Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar. The Forum in Bronzeville, Chicago, Illinois, Sept. 28, 2023.
Copyright © 2023 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
The Forum Theatre on July 18, 2023.
Interior of the hall and stage at The Forum. Sept. 28, 2023.
A remarkable Sosman & Landis drop curtain was discovered on the south-side of Chicago this year. On Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, I scheduled a visit to examine it and other historic scenery at The Forum in Bronzeville. Located approximately six miles south of Chicago’s Loop, the building is situated on the northwest corner of East 43rd Street and South Calumet Avenue. It is immediately east of 43rd Street ‘L’ Station, making it very accessible from other areas of the city. The Forum is part of the Grand Boulevard community, with other Bronzeville communities including Douglas and Oakland. The stage is situated on the second floor with retail spaces below.
Here is a link to The Forum website: https://www.theforumbronzeville.com/
The Forum scenery collection first came onto my radar this summer. On July 18, 2023, Brian Traynor sent me a photograph with the text, “Guess what I’m looking at.” It was a Sosman & Landis signature on the corner of a drop curtain.
Photograph texted to me by Brian Traynor on July 18, 2023.
This prompted a flurry of exchanges, with me asking for more information. Traynor was at the Forum with Mary Margaret Bartley and several other Forum stakeholders. After visiting the Forum earlier that year, on an open house day, it was Bartley who set the wheels in motion to unroll and examine the drops with Traynor in tow.
On July 19, I spoke with Bernard Loyd, PhD, current owner of The Forum. He is also the founder and president of Urban Juncture and on the Build Bronzeville Team.
Bernard Loyd. Here is a link to his bio: https://www.buildbronzeville.com/bernard-loyd
Occasionally, you meet a person who radiates so much positive energy that they instantly draw you into their vision. That is what happened to me when I shook hands with Loyd and ascended the Forum’s grand staircase during my visit. The energy radiating from both Loyd and the building are palpable, creating an inescapable pull to this project as you envision the potential. You don’t even have to shut your eyes to imagine what this space once was, and what it could be again.
The Forum was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Here is a link to the report: https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/173ee985-447e-46a1-8654-a1ebfdae0bc1
Loyd’s fight to preserve the Forum from the wrecking ball is part of a much larger movement in within the neighborhood. In 2019, Three years later, the the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area was established with the hope of preserving more than two hundred locations between 18th and 71st Streets.
During my visit we unrolled the scenery and discussed the subject matter, use and current condition of the collection.
Michael Beavers and Brian Traynor preparing a roll drop for storage.
Here are the rolls of scenery that were discovered by Michael Beavers in the attic.
Loyd contacted Book Club Chicago journalist Jamie Nesbitt Golden to be there and possibly write a story about the significance of the painted scenes. Colin Boyle. Also, in attendance that day were Book Club Chicago photographer Colin Boyle, Michael J. Beavers, Brian Traynor, and Ayana Simone Loyd.
Left to right: Brian Traynor, Bernard Loyd, Colin Boyle, Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Ayana Simone Loyd, and Michael Beavers.
Here is the link to Jamie Nesbitt Golden’s article with pictures from our visit that day: https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/10/01/bronzevilles-the-forum-uncovers-century-old-hand-painted-scenic-theater-backdrops/
After our visit, Loyd followed up with an email to the group. It ended with his writing:
“I can’t help but comment on how the Forum drop seems like a perfect metaphor for both The Forum and the Bronzeville community, of which The Forum was a central hub. They’ve all been challenged, battered, and all but discarded, but against all odds they’ve survived and they’re still incredibly rich and connected. As we figure out how to tap into that cultural wealth and reactivate those dormant links, we will bring the drops, The Forum, and our community back to their full vibrancy.”
You may see why I am compelled to help Loyd and the Forum History Team. Seldom do I meet a theatre owner who immediately understands the cultural significance of the extant scenery.
My post could end here with some lovely shots of the scenic art. This is far too great of a cultural discovery to dismiss. For the past few days, I decided to do some extensive research for the Forum History Team, placing this scenery collection within the context of local, regional and national histories.
This project also ties in with my current research regarding marginalized groups in technical theatre history, those that were often left out of theatre history books. For the past few years, I have been exploring the lives and careers of 113 Sosman & Landis employees, a firm that employed both women and people of color. When people were not included in written histories, it does not mean that they were not present.
The Forum Scenery Collection
The Forum’s historic stock scenery collection includes a drop curtain, landscape, street scene, grand border, and three sky borders (light blue).
Drop Curtain and grand border delivered by Sosman & Landis to The Forum in 1897.
Painted detail on drop curtain with extensive water damage.
Street Scene roll drop delivered by Sosman & Landis to The Forum in 1897.
Painted detail on street scene.
Painted detail on street scene.
Landscape roll drop delivered by Sosman & Landis to The Forum in 1897. Brian Traynor (left) and Michael Beavers (right).
Painted detail on landscape drop.
These seven tattered and water-stained pieces are all that remain of the Forum’s original stock scenery collection, delivered by Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio in 1897.
For context, when a stage does not have space above the stage to raise painted scenery, the only viable option is to used roll drops or framed shutters.
The Forum stage.
Here are a few example of a roll drop collections to help understand how these pieces were stored above a stage without a fly loft.
Roll drop collection in Danville, Virginia.
Roll drop collection in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Roll drop collection in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
End view of roller on a drop at The Forum.
There are a few miraculous moments that saved The Forum scenery. The first moment was when the scenery was lowered to the stage floor for a final time. It was carefully rolled, not ripped away from the top battens or bottom rolls. The second moment was when these scenes were moved to the attic for safe keeping. It is amazing that the scenery was not either given to another venue or thrown away. Someone made the decision to keep the scenes and tuck them away in the attic. We may never know who the person was, or what their motivations were; however, I consider this unknown individual to be the first steward of the Forum scenery collection.
