Copyright © 2022 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1901, Grace Wishaar made headlines as a scenic artist. In an interview, Wishaar stated that she worked with “Sousman and Landes of Chicago.” This was the Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio. Before I delve into the fascinating career of Wishaar, I must clarify that she was not the first female scenic artist in America. Many women scenic artists paved the way for Wishaar to enjoy a warm welcome from the press at the turn of the twentieth century.
Regardless of her predecessors, 1901 newspapers announced that Wishaar was the “Only Woman who can claim the Title.” Not quite, but it likely made her presence more palatable for many men across the country. For some, it seems like less of a threat when we talk about “the only one.”
Here is the article about Wishaar in its entirety as it was first published in the “Buffalo Express” on April 4, 1901 (page 3):
“She is a Scenic Artist.
Only Woman Who Can Claim the Title.
Young Westerner’s Work.
Miss Grace Wishaar went from Seattle to New York with a determination to succeed.
Fifty-two feet up in the flies of the Manhattan Theater stands all day long a slip of a girl painting purple parrots and green glades. Her name is Grace Wishaar; she is 22 years old and herself a picture, and she is the only woman in scenic art in the United States, says the New York World.
She is a little Western girl, fresh from her coming out party, and not many years away from her graduation gown. Her home is in Seattle. She has been in New York only since the middle of January, yet in that time she has not only established herself as a member of the staff of Frank Dodge, undertaking with five men to produce the entire scenery for ‘The Casino Girl’ and ‘The Prima Donna,’ but she has done this: She had proved what the scenic artist of the Metropolitan Opera House and the Lyceum Theater in turn laugh at her for trying. That a woman can do their work as well as a man.
She has a girlish face, with deep eyes and dark hair, to match, which ripples up to a high pompadour. She is not tall; her hands are delicate and expressive.
‘I am convinced that I am a curiosity,’ she said yesterday.
She was standing on the platform, 52 feet high, with not even a handrail between her and the dim stage, where some ne ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ people were rehearsing. A great movable frame was before her, half covered with a tropical scene from ‘The Casino Girl.’ The blazing parrots for the same scene were piled before her. She was covered with a great denim apron; a dozen huge bowls of paints stood in an old sink, called by her courtesy the ‘pailette,’ and as many brushed lay in as many mixtures on the zinc. On a narrow bridge below, five new scene painters were working on a garden drop.
‘People catch sight of my skirts,’ said Miss Wishaar, both here and at the Herald Square, where I sometimes work and they stop rehearsal and bet on what I am and call up to me to find out. I guess I am a curiosity.
“it was like this,’ she said simply, ‘I left school out in Seattle and went into society. But my sister cared for music and I cared for art, and we tired of other things and decided to study.
‘She began training her voice for grand opera. I fitted up a studio – a beautiful room it was, 80 feet long, in Seattle business block – I kept at portrait work. My mother writes – she lately copyrighted a play on the Philippine war – so she understood how we felt.
‘Then one day two years ago the Seattle Theater needed a drop. My father, E. B. Wishaar, is dramatic editor of the Post-Intelligencer, and he heard about it and mentioned it to me. I thought I could do the drop. Mr. Russell the manager laughed at me, but he let me try it.
‘I painted the scene and they said it was just what they wanted.
‘After that I had all I could do for the Seattle and Corday theaters and for two years I worked as a professional. I did the work for Katie Putnam, with Sousman and Landes of Chicago, scenic artist. Then I decided I would come East.
‘I came here a year ago last fall and studied a year and went to Chase Art School. Then I went home for the summer, and then I can back to New York in January, perfectly sure that I could do this with success.’
The story of the attempts of this shy-eyed girl to ‘make something of herself’ begins about like anybody’s, in its discouragement – only hers did not last. She went from one New York scenic painter to another, asking only to do one piece, and they were everyone amused.
‘A girl up in the flies’ they said, ‘absurd! Why she’d have to wear bloomers!’
Mis Wishaar insisted that she would not have to, and when they told her that a scenic painter was made, not born, and that he grew up out if the stage paint pots, rubbing his nose against the scenery, she simply went off and found another manage.
He was Frank Dodge, and he told her indulgently a woman could doubtless do very nice work on the tiny paper models that have to be painted first. But he let her try one drop for ‘The Prima Donna.’
That nearly settled it. She was taken for a week on trial, and hat did it. Now she is on the staff of scenic artists.
Every morning at 9 o’clock she appears with the men, either at the Manhattan or the Herald Square, and she works all day on the bridge or on her solitary high platform. What she paints looks like robin’s-egg blue leaves and magenta trunk, until the colors dry and reveal greens and browns. She works with water colors, in what is known as distemper.
Miss Wishaar has a good many curious visitors. People come panting up the steep steps that lead to her workshop mainly to ask her how she came to do it, and they stay to watch her work. Volumes of invitations from people about the theaters come to her to go to supper and to see the pieces whose scenes she is doing. But she is the despair of all such, because she accepts absolutely no invitations.
‘I am here to work,’ she said spreading out her paint-covered denim apron. ‘I confess I don’t like the theaters and the cafes very well, and if I wanted society, I should have stayed in Seattle for that. I love my work. I love it! There is no place in the world, you know, where it is taught. I have been lucky enough to be born able to do a little, and I won’t share my time with anything else.
