-1920. The first book was to tell the complete story of Thomas G. Moses’ career from 1873 to 1934. By the time I reached 1900, however, I realized that the story would have to be told as a trilogy, broken down into three separate time spans: 1873-1904, 1904-1923, and 1924-1934.
I then recognized that my story about Moses really had to start with the establishment of Sosman & Landis. I started writing about the firm and got quite far in my manuscript, with only last section to go. The final part of my book included brief biographies of Sosman & Landis scenic artists, stage mechanics, and other employees. I have identified over fifty individuals who passed through the Sosman & Landis doors between 1879 and 1924. As with every personal project, however, the time I set aside to work on my book evaporated as my business workload increased.
Starting tomorrow, I take a two month break from my current storyline and return to the history of Sosman and Landis. I will post a brief biography for each of the studio staff that I have identified to date.
What makes the establishment and success of Sosman & Landis so unique is its founders. Neither Sosman, nor Landis, came from a theatre lineage. They did not grow up working at an opera house or touring with a production company. They did not spend their youths as apprentices to scenic artists or decorative painters. Each man grew up in a small midwestern town, starting out in another profession before selecting a theatre career.
Sosman and Landis met in 1875 and the two immediately became friends and traveling companions. Their working partnership began as “Sosman and Landis, scenic artists.” It was not until 1879 that they settled in Chicago and officially established “Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio.” Thomas G. Moses was the first scenic artist who joined their firm in 1880, shortly following the addition of one salesman. From June 1881 to July 1882, Sosman & Landis delivered scenery to seventy-four theaters, opera houses and music halls in nineteen states and three territories.
An 1889 Sosman & Landis catalogue advertised that the firm had installed scenery in more than 2000 opera houses and halls nationwide. This number increased to 4,000 by 1894 and 6,000 by 1901. In 1902, Sosman & Landis not only supplied scenery to stages in the United States, Mexico and Canada, but also to other countries. At their peak, they employed a staff of sixty-five at the main studio and a staff of twelve in the annex studio. So far, I have a list of fifty-one individuals who worked on their staff. Starting tomorrow, I am going to slowly work my way through that list.