The third moment was when Michael Beavers discovered the dust-laden rolls and knew that they were historic theatre scenery. The fourth moment was when Loyd immediately understood that they were worth saving, signaling new stewardship.
Stage Scenery
I am going to start with the functionality of the drop curtain, and accompanying stage masking.
The drop curtain was designed to pair with not only painted top border, but also two side tormentor wings. Only The Forum drop curtain and grand border survive. Here is an example of a grand border and two tormentor wings.
Grand Border and Wings delivered to the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, by the Kansas City Scenic Co. in 1902.
This top piece is also referred to some as a valance or teaser. Keep in mind that terminology varies from one region to another, and one decade to the next. When it was manufactured and installed by the Sosman & Landis studio, they termed the painted top piece as a “Grand Drapery Border.” Its listing in the firm’s 1894 catalogue included the following definition: “Made to represent rich and massive drapery and matches the drapery on the tormentor wings.”
The grand border delivered by Sosman & Landis in 1897.
Painted detail on grand border.
The measurement for the grand border and three sky borders were 30’-0” long. The three sky borders were painted as a single 9’-0” x 30’-0” drop in the studio and then cut into the three pieces. The original size remains on the back of one sky border.
Charcoal notation with measurement for the piece of Fabric that was sent from the fabric room to the paint studio at Sosman & Landis. This was standard procedure throughout the firm’s history.
The catalogue described the accompanying side pieces:
“Tormentor Wings – Represent columns with elaborate base and rich drapery at top and side. These wings are stationary ones, set three or four feet back of and parallel with the drop curtain.”
Here is an example of a tormentor wing design, like what may have been paired with The Forum’s drop curtain and grand border. These three pieces (drop curtain, grand border, and tormentor wings) typically reflect the color scheme of an auditorium or hall, unifying all decorative elements.
Drapery detail on drop curtain. This color scheme was reflected in the extant grand border and would have been incorporated into the two missing tormentor wings.
Tormentor Wing Design. Twin City Scenic Co. Collection. University of Minnesota Libraries, Performing Arts Archives., Accessed November 16, 2023. https://umedia.lib.umn.edu/item/p16022coll116:117
Tormentor wings were framed pieces that functioned as masking, to conceal the side stage. Working in conjunction with the grand drapery border, when the drop curtain was “out” (rolled up to reveal the stage), the three pieces framed all other painted compositions, such as the Forum’s landscape and street scenes.
A description of a standard drop curtain was included in the 1894 Sosman & Landis catalogue:
“Drop Curtain – Representing some romantic or historic view, with rich and elaborate drapery and gold frame.” The selection of “some romantic or historic view” often included popular artworks of the day.
It was quite common to replicate a painting or sketch, with the scenic artist taking a few liberties. Henry C. Tryon used William Linton’s painting, “A City of Ancient Greece – Return of the Glorious Armament” for the subject of the Salt Lake Theatre drop curtain in 1882. Tryon titled his drop curtain, “Return of the Victorious Fleet,” for the Salt Lake Theatre in 1882.
Illustration of William Linton’s painting (left) and photograph of Henry C. Tryon’s drop curtain for the Salt Lake Theatre (right). Both are from the Twin City Scenic Co. Collection. University of Minnesota Libraries, Performing Arts Archives.
William Linton’s painting, “A City of Ancient Greece – Return of the Glorious Armament.”
Similarly, an artist at the Twin City Scenic Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota, designed a drop curtain with the central view replicating Thomas Moran’s “Sunrise on Ruins at Cuernavaca, Old Mexico.” Paint droplets still coat the copy once used by the scenic artist. Prints were readily available of his work and even included in the 1912 publication Three Wonderlands of the American West by Thos. D. Murphy.
A print of Thomas Moran’s “Sunrise on Ruins at Cuernavaca, Old Mexico” (left) and Twin City Scenic Co. drop curtain design (right). Both are from the Twin City Scenic Co. Collection. University of Minnesota Libraries, Performing Arts Archives.
Here is an example from the Twin City Scenic Company Collection of the scenic artist’s source, the design and final drop curtain for Milton, North Dakota.
Print and corresponding drop curtain design. Both are from the Twin City Scenic Co. Collection. University of Minnesota Libraries, Performing Arts Archives.
Realized backdrop by Twin City Scenic Company scenic artists for the Opera House in Milton, North Dakota. Photograph by Dr. Lawrence Hill.
Black and white photograph of Milton Opera House that shows more detail. Photograph by Dr. Lawrence Hill.
This brings us to the central subject on the Forum drop curtain – the Roman Forum.
The central composition of the drop curtain for the Forum. Painted by a Sosman & Landis scenic artist, currently unidentified.
The Subject
The composition is almost identical to the Stefano Donadoni (1844-1911) watercolor painting entitled “Foro Romano.”
It was his red signature (S. Donadoni) in the left corner that caught my eye; a signature with the same color and placement as the Sosman & Landis signature on the 1897 Forum Drop Curtain.
Red signature by Stefano Donadoni.
Sosman & Landis signature on drop curtain and The Forum (left). Sosman & Landis signature on drop curtain for the opera house in Lisbon, North Dakota. This is the first Sosman & Landis signature that I have encountered in red.
This Donadoni watercolor painting has been repeatedly sold at auction over the past few decades. However, I found that in 2007, it sold as part of a pain.
Painting listed a Bonhams when sold as part of a pair in 2007. More recent auctions took place in Florida.