It’s a wise decision, no doubt, only she is so very pretty! Even in her denim apron, with 40 kinds of paint on it, she is pretty.
‘They told me at half of the theaters in town that a woman couldn’t do it,’ she said. ‘Anyway, I have proved one woman can.’
Wishaar was 25 years old when the reporter interviewed her that year. She had already married, but given birth to a son. She continued to work under her maiden name. As mentioned in the article, she came from a fairly progressive home; one that encouraged their children to follow their dreams. I have written many posts about Wishaar in the past, but this is her complete story.
Grace Norton Wishaar was born on October 26, 1876, in Beverly, New Jersey. She was the eldest of six children born to Emile Bernard Wishaar (1859-1918) and Marie Ida Smith (1849-1920). Her father was from France, and her mother from New York. The two married in 1874. In 1885, the New York State Census listed the Wishaar household as including: Emile B. Ida, Grace, Harry, Daisy, John and a servant, named Annie Lannan.
The full names of Wishaar’s younger siblings were Henry Gwinner Wishaar (b. 1878, New Jersey), Jenny “Daisy” McGraw Wishaar (b. 1880, New York), John Herman Wishaar (b. 1882, New Jersey), William Pitts Wishaar (b. 1886, at sea) and Louis Beauchamp Wishaar (b. 1888, California).
The Wishaar’s sailed from New York to California in 1886, where William Wishaar was born at sea. They remained in California until May 1888, when Lou Wishaar was born. The Wishaars then head north and were counted in the Washington State Census for 1892. The Wishaar family moved around a lot and eventually settled in Seattle, Washington where her mother became a playwright and her father was dramatic editor for a newspaper. Both Grace and her sister were encouraged to develop their talents. As mentioned in her 1901 interview, Grace studied art, while Daisy studied music.
Wishaar’s career as an artist began at the San José Art School in California. Interestingly, her first drawing instructor was the well-known scenic artist– Lee Lash (1864-1935). The Lee Lash Studio was founded in 1891 and continued operations until approximately the mid-1940s. A variety of artists filtered through his New York studio over the years.
When her family moved north California for Washington, Wishaar continued with her artistic studies. In 1894 she completed her first scene painting project at Cordray’s Theatre in Seattle, Washington. On Nov. 30, 1894, the “Washington Standard” reported, “Seattle has a young lady scenic painter, in Miss Grace Wishaar. A new drop curtain, at Cordray’s which is universally admired, is from her brush” (page 2). At the time, Wishaar had just turned eighteen years old.
In 1895, Wishaar activities continued to make the local news. Both her artistic accomplishments and travels were closely monitored, possibly with the assistance of a proud parent. On March 10, 1895, the “Seattle Post-Intelligencer” reported, Miss Grace Norton Wishaar returned yesterday from a six-week visit to her uncle Dr. James McNulty, in Santa Barbara, California” (page 9). Back in Seattle, Wishaar remained active in society. She and her sister Daisy were members of Seattle’s Progressive Literary Society. The two performed as part of the Nov. 8 in 1895. On Nov. 10, 1895, the “Seattle Post-Intelligencer” published the programme that was held in the school rooms of the business college (page 9). Grace not only read a paper, but also performed. She and Daisy played mandolin and guitar as the final act. Grace also performed with her sister for the Seattle Union Veteran Club’s seventh annual camp fire at the G. A. R. Hall. For the evening program, Grace and Daisy Wishaar performed “The Wilderness” (“Seattle Post-Intelligencer,” 8 Dec, 1895, page 10).
In Seattle, Wishaar’s parents both belonged to the Masonic Fraternity. Her mother was a member of Lorraine Chapter. No. 6, Order of the Eastern Star. On March 25, 1895, the “Seattle Post-Intelligencer” reported that Marie “Ida” Wishaar presented papers after degree work, both written by herself and others written by Maj. W. J. Rinehart (page 6). The next month, Wishaar read another paper after a special convocation (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 22 April, 1895, page 5).
Her father, E. B. Wishaar, became the publisher of “Pacific Mason” in 1895. On August 1, 1895, the “Seattle Post-Intelligencer” announced, “New Masonic Monthly” (page 5). The article continued, “No. 1, volume 1, of the Pacific Mason is out. This monthly magazine, published by E. B. Wishaar, is devoted entirely to the interests of the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Wishaar, the publisher, is an old newspaper man, as well as a Mason, and if anyone could make a success of the venture he should. The frontispiece of the new magazine is a very good likeness of Prof. J. M. Taylor, P. G. M., and enthusiastic Free Mason. Pictures are also given of T. M. Reed, grand secretary, and Mary A. Amos, P.G.M. of the Order of the Eastern Star. The department of this order is conducted by Mrs. Wishaar and is creditably gotten up. Altogether, with the large field to be covered, including, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Idaho and Nevada, and the ability and experience of its published, the magazine should be a success.” I have to wonder if his daughter was the one creating the Masonic portraits for publication. On October 7, 1895, the “Seattle Post-Intelligencer” reported, “The portraits and biographical sketches of prominent Masons appearing in the Pacific Mason from month to month will constitute that periodical a valuable repository of Masonic history (page 3).
Grace continued to make a name for herself in local newspapers as an artist. On Jan. 5, 1896, the “Seattle Post-Intelligencer” reported, “There will be placed on exhibition today in the window of the Globe art store a painting with a rather remarkable history. It is from the brush of a young artist whose work has already attracted considerable attention, Miss Grace Wishaar. Without the advantage of technical instruction in her chosen art, she has done some pieces that have drawn cordial praise from competent critics. The painting, which will be seen by the public for the first time today is an ideal head. The first suggestion of it came into the artist’s mind from the face of a little foreign boy, whom she met by chance at a fruit stand in the city several months ago. With one sitting of half an hour she made a rough sketch, but grew dissatisfied with her work and turned the unfinished face to the wall. On New Year’s morning, rambling through her studio, she turned suddenly with fresh inspiration to her abandoned task, and worked almost incessantly until she had put on canvas the idealized face of a Hungarian patriot. Of the extent to which she has succeeded in communicating her own conception to the cold canvas, of breathing fire into the eyes and giving the lines around the mouth their silent testimony of firmness and loyalty, the public must be left to judge for itself” (page 11). By the summer, Wishaar was known as “Seattle’s talented young artist.” The newspaper continued to post announcements about her portraiture projects. By Dec. 20, 1896, the “Post-Intelligencer” reported, “Miss Grace Wishaar, the talented young artist, whose portrait paintings have been greatly admired by art connoisseurs of Seattle and Portland, has just finished a portrait in oil of Prof. Gettus, which shows wonderful color and artistic merit” (page 9).
Wishaar’s reputation continued to grow and caught the attention of Chicago’s “Inland Printer” magazine. On July 11, 1897, the “Seattle’s Post-Intelligencer” reported, “Miss Grace N. Wishaar, a young artist of this city, whose talent is well appreciated by those who have seen products of her dainty hand, has attracted sufficient attention in the East to have the Inland Printer, a magazine of high art standing published in Chicago, devote considerable space to a reproduction of some of her pen pictures, giving at the same time a highly complimentary mention of the young artist. After speaking of Western art in general, the Inland Printer said:
‘Among others, Miss Grace N. Wishaar of Seattle, Wash., is a young pen-and-ink sketch artist whose work deserves a word of appreciation. Portraiture is her forte. In this she exhibits a winsome touch, a kind of feminine delicacy that does not impair the truthfulness of outline and shading. A ‘study head’ by her is a very attractive bit of drawing. Her other portraits show painstaking and skillful work with the pen. Miss Wishaar does not confine herself to line drawing. She has recently finished portraits in oil that, when placed on exhibition in Portland, received general commendation. Although not possessed of a technical education in her chosen art, Miss Wishaar has availed herself every opportunity to perfect herself in it, and her present success gives assurance of a promising career” (page 5). Wishaar continued to land work as an illustrator.
On September 13, 1897, Wishaar married her first husband, Whitney Irving Eisler (1873-1936) in Seattle. Although the marriage did not last, Eisler was quite an interesting fellow in his own right. Eisler’s obituary was published in the “Times Union” of Brooklyn, New York, and provides a little information after he separated from Wishaar: “A native of New York, Capt. Eisler had been in China since 1905, most of the time in Shanghai, He was an ensign in the Navy during the Spanish-American War, and served as captain in Naval Intelligence at Shanghai in the World War. At various times he was United States Shipping Board Representative and vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce.” At the time of Eisler’s passing, he was a senior partner of Eisler, Reeves & Murphy, marine surveyors. Eisler joined the Fraternity after leaving Wishaar and Seattle. In 1903, he was initiated, passed and raised a Mason in Shakespeare No. 750 Lodge, New York, New York. He was also affiliated with lodges in China and Shanghai. He eventually remarried, wedding Beatrice F. Leonard on Oct. 2, 1907, Manhattan, NY.
After marrying her first husband, Wishaar continued to work as an artist. On Dec. 19, 1897, the “Seattle Post-Intelligencer” reported that the title page for a new set of meta waltzes, composed by Harry Sherman Sharp and published by Winter & Harp, was designed by Grace N. Wishaar (page 8). The advertisement noted that Wishaar’s design was “a very artistic piece of work.”
Less that a year later, Wishaar became a mother. On October 30, 1898, she celebrated the birth of a son, Carrol Earl Beauchamp Peeke Eisler. The babay’s father, however, was not her husband Whitney Eisler. Carroll’s father was Oscar Graham Peeke. Later in life, Carroll dropped the adopted name of Eisler, and solely went by Carrol Earl Beauchamp Peeke for passport applications, social security applications and other official documents.