I located mention of an “S. Donadoni” painting titled, “The Forum, Rome,” as part of the Bath and West England Exhibition at St. Alban’s (Bathe Chronicle 4 June 1896, p. 6). I have yet to find an exact date for the painting. Nor do I have any indication of how many Donadoni paintings depicted the Roman Forum. However, Donadoni watercolor paintings are listed as part of exhibitions in English newspapers as early as 1893 (Western Morning News, Exeter, 25 Aug 1893, p.3).
Donadoni’s work was also known in the United States, kept in both private and public collections. For example. Donadoni’s “Castle of St. Angelo and St. Peter at Rome” was even listed for as part of an exhibition (the Wilbur Collection) at the Morgan Building in Buffalo, New York (The Buffalo Commercial 24 April 1900, p. 10 and The Buffalo Review 21 April 1900., p. 4).
As mentioned above, nineteenth-century scenic artists used illustrations, photographs and prints when replicating subjects for drop curtain composition. I have yet to find any concrete evidence of a scenic artist using an original fine art piece as a source during the scene painting. Part of this has to do with liability. Painting near an original artwork is also risky, for fear of platter damaging the work.
As with Donadoni’s watercolor painting, the Sosman & Landis drop curtain depicts the Roman Forum with several figures to for scale. The addition of figures in any composition helps the viewer understand the scope of a landscape or the height of a building. Such is the case with the Forum drop curtain.
Of the ten figures, four are located on Via Sacra (Sacred Street), the large main street of ancient Rome that led from the top of Capitoline Hill to the Colosseum, passing through religious sites and the Forum. Four are positioned in front of the Temple of Saturn (colonnade): one is looking back toward the Via Sacra; and three are gazing at the Basilica Julia ruins. It is extremely unlikely would be pointing to something outside of the picture. It is very telling that he is indication to the ruins of a public building that once housed meetings, shops, and hosted civil court cases.
What is truly remarkable about this active group is that they are not all white. This is the first time that I have ever encountered a grouping of black people on an extant drop curtain. After closely examining the paint application, finish, placement, shadow work and the surrounding area, the inclusion of these three individuals appears to be original. I don’t believe that any of the figures were added after the painting was delivered.
These figures are so small that their race would not be discernable from more than ten feet away.
My hand next to the figures for scale.
Detail of figure.
Detail of figures on Via Sacra railing.
Detail of figures on beyond the Temple of Saturn .
Detail of figures on Via Sacra railing.
From another historical perspective, the Forum was the center of daily life in Rome for centuries. This was the setting for speeches, processionals, public trials, and gladiatorial events. It is now surrounded by the ruins of several government buildings. For many, this iconic space is the most celebrated meeting place in the world. In many ways, Forum Hall shared a similar function, with the drop curtain solidifying this connection. There is no mistaking that the subject matter for the curtain was based on past and present notions of “Forum” in 1897.
View of the Roman Forum from the Capitoline Museums in Rome. Here is a link to the photograph taken by Wolfgang Moroder: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Forum#/media/File:Foro_Romano_Musei_Capitolini_Roma.jpg
The Forum Club
Forum Clubs were quite popular in 1897. Some were debate teams attached to colleges and universities. Others were literary organizations with guest lecturers. Other Forum Clubs were formed to discuss the state of inequality.
For example, on Saturday, Dec. 25, The Appeal in St. Paul, Minnesota published the following announcement:
“Prof. O. M. Woods in his report to the Forum Club, reviewed the ‘criminal status of the Negro race.’ He scored the convict system of the South, and cited facts and statistics showing the comparative length of terms served by white and Afro-American criminals for the same offense, and the alleged manner in which the entire administration of justice was so warped to the prejudice of the Afro-Americans that their condition in many states was rendered but little better than that of the slaves of ante-bellum days” (p. 2).
In 1897, there was also a Forum Club that met in Forum Hall. Purportedly it was a dancing organization, but I am suspect. On Sept. 12, 1897, The Chicago Chronicle announced “A new dancing organization, the Forum Club, has been organized on the south side, and will give its opening party at the Forum hall, Calumet avenue and Forty-third street, Wednesday, Sept. 29: (p. 40). Another announcement appeared later that month, providing a little more information about this new social organization. On Sept. 29, 1897, in the Inter Ocean announced:
“The Forum club, a new social organization of about 100 young men of the neighborhood, will give here a series of parties this season. Officers have yet to be chosen, and thirty more members will be elected.”
This Forum Club was an all-male organization with limited membership and elected officers, like any business or fraternal organization at this time. It is possible that the Forum Club was meeting for reasons other than dancing. However, advertising and meeting as a “dancing club” allows a large group of 100 young men to not only gather, but also publicly announce their gatherings without any repercussions.
When Forum Hall was built in 1897, there are several other aspects of American history to consider. I’m going to start with the use of the word “Forum” in in the establishment of organizations dating from 1897.
The Forum Club of St. Louis
I am going to pause for a moment and look at the Forum Club of St. Louis, as it provides context withing the framework of American history in 1897-1898. At the time, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat described the organization’s membership as “leading business and professional men of the negro race” (13 Dec 1897, p. 10).
As noted in the 1897 Chicago Tribune newspaper article: “The Civic League will stand for good citizenship and be based somewhat on the Forum Club of St. Louis.”
The Forum Club of St. Louis was described in St. Louis Globe-Democrat on Jun 15, 1896, published an article entitled, “The Colored Contingent,” reporting “The Forum Club, a Republican organization, composed of over 1500 colored business and professional men of this city” (p. 9). This was a gathering of African-American delegates for the National Republican Convention in St. Louis. Representatives from all over the country attended the event, including Hon. George W. Murray, described as “the only negro Congressman in the present House of Representatives.” On May 25, 1896, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch “The Forum Club, an organization of the leading colored citizens of the city, is making a special effort to properly entertain the colored delegates to the National Republican Convention” (p. 8).