Wishaar remained married to Eisler for a few years, a period in which he primarily remained at sea. In1899 the Seattle City Directory listed Grace N. Eisler, boarding at the southeast corner of 12th Avenue and East Mercer. This was her father’s home at the time. Despite the directory listing, Wishaar returned to using her maiden name in professional settings. She soon left Seattle and studied at the Chase Art School during the fall of 1899. Keep in mind that her son is less than a year old at this point. This move took guts. Wishaar ventured east to continue her artistic training at the William M. Chase School of Art and attempt a scenic art career in New York. One of the first individuals that she sought out was her first instructor – Lee Lash. However, Lash he was not supportive of his former pupil entering as a competitor in the field of scenic art. A 1903 interview with Wishaar reported that he “coolly turned her down” and said that “scene painting was no work for a woman; that her sex would make her unwelcome among the workmen, and that women were too ‘finicky’ for work that demands broad effects” (“San Francisco Call,” October 13, 1904, page 6). Fortunately, Wishaar persisted and eventually secured a position with Dodge.
In 1900, she, Eisler, and son Carroll, were included as part of the Wishaar home in Grace House, located on the northwest corner of Summit and East Union in Seattle. The Wishaar household included: Emile Wishaar, Marie I Wishaar, Henry G. Wishaar, William P. Wishaar, Lou B. Wishaar, Daisy Wishaar, John H. Wishaar, Grace Wishaar Eisler, Whitney Eisler, Carrol E. Eisler. In the census, Grace Eisler’s occupation was listed as a portrait artist and Whitney Eisler’s occupation was listed as 2nd Officer USS Patterson. In all likelihood, after the birth of Carroll, Eisler returned to the sea and Wishaar moved East. Carroll likely stayed in Seattle where he was raised by Marie “Ida” Wishaar and extended family members.
By January 1901, the newspaper article about Wishaar made papers across the country as the only woman scenic artist. Obviously, Wishaar continued to return to Seattle. On March 2, 1902, she married Carroll’s father, Oscar Graham Lester Peeke, in Seattle. The two were married at the Seattle Theatre, the ceremony witnessed by Daisy Wishaar and Ralph Stewart. Although Peeke was frequently listed as “English,” he was actually born in Dublin, Ireland, emigrating to the United States in 1892. After marrying Peeke, Wishaar did not remain in Seattle and soon returned to New York where she continued to paint for Dodge.
Wishaar’s second marriage lasted a bit longer than the first, but not by much. Despite society’s traditional expectations concerning wives and mothers, Wishaar continued to excel as a scenic artist. I wonder if her first two marriages failed because she was expected leave her career after marrying. That certainly fell into line with societal expectations that remained in play for many throughout the twentieth century.
A 1905 newspaper article entitled “A Lady Scene Painter,” provided a little more information about Wishaar’s scenic art career. In an interview, Wishaar explained that not all of her work was confined to New York City. Wishaar detailed that she traveled “at Mr. Dodge’s request, to all parts of the country.” She also further explained the scenic artistic process at Dodge’s studio: “When we receive an order for an important production, a consultation is held with the author of the play, and if the scenes are laid in another State, either I or Mr. Dodge take a journey to the particular locality and make sketches. If the scene is laid abroad, we have to read up on it, and when the play is English we get many a useful hints from the beautiful production, ‘Country Life.’” She was not just a worker bee under Dodge, but also a designer who gathered source material.
This is exactly what the process implemented at many other scenic artists across the country. Although the rise of the studio system confined some scenic artists to a single location, there were still many completed on site after a series of sketches were completed on location. What I find fascinating is that as a female, she wasn’t being hidden inside a scenic studio with her work attributed to male colleagues. Wishaar actively represented the studio of Frank D. Dodge in 1905.
An article in “Success Magazine” from 1906 featured Wishaar in the segment “Life Sketches of Ambitious Young Men and Women” (page 32). The article started with “What Miss Grace N. Wishaar Has Accomplished in a Field in Which She Seemed Totally Unfitted.” It reported, “pluck, enthusiasm, and conscientious work have enabled Miss Grace N. Wishaar to become the only woman scenic artist in the United States.”
Her history with Dodge was expanding a bit, differing from previous recounts of the story. In this telling of the tale, Wishaar initially wrote to Frank D. Dodge in New York. After receiving no response, she appeared at his studio to make a personal plea.
The article continued:
“Mr. Dodge looked at her smilingly. He liked the enthusiasm she displayed, although he felt he had no use for women in his studio. The idea of women painting huge pieces of scenery on a bridge away up under the roof of the theatre struck him as being somewhat amusing.
‘I don’t see what I can do for you,’ he said. ‘Women are not adapted to this work. Besides, my men would certainly go on strike if I should put you among them on a bridge.’
‘I don’t believe they would at all,’ replied Miss Wishaar, ‘and so far as lack of adaptability for the work is concerned, I intend to show that I am adapted for it; I’ll disguise myself as a boy, – if I find that nobody will give me a chance as a woman.’
‘Well,’ he finally said, ‘come back to-morrow, and I’ll take the matter up again.’ The next morning, Miss Wishaar appeared with a satchel in hand holding her artist’s painting dress. She was ready to go to work. “This business-like method strengthened the good impression she had made on Mr. Dodge, and without further delay he put her to work in the model room, and a few days later gave her an opportunity to do real scenic painting on the bridge.” His artists protested, but were told they must give the young woman fair play. Within a week she had won their good will, chiefly because she asked no favors and had shown that as a craftsman she could “hold up her end” with any of them.”