There was a conservative backlash to this moment of progress across the country, including the African-American massacre and coup d’état in Wilmington, North Carolina. If you are unfamiliar with this Nov. 8-10, 1898 tragedy, event, visit the Cape Fear Museum page https://www.nhcgov.com/604/Wilmington-Massacre-1898 and examine the interactive map with details: https://nhcgov.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=5a4f5757e4904fb8bef6db842c1ff7c3
This stain on our democracy should never be forgotten.
The Forum Club of St. Louis responded to the tragedy. Newspapers across the country reported on their response. On Nov. 25, 1898, The Clinton Register of Clinton, Illinois, reported, “The Forum club of St. Louis has compiled as address to President McKinley asking him to recommend to congress such legislation as will do away with the massacre of negroes in the south” (p. 8). Here is the link to the “Address of the Forum Club, of St. Louis, Missouri, to Hon. William McKinley, President of the United States, November 1898” at the Harvard Libraries: https://curiosity.lib.harvard.edu/slavery-abolition-emancipation-and-freedom/catalog/74-990012311570203941
The Forum Club of St. Louis as a Model for The Civic League in Chicago, 1897
The founders of the Civic League in Chicago were from the city’s south side.
On Jan. 22, 1897, the Chicago Tribune published an article about the formation of an organization modeled after the Forum Club in St. Louis, Missouri (page 7). The article was entitled, “To Lift Up the African”, with subheadings “Chicago Colored Men will Organize the ‘Civic League.’ Body will make war on crime and degradation with the especial object of improving socially and politically the Black Race – Forum Club of St. Louis suggests the foundation lines – Dr. George C. Hall on a meeting for Sunday.”
The article continued:
“Representative colored men of Chicago are banding together for a war on crime and for the advancement, in all legitimate ways, of reputable representatives of the negro race. The organization, which will be formed next Sunday at No. 2718 State street will be known as ‘The Civic League.’ It’s president will be Dr. George C. Hall of No. 533 State street.
Interested with Dr. Hall in the new organization are T. W. Jones, W. W. Lytle, George Allen, Hannibal Carter, Dr. G. M. Crissup, Dr. A. M. Curtis, Dr. E. E. Barr, W. F. Taylor, and others. These men recently at No. 2718 State street and entered into a full and elaborate discussion of the negro problem.”
[I am going to pause here to mention that 2718 State Street was a building with retail space below and apartments above. In the early 1890s the retail spaces had included as saloon. The address was also listed as a 4th Ward polling place, and continued to be listed as such in 1908]
The article continues:
“As a step in the direction of settling it, it was decided to form ‘The Civic League.’ Dr. George Allen, T. W. Jones, W. W. Lytle, and T. J. Bowers were appointed a Committee on Constitution and By-Laws, and will report next Sunday. Discussing the aims and purposes of the proposed league, Dr. Hall said last night: ‘To the fact that the American negro has entered upon the second quarter of a century of his emancipation without having obtained full measure of American citizenship decreed to him by the Constitution it is unnecessary to give more than passing attention. Self-evident truths need no argumentative demonstration. What we mean to do is simply this: To take a survey of the relative position and importance of the negro citizen as compared with other citizens of this community in which he lives; and when we find two classes of citizens, under the same auspices, with equal civil advantages, the one rising to a degree of almost unexampled power and eminence and the other sinking into a state of comparative obscurity, it is our determination to trace out the causes which have led to the elevation of one class and the depression of the other, and to use our most earnest endeavors to utterly extirpate whatever opposes the program and prosperity of any class of citizens in this country.
‘This survey we have casually made. We do not complain that our liberties are few, but that in this land of boasted freedom, where ability and good citizenship are the standards by which all the competitions of life are governed, the negro’s tenure of almost every public right is somewhat mutilated by arbitrary discriminations against him. In fact, in every race in which he enters he is first declared an inferior competitor and then handicapped and hobbled by an unjust race prejudice.
‘It must be recognized that the better the negro citizen can be, the better it will be for all classes of citizens. The negro’s grievance is that the better public citizen’s he tries to be these discriminations that are made against him are the most unbearable from the fact that they act as impediments not to his lower nature but to the aspirations of his higher nature.
‘As long as the negro is content to be a ragamuffin and a bootblack, frequent the vilest and lowest places of amusement, hang about the streets, shun all public places designed for the intellectual and moral welfare of the citizens, shun schools and colleges, keep out of professions and trades, no white man on earth could be much more free than he finds himself. But the moment he attempts to rise above such a life as this he is galled and tormented with ignominious discrimination against him as a public citizen, both by custom and (in some States) by law; and finally his mother, wife, his sister, and his daughter are encouraged to lead ignoble and are discouraged to lead nobler lives.
‘Many white men have had the honesty and boldness to step forward and proclaim the truth, while others have willfully traduced the negro, who proposes to stay in this country and is eager to be a citizen without any special rights or restrictions.
‘The Civic League is going to help the negro if it can, but not by pulling down the white man. It will make a feature of suppressing crime, and will act in full harmony with any existing organization which has for its objects the betterment of the whole people. Only by these means can the standard be raised.
‘We shall not demand anything, while we may respectfully request a number of things. We would like representation where labor of all kinds is employed, but we will leave it optional with the employer who he hires, contenting ourselves with giving endorsement of the league to a man we may decide is worthy to represent our race.
‘The Civic League will stand for good citizenship, and be based somewhat on the Forum Club of St. Louis. It’s officers will be business-men who can live without politics. If we cannot stop crime, we can locate the blame and fight that.”
On Jan. 25, 1897, The Chicago Chronicle announced,
“Civic League of Illinois
Colored Citizens Organize.
The Civic League of the state of Illinois was formally brought into existence yesterday afternoon at a meeting of colored persons held at 2718 State street. Thirty-two men in business and professional occupations discussed the methods to be employed by the new organization under the presidency of George C. Hall and voted on a constitution and by-laws and elected officers. The object of the league is to get the moral support of the north to enable the league to educate its kindred in the south and to endeavor to get trades unions to raise the bar they have placed against the admission of colored men” (page 7).
The same day, an announcement was made in the Inter Ocean published an article entitled, “To Educate Colored People” (page 8). It reported:
“The Civic League of the State of Illinois was formally brought into existence yesterday afternoon at a meeting of colored people held at No. 2718 State Street [3rd Ward]. Thirty-two men in business and professional occupations discussed the methods to be employed by the new organization under the presidency of George C. Hall, voted on a constitution and by-laws, and elected officers. The object of the league is to get the moral support of the North, to enable the league to educate its kindred in the South, and to endeavor to get trades unions to raise the bar they have placed against the admission of colored men. The league also expects to make the members of the race rejected by the white people in the communities in which they live. The following officers were elected: President Dr. George C. Hall; first vice-president, Hannibal C. Carter; secretary, Dr. G. M. Crissup; treasurer, T. W. Taylor. The board of directors will be selected at a future meeting, but it was determined to apply for a charter at once. The purposes of the league, as pronounced in its constitutions, are to foster and promote by every lawful use of the pen, the press, the mail, the law, the courts, by public assemblage and petitions, and by all proper stimulation of public sentiment, the legal and conventional recognition, establishment, and protection of all men in the common right of humanity, and of all citizens of the State of Illinois in the free enjoyment of every civic right, without distinction on account of birth, race, or private social status.
President Hall was very enthusiastic in his belief that the league would meet with success in its efforts. He said that it would not be allied in any manner in politics, except in the highest sense, and that the organization would aim to help the colored man in every possible manner. The roll members admitted yesterday contain the following names: J. E. Brown, George W. Lytle, Dr. SA. M. Curtis, S. J. Evanz, H. J. Bowers, H. S. Sanderson, R. W. Lacey, James H. Tillman, George D. Allen, E. J. Alexander, A. S. Cooper, H. M. Gibson, R. B. Cabell, and W. F. Tyler.”
Dr. George C. Hall, The Civic League’s first president
Dr. George C. Hall lived in Chicago’s 4th Ward
I am going to take a moment and examine Civic League’s first president, Dr. George C. Hall. He, and vice-president Hannibal C. Carter, both lived in Chicago’s 4th Ward; Hall at 3616 Dearborn and Carter at 3236 Dearborn. Although the ward’s boundaries continued to shift since formation in 1837, in 1887 the 4th Ward was bounded by Lake Michigan, 33rd and 39th streets and Stewart Avenue. Here is a map of the 4th Ward in 1900 when both Hall and Carter were counted in the census. Keep in mind that The Forum was immediately below the 4th Ward, in the top section of the 32nd Ward.
Image of Chicago’s 3rd and 4th ward in 1900. Image from Chicagology.com
In 1901 the ward was extended west to the Chicago River, where it would remain until 1923 when the City was divided into 50 modern wards.
Dr. George Cleveland Hall was born on Feb. 22, 1864, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the son of John Ward Hall and Romelia Buck Hall. His father was a Baptist minister and the family moved to Chicago where Hall attended public schools. He matriculated at the Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University, graduating in 1886. He returned to Chicago where he received medical training at Bennett Medical College, graduating in 1888. In 1896 he graduated from Chicago’s Harvey Medical college, assisting in gynecology the nation’s first black-owned and managed hospital, Provident Hospital. The following year, he became president of the Chicago Civic League. His accomplishments are remarkable, and Hall is remembered for his many civic activities, including the founding of the association for the ASALH at the Wabash YMCA in Bronzeville with educators Carter G. Woodson, William B. Hartgrove. A. L. Jackson, and James E. Stamps. This later became the largest organization of black professional and public historians. From a medical standpoint, Hall remained active with Provident Hospital as a surgeon, trustee, chief-of-staff, and organizer of the first postgraduate courses. Hall also founded the Cook County Physician’s Association of Chicago, an organization of black doctors. This list of his accomplishments goes on and on.
Hannibal C. Carter, The Civic League’s first vice-president
H. C. Carter. His portrait was attached to his obituary in many newspapers, included “The Appeal” of St. Paul, Minnesota, on 11 June 1904, p. 4.
Here is a little information about this remarkable man. There are several biographies floating about with conflicting information. Here is what I have gathered from historic records and newspaper accounts. Keep in mind there were a few men living with the same name at the same time.
Capt. Hannibal Caesar Carter was born in February 1835 in New Albany, Indiana, the son of George Washington Carter and Ann Hill Carter. Although his family briefly moved to Canada, between 1837 and 1839, where two children were born, they returned to New Albany by 1840 where they were counted in the census. They were again listed in the 1850 census report for New Albany, Floyd County, Indiana. Interesting, in this census the occupation for Carter’s father was listed as “digging gold Cal.” In 1862, military records list Carter as a Captain in the 74th Regiment US Colored Infantry (Companies C and H). More information about his military history was detailed in The Appeal on July 25, 1891, “With his father he was on the Mississippi Steamer Vicksburg when the war broke out. This steamer ran on the lower Mississippi and a few days after Nutler occupied New Orleans, Carter, and his brother Edward made their way to him in safety. Shortly after they arrived, they petitioned General Butler to allow them to raise a regiment of Colored troops. This request was granted, and in October 1862, was mustered into the service….He was captain in the Second regiment Louisiana Native Guards, Corps d’Afrique. He assisted in the reconstruction of Tennessee, in 1867, and was elected from the Eighth congressional district in 1868. In 1868 he went to Mississippi and assisted in the reconstruction there. He represented Warren County, Miss., in the state legislature three times and was twice appointed secretary of the state. He was a candidate for congress in the famous district against General J. R, Chalmers …He removed from Vicksburg ten years ago and assigns as a reason that it ceased to be a healthy locality for a free man” (p.3). When Carter moved to Chicago, he was initially listed in directories as a clerk and notary. His 1906 obituary remembered, “He has resided in Chicago for over twenty years, and has taken a great interest in politics, and was quite an orator and political worker” (The Appeal, 11 June 1906, p. 4).