Within a year and a half after arriving in New York [January 1901], Wishaar described that she became the director of scene painting at “an important theatre,” one that remained unnamed in the article. However, we know that when she was working for Dodge, the scenic art staff painted at the Fifth Avenue Theatre, Herald Square Theatre and the Manhattan Theatre. Wishaar must have been quite talented, in order to rise that quickly in the ranks. It took many scenic artists years to make the jump from staff painter to director.
A 1903 newspaper article written by Marilla Weaver provides a small glimpse into the extreme hardships encountered by Wishaar while searching for work in New York. Weaver reported, “There was success for her, but not till after a struggle so hard and bitter that it ought to make American men bow their heads and a dull red flush of shame dye their cheeks when they remember the mothers that gave them life. It was the old struggle against sex prejudice. Here was this slender, gifted, graceful girl, a skillful scenic artist, a stranger, away from her parents, seeking honorable employment at work she could do as well as the best. Men who should have welcomed her turned from her with ominous muttering and black scowls. Sex jealousy!”
So let’s look at the men who were painting in New York at this time…
Scenic artists active in New York at the turn of the century included Frank Dodge, Ernest Albert, Charles Basing, Wilfred Buckland, Joseph Clare, Homer F. Emens, Frank E. Gates, George Gros, J.M. and T.M. Hewlett, Lee Lash, H. Robert Law, St. John Lewis, W.H. Lippincott, John Mazzonovich, P. J. MacDonold, E. A. Morange, Thomas G. Moses, Joseph Physioc, Hugh Logan Reid, Edward G. Unitt, Charles G. Witham, Joseph Wickes, and John H. Young. A significant number of this crowd resented Wishaar and did not offer to help. Fortunately, Wishaar’s drive and talent caused her to excel in a world primarily dominated by men. Wishaar became so successful that she soon went into business for herself after returning to the West Coast.
An article in 1904 reported “Miss Wishaar’s talent sweeps over a wide range. Not only is she adept with a broad brush and tricky ‘distemper’ of the scene painter, but she is even more skillful with the tiny ‘camel’s hair’ and oil of the miniature artist.” In the article, Wishaar was quoted saying, “I love my work. It is progressive, there is room for originality, and results are quick. I do wish you would say something about the medium I use. People generally think that scenery is painted with a whitewash brush and that some kind of wash is used. But the distemper with which I work is an opaque watercolor. It is delightfully effective, but plays some tricks sometimes on those unfamiliar with its vagaries. The first trick it played on me was with a garden drop. I fairly reveled in the delicious greens that paled and deepened under my brush, but when it dried! I wish you could have seen it.” Wishaar was noted as laughing heartily when she remembered the “dull picture” into which her work had faded. In an earlier article Wishaar commented, “Distemper is a really beautiful medium. You can produce such fine effects with it! But it’s very tricky unless you know just how to handle it.” This article appeared throughout the country, including the “Topeka State Journal” (May 25, 1903, page 8), the “Racine Journal-Time” (Wisconsin, 27 July 1903, page 7), the “Wilkes-Barre Record” (Pennsylvania, 7 May 1903, page 2), the “Wichita Daily Eagle” (Kansas, 3 May 1903, page 22), the Richmond Item (Indiana, 2 May 1903, page 10), the “Marion Star” (Ohio, 2 May 1903, page 10), the “Decatur Herald” (Illinois, 14 June 1903, page 19), the “Lincoln Star” (Nebraska, 5 May 1903, page 9), and many others publications that are not digitally available to date. When news was published about Wishaar it appeared all across the country.
Wishaar described that her return to Seattle in 1904 was prompted by a large order for painted scenery contracted by Mr. Dodge. As this was Wishaar’s home city, the idea of returning as “a successful worker in her chosen field” appealed to her. Arrangements were made for Wishaar to travel west. She never returned, but continued painting scenery along the Pacific Coast. She worked as a scenic artist at theaters in Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, San Francisco and Oakland. That year, Wishaar was listed as the scenic artist at Harry W. Bishop’s Ye Liberty Playhouse in Oakland when it opened to the public. For context, this was ten years after her scenic art career began and forty years before she would win the Ladies World Championship for chess. By 1904, Wishaar’s scenic art career was soaring. Ye Liberty Playhouse was located at 1424 Broadway in a portion of the Realty Syndicate Building. “Henry’s Official Western Theatre Guide” (1907-1908) listed the seating capacity for the venue as 1,980. It was a sizable house for Oakland and the space was illuminated with both gas and electric lights. The proscenium opening measured 36’ wide by 36’ high. The depth of the stage was 80’ with a 75’ revolve conceived by Harry W. Bishop. The height to the gridiron was 65’-0.” Ye Liberty was also considered to possess an extremely fine stock company and present remarkable productions.
For a little historical context, Harry W. Bishop (1872-1928) opened Ye Liberty Playhouse in 1904. It purportedly included the first revolving stage in the western United States. I want to take a moment to comment on the man who offered Wishaar a scenic art position as Ye Liberty Playhouse in 1904. Bishop was the adopted son of Walter M “Bishop” (1849-1901), otherwise known as Walter Morosco, the proprietor of Morosco’s Royal Russian Circus. Harry W. Bishop’s obituary reported that he “began his career as a showman in San Francisco and ended it brokenhearted and poor as a sometime real estate operator.” But the story wasn’t that simple. Oliver Morosco adopted Walter and Leslie Mitchell, orphaned sons of Sir John Mitchell and Dora Esmea Montrose of Utah. Some sources reported that Walter ran away from home at the age of 17 to join the circus as an acrobat. After Walter left his circus career, he took over the Howard Street Theatre in San Francisco and started his new venture as a producer and manager. He later took over the Burbank Theatre in Oakland, as well as the Union Hall and the Grand Opera House in San Francisco. It was at the opera house that Harry W. Bishop began his career and Oliver Morosco was the treasurer.
By 1905, Bishop managed Ye Liberty Theatre, San Francisco’s Majestic Theatre, Central Theatre, the American Theatre and Bell Theatre. His obituary reported that “he won a reputation as a star-maker and while his productions, both dramatic and stock, concert and musical were famous, he was not in the commercial way. Throughout his career he remained a dreamer and his sole use for money was to return it to the theatre in the way of more lavish productions and finer casts until the profit was reduced to a minimum.” Bishop was ahead of his time, not only offering Wishaar the opportunity to paint at his theaters, but also offering other women positions as ushers and ticket takers. There was another aspect to Bishop that I find fascinating as it would have greatly affected the venue where Wishaar worked. Bishop was also an inventor, filing for various patents that related to theatre design and stage construction.
Wishaar was with Bishop from the very beginning of Ye Liberty Theatre. Some of Wishaar’s 1904 productions there included “Frou Frou,” “Hamlet,” “A Gentleman of France,” “Merchant of Venice,” “Pudd’nhead Wilson” and “Held the Enemy.” Newspaper articles mentioned the combined efforts of the scenic artist Miss Grace Wishaar and Ye Liberty’s stage carpenter, Walter Woerner. Woerner was also in charge of the mechanical department and later worked at the Fulton Theatre. On May 16, 1904, the “Oakland Tribune” announced, “James Neill in New Play.” “A Gentleman From France,” was featured at Ye Liberty Playhouse. The article reported, “Miss Grace Wishaar has painted an entire new set of scenery and the costumers have made new clothes and dresses for everybody.”
In 1905, Wishaar painted scenery at Ye Liberty for “Juanita of San Juan” and “The Light Eternal.” That year, Wishaar also made headlines in the article “Clever Woman Invades Scene Painting Field” (“Albuquerque Citizen,” 21 July 1905, page 3). The article was published in newspapers across the country and reported “A woman sitting on a bridge at a dizzying height in the rear of the stage in an Oakland theatre, painting in with bold strokes skies and trees and castles, proves the ability of her sex to keep pace with the masculine gender in the following of any profession. While Miss Wishaar has gained fame and a good living from her scene painting, she is devoting herself to a branch of art that no doubt in time will bring her fame of the highest type. Her miniature painting shows the most exquisite appreciation of the value of colors. A rare skill in catching her subjects likeness, combined with a most subtle blending of tones make her miniature work worthy of the praise of the most critical of critics.”
In addition to her scenic art, Wishaar continued as a portraitist. Some of her more notable fine art projects were miniatures of Jack London’s young daughters. London (1876-1916) was an American novelist, journalist, and social activist. He was considered to be a pioneer in the world of commercial magazine fiction, becoming quite a celebrity in his day. Wishaar’s relationship with London and other California socialites provided a variety of opportunities. I keep thinking back to her statement from the 1901 interview – “I am convinced that I am a curiosity.” She somehow managed to capitalize on that; people were immediately drawn to her. As in New York, she remained a curiosity to many who met her, captivating people with both her talent and intelligence. Wishaar exhibited and won awards many art exhibitions during this time, even chairing a variety of artistic clubs.
In 1906, Wishaar was again featured in the “Oakland Tribune” with a lovely illustration of her straddling a beam and painting scenery in bloomers – ironically, attire that was not her painting outfit. Another article in “Success Magazine” that year featured Wishaar in the section entitled “Life Sketches of Ambitious Young Men and Women” (page 32). The article started with “What Miss Grace N. Wishaar Has Accomplished in a Field in Which She Seemed Totally Unfitted.” It was followed with the statement, “pluck, enthusiasm, and conscientious work have enabled Miss Grace N. Wishaar to become the only woman scenic artist in the United States.” Again, not the only woman scenic artist at the time, just the most promoted.
On August 14, 1906, Wishaar married her third husband, John Bruce Adams. Sadly, this marriage was also very short lived. On July 17, 1907, the “Oakland Tribune” reported, “Mrs. Grace Wishaar Adams is in Matrimonial Trouble.” The article continued, “According to a dispatch received from Los Angeles, Bruce Adams, the handsome husband of Grace Wishaar Adams the well-known scenic painter, is contemplating securing a divorce from his wife. He is now said to be in Los Angeles. Mrs. Adams, who paints all the scenery at Ye Liberty Theater and Idora Park, and who is well known in literary and art circles, said today that she had no idea where her husband is, that he positively has no grounds on which to obtain divorce, but that she has plenty of charges against him, but, nevertheless, would not seek a separation, and should fights against him to a finish if he should attempt to do so. Mrs. Adams charges that her husband has deserted her, and that he has contracted a lot of debts in her name, and that he has concealed his present place of residence to her. Mrs. Wishaar, mother of Mrs. Adams said this morning: ‘If Mr. Adams intends suing for a divorce, it is my opinion that my daughter will fight him to the bitter end. I know nothing of my daughter’s intensions at this time, not having discussed the matter with her. One thing I do know is that my daughter’s matrimonial venture has proved an utter failure. As for Adams, he is hardly able to take care of himself, much less a wife.”