Here is a link for more information about the Corps d’Afrique: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1st-louisiana-native-guard-usa-corps-d-afrique-1862-1863/
It is sometimes difficult to track down individuals who served with multiple regiments or those that were consolidated. For the record, in April 1864, the three Native Guard regiments (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Corps d’Afrique) were dissolved, and its members were placed in the newly organized 73rd and 74th Regiments of the United States Colored Troops. By the end of the war, there were 175 USCT regiments, constituting about -one-tenth of the army’s manpower.
I am going to briefly pause here and make a connection. Sosman & Landis were founded by Joseph Sosman (1846-1915) and Perry Landis (1848-1904), both Civil War veterans who fought with the Union Army. Sosman’s older brother, Capt. William Sosman fought in the war for several years; his final commission being second lieutenant in the 106th regiment, U. S. Colored troops. Capt. Sosman’s son, worked as a scenic artist at Sosman & Landis during the 1890s. At one time most Sosman & Landis employees had fought in the Civil War. I have yet to locate any of their staff who were members of the Confederacy.
Here is the link to “Joe Sosman – From Solider to Sign Painter” https://drypigment.net/2022/12/18/sosman-landis-shaping-the-landscape-of-american-theatre-joe-sosman-from-soldier-to-sign-painter-1864-1874/
Here is the link to “Perry Landis – From Soldier to Salesman” https://drypigment.net/2023/06/13/sosman-landis-shaping-the-landscape-of-american-theatre-perry-landis-from-soldier-to-salesman/
Joseph S. Sosman (top left) and Perry Landis (lower right) pictured in their 1889 catalogue.
Albert Emmet Kent
On April 7, 1897, The Chicago Chronicle announced “S. A. treat has designed a two-story store and hall building which A. E. Kent proposes to erect at Forty-third Street and Calumet avenue. It will be 130×83 feet. The hall will have a seating capacity of 700 and the building will be furnished in the modern style at a total cost of about $20,000” (page 21). A. E. Kent was Albert Emmet Kent (1830-1901), a well-known businessman who many considered to be the founder of the Chicago’s great meat packing industry. As remembered in his 1901 obituary, “Thirty years ago Mr. Kent was one of the leaders in the commercial life of this city. He was one of the organizers of the Corn Exchange and old Third National banks, and of the board of trade. He was also the originator of the optional system of trading, without which boards of trade would be impossible. But his greatest achievement lay in the founding of the great packing industries which have made Chicago famous the world over” (The Inter Ocean 9 Jan 1901, p. 3). His story is quite something.
For health reasons, Kent moved with his family to San Raphael, California, in 1871. By the way, he moved prior to the fire. Although he remained in the West Coast, his name continued to be listed in dozens of Chicago real estate transaction and building projects. His only surviving child, William Kent, had long charge of his father’s great real estate interests. In 1890, William became a partner in the real estate firm, A. E. Kent & Son, Co. Although A. E. Kent was listed as the owner of the Forum Building, it is highly unlikely that he participated in the planning or décor. This was simply a profitable investment for his real estate firm, intended to be rented to local residents. The demand for popular entertainment and meeting facilities often surpassed the supply theaters. The Kents likely considered another factor when constructing the theatre – transportation. The South Side “L” began making stops at 43rd, 47th and 51st streets in the Grand Boulevard community. The 43rd street stop for the “L” line was right at the Forum Theatre building. There is a fantastic page at the Encyclopedia of Chicago Website that examines the shifting demographic of residents and how Grand Boulevard became the “hub” of “Bronzeville.” Here is the link: http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/537.html
Samuel Treat
Now I am going to explore the career of The Forum’s architect, Samuel Atwater Treat (1839-1910), and his connection with Sosman & Landis.
On April 3, 1897, the Forum Building was described in an article for The Economist: A Weekly Financial, Commercial, and Real-estate Newspaper (p. 374):
“Samuel A. Treat, Fisher Building, has prepared plans for the improvement of the northwest corner of Calumet avenue and Forty-third street. The property is owned by A. E. Kent, and the plans show the entire frontage of 130 feet on Forty-third street and 83 feet on Calumet avenue are to be covered with a two-story building to be devoted to stores on the main floor. On the property immediately on the corner above the stores there will be erected a lecture and amusement hall, 61×64 feet. The auditorium will have a seating capacity on the main floor and gallery of about 700. It will be reached by two flights of stairs, the principal one being from the Forty-third street entrance, and the other from Calumet avenue. Dressing rooms for ladies and gentlemen will be provided and also a dining room and kitchen. The interior views show a tasteful and appropriate arrangement of the gallery, proscenium and inglenook. The building throughout will be heated by steam and the auditorium will be ventilated by mechanical devices. It will be lighted by incandescent lights. The cost of the building will be $20,000, and it is to be ready for occupancy September 1. The same architect is making extensive improvements in the building at 51 and 53 Plymouth Place for Mr. Kent.”
When Treat designed The Forum, he was 57 yrs. old.