I have a good friend who repeatedly says, “No one loves you like your mom.” Such was the case with Wishaar. Ida continually supported and defended her daughter over the decades; she was always there to help.
When Wishaar’s third marriage ended, she was still painting all of the scenery at Ye Liberty Playhouse, Idora Park, San Francisco’s Majestic Theatre, and few other performance venues in San José. A few shows painted by Wishaar in 1907 include the elaborate scenery for “Cleopatra” at Ye Liberty and “The Toy Maker” at the Idora Park Opera House. Both received rave reviews. For “Cleopatra,” an article described her stage settings in detail: “The play opened with the meeting of the beautiful queen of Egypt and the Roman conqueror at Tarsus. This scene was gorgeously set. Cleopatra entered in her brilliantly decorated barge seated beneath a canopy of gold. But this first scene was no more splendid than the other five that followed” (“San Francisco Call,” 31 December 1907, page 4). Wishaar’s career continued to soar in California, with the public recognizing her artistic achievements in both theaters and fine art galleries.
Wishaar continued to make headlines throughout 1907-1909. On March 29, 1907, “The Elgin Chief” of Elgin, Oklahoma, reported, “Only Woman Scene Painter. Miss Grace N. Wishaar, of San Jose, Cal., is the only woman theatrical scene painter in the United States, She was educated in Paris and painted the scenery for three New York theaters – the Fifth Avenue, Manhattan and Herald Square” (page 7). In 1908, Wishaar delivered scenery for Isabella Fletcher’s performance of “Nell Gwynne.” On March 24, 1908, the “Oakland Tribune” reported, “Grace N. Wishaar gives the play an atmosphere which puts the drama in a high class”
And then tragedy struck the Wishaar home. On July 3, 1909, “The San Francisco Call” reported that Miss Grace Wishaar “narrowly escaped death” when home at Folkers and Lake Shore Avenue burned to the ground (page 12). At the time. Piedmont Heights had no fire protection, so the Oakland fire department was called to battle the blaze. Tragically, the Oakland fire department was already responding to a small fire at the Empire foundry on Third and Broadway. Wishaar lived in the same neighborhood as Harry W. Bishop. Wishaar’s fire was attributed to a defective grate, but she lost everything: her home valued at $5,000, all of her furniture and prized collection of paintings. Inhabitants of the Wishaar home at the time were listed as Grace’s mother Mrs. M. I. Wishaar, her brother Louis Wishaar, and her son Carroll Peeke.
Despite the tragedy, Wishaar persisted with work for a variety of venues. On October 16, 1909, the “Oakland Tribune” reported that Grace Wishaar is painting the scenery for Cupid and the Cow Punch.: The article commented that Wishaar was “truly a most wonderful artist, and the book has been splendidly dramatized” (page 9). In addition to painting scenery, Wishaar also designed the parade float, “Where Rail and Water Meet,” to represent Oakland in the grand Portola pageant in San Francisco that fall. The float was 27 feet long by 14 feet wide and 9 feet tall, drawn by six dapple-gray horses in white harnesses.
Regardless of abundant work, debt from both fire and her third husband’s spending spree, began to take a toll on Wishaar. On Nov. 6, 1909, the “San Francisco Call” reported that Wishaar collapsed from overwork and was compelled to take a “rest cure” (page 9). Her doctor advised a “rest trip” for treatment. For the upper classes, rest trips were prescribed as a cure. They were intended to offer respite from all of life’s demands and worries.
I am sure that there are many of us who would appreciate this type of medical treatment right now.
Enter California socialite, Marian Smith Oliver, the former ward of F. M. Smith, a multimillionaire known as the Borax King.
Under the advice of a physician, Oliver had already left for Australia during August 1909. She was not gone for long after learning of Wishaar’s series of unfortunate events. Oliver returned to California and planned an extended trip around the world with Wishaar. In 1910, Wishaar and Oliver journeyed to the South Sea Islands, New Zealand, Australia, the Orient, Mediterranean countries, and elsewhere. They ended up in Paris.
Marian was the wife of Roland Oliver, manager of the Leona chemical company. Leona Chemical Co. was one of F. M. Smith’s properties. One-time miner, Mr. Oliver stumbled upon the wealth of chemicals in Death Valley where he staked out the wonderful borax deposits. This paved the way for an immense fortune and the hand of Marian. In Oakland., Mr. Oliver developed a scheme known as the Realty Syndicate, a plan that issued certificates carrying guaranteed interest against the enormous realty holdings the syndicate acquired with high finance. Most importantly, the Realty Syndicate building housed Ye Liberty Playhouse. Wishaar painted at the Ye Liberty Playhouse and eventually became friends with Mrs. Marian Oliver.