Born on Dec. 29, 1839, in New Haven, Connecticut, he worked for the architectural firm of Sidney M. Stone after graduating from the Collegiate and Commercial Institute in 1856 (now known as the Russell Military Academy).
Link to the source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Military_Academy#/media/File:Russell_Military_Academy_1860.jpg
This means that as a young man, Treat in the same town as Sosman & Landis scenic artist, David Austin Strong, nine years his senior. (1830-1911) In the 1850s, Strong worked as a sign painter, scenic artist, and stage manager at Homan’s Theatre, located in the Exchange building.
In 1867, Treat relocated to Chicago initially working with the form Randall & Co. After the 1871 Great Chicago fire, he partnered with Fritz Foltz to establish Treat & Foltz. The two worked together for almost two decades. Foltz was extremely connected with the musical scene in Chicago during their time together. From approximately 1890-1910, Treat conducted his own business in Chicago. Less than a year after Treat’s passing, Strong also died.
Strong had moved to Chicago in 1874, working at various Chicago theaters until joining the staff at Sosman & Landis in by 1886, where he remained until his passing in 1911. Strong was extremely well known in the throughout the country, as was his employer. On Feb 28, 1886, an article in the Inter Ocean included his portrait and a short biography: “Among the oldest and best-known scenic artists in Chicago is David A. Strong, whose name adorned Haverly’s bills in the latter’s palmy days, but who is now in the Sosman & Landis establishment. He was born so far back that he skillfully dodges the issue when questioned as to the exact time. His professional career was commenced in Howard’s Atheneum in Boston twenty-five years back, He was then engaged several years stocking the larger New England theaters with scenery. He painted in the National Theatre in Washington for four years during the war. Then went to the Chestnut at Philadelphia, under Len Grover’s management, He then worked in New York at the Olympic and later at Niblo’s. While at the latter place with Marsden he got up the original scenery for the ‘Black Crook.” He then painted the panorama, ‘The Mirror of Ireland,’ famous in the East some time ago, and traveled with it for four and a half years. When Grover and Call opened the old Adelphi in this city, Mr. Strong was induced to come West, and has remained here ever since, working in several of the first-class theaters” (page 9).
David A. Strong pictured in 1886.
Meanwhile, Treat partnered with Fritz Foltz, and the two worked together until 1897. There is much more that can be written about Treat, but I am going to stop here, and 1897 forms another link with the Sosman & Landis Studio.
On Dec. 11, 1897, Treat was listed as an architect for the Western Electric Co. in The Economist (p. 665). The Western Electric Co. Building was located directly across Clinton street from Sosman and Landis Scenic Studio. They had shared a long history with Western Electric erecting its plant in 1883 and Sosman & Landis building their studio three years later. In 1893, Western Electric worked close with the scenic studio on several Columbian Exposition projects, including a large display in the Electricity building.
Western Electric’s Egyptian Temple Pavilion in the Electricity Building, Columbian Exposition, 1893.
For more information about this exhibit, visit: https://chicagology.com/columbiaexpo/fair041/
The Sosman & Landis studio not only included an electrical department, but the firm’s founders were instrument in establishing and operating the American Reflector & Lighting Company. In fact, Perry’s older brother, Joseph Landis, was the general manager. There is no doubt in my mind that Treat had worked with Sosman & Landis before The Forum project.
Sosman & Landis Scenic Studio, 1897
1897 was a big year for Sosman & Landis. It was their 18th year in Chicago, having first set up shop at 236-238 Clark Street. In 1886, they constructed a scenic studio that was advertised at the largest in the country.
The Sosman & Landis Studio on Clinton Street.
Interior of the Sosman & Landis studio on Clinton Street
Another view of the Sosman & Landis studio on Clinton Street, c. 1910.
By 1894 the firm had delivered scenery to approximately 4,000 theaters throughout North America. By 1902, that number had increased to 6,000. In addition to stock scenery, the firm also painted spectacles for touring shows, grand circus spectacles, amusement park rides, world fair attractions, industrial shows, charity events, and more. I am in the process of writing the book “Sosman & Landis: Shaping the Landscape of American Theatre.”
There was so much work coming into Sosman & Landis during 1897 that they had two studio spaces in Chicago, and several regional branches. The main studio was located on Clinton Street, with a second studio at the Alhambra Theatre. Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934), the firm’s first employee in 1880, oversaw the second studio, often referred to as The Annex. After Sosman passed away in 1915, Moses was elected president of the firm.
1897 projects included stock scenery for the Alhambra Theatre (Chicago, Illinois), the Overland Theatre (Nebraska City, NE), the Pike Theatre (Cincinnati, OH), the Valentine Theatre (Toledo, OH), the Grand Opera House (Columbus, OH), the Opera House (Deadwood, SD), the Opera House (Grand Rapids, Wisconsin), and the Cedar Rapids Highschool (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), to name a few. In addition to delivering painted illusion, draperies, stage machinery and lighting systems, they also painted settings for a variety of 1897 touring productions that included “Booming Town” (Phil W. Peters and James Brown), “Pulse of New York”, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (Davis Bros. Co.); “The Grand Duchess” and Amorita” (Kirkland Calhoun Opera Co.)
In addition to their theatrical supply and manufacturing firm, Sosman & Landis were also heavily invested in theatrical management. In 1897, Sosman & Landis were listed as managers of the Masonic Roof Garden Theatre (Chicago). They were also operating a second theatre agency with David H. Hunt, known as Sosman, Landis & Hunt. They leased the Pike Theatre in Cincinnati and ran a touring stock company, as part of the Western Circuit of Vaudeville Theatres.
Sosman & Landis’s electric scenic theaters at the Masonic Temple Roof Garden were even featured on the front page of “Western Electrician” on June 9, 1894.