Marian was a prize catch; one of several wards raised and educated by Mrs. F. M. Smith. She received $250,000 worth of jewels and a few articles of her costly and famous wardrobe. When Marian married Roland Oliver, F. M. Smith also gave her an independent fortune in securities and realty holdings. In the end, the Smiths ensured Marian’s financial independence from her husband. It was this financial independence that funded her world trip with Wishaar in 1909.
Two women on a rest trip seemed like a perfect escape until the rumors started flying about. On October 16, 1910, “The San Francisco Call” reported “Wife’s Long Stay Abroad Gives Rise to Gossip” (page 31). While away, Mrs. Oliver decided to remain abroad to study music and performance. Oliver continued to study music in Paris, with Wishaar setting up an art studio, well into 1911. Newspaper articles conveyed bits of information concerning Mrs. Oliver’s improved health and her life upon the stage. On April 6, 1911, the “Oakland Tribune” even reported that Mrs. Oliver was enjoying her “career before the footlights” (page 1). The article explained, “Her fascination for the stage led her to spend time among theatrical folk, and it was partly in this way that her friendship with Miss Grace Wishaar, the long time the scenic artist at Ye Liberty theatre formed.” By August 1911, Mrs. Oliver returned to the United States. Wishaar remained in abroad.
On April 5, 1914, the “Oakland Tribune” mentioned Wishaar’s extended absence under the heading, “Oakland Artist Gains Triumph” (page 29). The article reported that Wishaar was exhibiting three portraits at the Salon des Beaux Arts in the Grand Palais, beginning on April 12, a goal for which most artists strive. Two of her portraits featured Giralamo Savonarola and Countess Walewska. The article reported, “Miss Wishaar may be considered in every sense to have definitely arrived.” This marked the end of her scenic art career.
Wishaar was lucky in many things, but certainly not in marriage. I have to wonder if her husbands never quite matched her intellect. She married her fourth husband in Ceylon. Archibald C. Freeman was a dual British-American citizen. It was her marriage to Freeman that granted Wishaar British citizenship. After Freeman, Wishaar married her sixth husband, Henry James Bromley. Not much is known of their relationship, other than it was disclosed on her last marriage certificate. Wishaar’s seventh husband was Alexander Alekhine (1892-1946), the world chess champion.
Alekhine was born in Moscow. He grew up in an aristocratic and very wealthy family, learning to play chess at the age of six. He first encountered simultaneous blindfold chess games when he was nine years old and became enthralled with a visiting champion who competed in twenty-two games. Alekhine would eventually become one of the greatest blindfold players in history. He joined the Moscow Chess Club and won the All-Russian Amateur Tournament by 1909. In 1914 he emerged on the worldwide state, being one of the top five. That same year, Alekhine was retained in Germany with ten other Russian chess players when war erupted. Fortunately, he escaped and returned to Russia. After the war, he began to travel again and compete all over the world, landing on US soil in 1923. While in the States he participated in 24 exhibitions, even competing in one blindfold simultaneous game against twenty-one other players.
Ten years later, he met Grace Wishaar in Tokyo.
Wishaar was also competing in the Tokyo chess tournament, playing against Alexander Alekhine in a simultaneous exhibition. For her participation, she received one of Alekhine’s books and asked him to autograph her copy. Although sixteen years older than Alekhine, he was captivated with Wishaar and they married the following year.
Wishaar had been playing chess for quite some time. The game was a popular paint break activity early in her career. On October 13, 1904, “The San Francisco Call” reported, “To complete the versatility of this remarkable young woman, [Wishaar] is an excellent musician and a clever chess player. When her eyes grow weary of color and the brush becomes a heavy weight she turns to chess for recreation.”
On March 26, 1934, their wedding ceremony took place at Villefranche-sur-Mer in France. This is about 6 miles southwest of Monaco. They lived in a magnificent chateau (La Chatellenie Saint-Aubin-le-Cauf was near Normandy), with Wishaar keeping an art studio in Paris.
They traveled extensively for chess championships around the world. Both competed at the Hastings International Chess Congress in 1936/37 where Alekhine won the Premier. He won this same tournament in previous years (1922, 1925/6, 1933/4). Wishaar won 3rd prize in the 3rd Class Morning A class competition. By 1938, a civic reception was held in their honor at the Golden Jubilee Chess Congress in Plymouth.
Life wasn’t without challenges or struggles, however, as reports continued to depict Alekhine’s excessive drinking during competitions. Yet he continued to win, game after game, and excelled in blindfold simultaneous chess challenges.
During World War II, the Nazis took over their chateau and looted its contents. Alekhine was allowed to freely travel under Nazi occupation, but no exit visa was allowed for Wishaar. After the war, Wishaar sold the chateau and spent the last five years of her life in her Paris studio. She passed away on February 21, 1956 and is buried next to Alexander in the Cimetière du Montparnasse in Paris.
Her only son remained in the United States. Lt. Col. Carroll Peeke fought in WWI, and graduated from University California at Berkley. He followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and went into the newspaper business. Peeke joined the “San Francisco Call-Bulletin” in 1922 and later worked as city and diplomatic editor for “The Times Herald” in Washington, D.C.
To be continued…