Detail of Sosman & Landis’ Electric Scenic Theaters.
This brings us to the question: “Who was the scenic artist for The Forum’s drop curtain?” I am currently in the process of reconstructing the studio staff for each year, having already written biographies for 113 staff members. This is a project that I have been working on for decades. It just takes time.
Opening Forum Hall in 1897
The dedication of The Forum was announced in The Inter Ocean on Sept 29, 1897, reporting: “Opening of the Forum.
New South Side Social Center is Fittingly Dedicated.
The opening night of the Forum, corner of Forty-Third street and Calumet avenue, inaugurated last evening a pleasant addition to the South Side’s social centers. The new hall is large and well appointed, and the Forum club, a new social organization of about 100 young men of the neighborhood, will give here a series of parties this season. Officers have yet to be chosen, and thirty more members will be elected.
A mixed programme of music and recitations was the inaugural feature, and the attendance was quite large, especially of the people of St. Alban’s church, just around the corner on Prairie Avenue. Those contributing the entertainment were from this parish, and the rector, Rev. G. W. Knapp, lent his presence. There was an overture by the Wadner orchestra, a banjo solo by Master Scott Dowd, a song by Mr. G. St. John Knefler, a whistling solo by Miss Raney, a piano duet by Misses Edna Morgan and Maud Lightner, reading by Miss Carolyn Cook, solo by Master Tommy Anderson, and a song by Miss Eugenia Bayard, and at 10:30 came informal dancing. Among those who shared the enjoyable evening were:
Messrs. And Mesdames –
W.M. Speer, Thomas Edwards, J. D. Eaton, Morgan.
Misses – Grace Dodge. Rose Hess, Mable Hess, Bella Waller, Ethel Moody, Nannie Fetterly, Leofoldine Morgan, Edna Morgan, Laura Taylor, Jeanne Wilcox, Mary Webber.
Messrs. – Otto Langbien, John Morgan, Clarence Morgan, C. R. Cole, Ed Fetterly, G. P. Fetterly.
As with all theater openings, not everyone who attended a dedication was counted. Often, there is neither rhyme nor reason to who is included apart from entertainment and social standing.
As the building boasted a seating capacity of 700, I highly doubt that only a few dozen attended the opening. What I am certain of, however, is that this was an event primarily attended by locals.
I was able to track down most individuals listed above, with almost all coming from the 3rd, 4th, and 32nd wards. In fact, most were listed in the 1900 census report. This means that I was able to look at the neighborhoods to see the examine the demographics. Many of the street included both white and black families. This really is a project for someone to sit down and map out; the households from one street to the next. I think of the 2009 publication entitled “Suburban Promised Land: The Emerging Black Community in Oak Park, Illinois, 1880-1980.” There needs to be a book that looks at the emerging black community near the Forum.
Activities at The Forum
The Forum was identified as a “lecture and amusement hall.” When the hall opened in 1897, a variety of groups used the space. Interestingly, newspaper announcements were published by those renting the space, not managing the space. This is a little odd, and I would live to track down who was opening the building and turning the lights on.
I have examined the following events between 1897 and 1901: wedding receptions, evening dance classes, orchestral programs, Calumet Assemblies events, Republicans of the Thirty-second Ward meetings, Thirty-second Ward Democratic Meetings, Political rallies, Violet Club receptions, Progressive Club gatherings, informal dances, lectures, Carter H. Harrison meetings for the Thirty-second Ward, St. Elizabeth Institute receptions, The Young Ladies Guild of Holy Angels Church card party and receptions, Colonial Club elections, De la Salle Alumni association reception and cotillons, the Gibson Informal, and Englewood Union Hospital Alumnæ association receptions. There are likely many more groups that used this space.
Interestingly, the William Kent (son of owner A. E. Kent) was listed as an attendee at a Forum event in 1898. Kent attended a meeting of the Thirty-second ward Republicans who gathered for the denunciation of Allen Law; Kent was listed as an ex-Alderman of the 4th Ward. (Chicago Tribune 2 Jan 1898, p. 10). By the way, here is the link to the William Kent Family Papers in the Yale archives: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/12/resources/4044 The scope and contents of the collection “document Kent’s career as a municipal reformer in Chicago and Northern California; his interests in conservation, recreation, and public control of water power; his campaigns for election to Congress; his service in the United States House of Representatives and on the United States Tariff Commission; and his business interests in cattle ranches in Nebraska and Nevada. The papers also include materials relating to the activities of Kent’s wife, Elizabeth Thacher Kent, her family, and the Kents’ seven children and grandchildren. Papers of Elizabeth Thacher Kent document her interests in women’s suffrage, the Equal Rights Amendment, and international peace.” This is a rabbit hole that I cannot go down at this time.
Fraternal Activities
I have only located one stage production that took place in 1897. On Nov. 20, 1897, The Inter Ocean described a three-act war drama as as part of Thanksgiving festivities (p. 374). The article reported,
“SONS OF VETEREANS.
Colonel Ellsworth camp, No. 87, will give a grand Thanksgiving entertainment Thursday evening at Forum hall, corner of Forty-third and Calumet avenue, consisting of a three-act war drama and exhibition drill by the Burns Military School cadets. The entertainment will be followed by a dance. The Sons of the Veterans of Austin will visit the camp and G. A. R. post at Oak Park next Thursday evening” (p. 11).
Colonel Ellsworth Camp, No. 87 represented the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Middletown, Pennsylvania. This was an allied order of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), intended to preserve the history and legacy of the veterans who fought during the Civil War. Here is a link for more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sons_of_Union_Veterans_of_the_Civil_War
There was another fraternal activity that caught my eye when I entered the building for the first time – The Elks. There still is a door clearly marked with the Fraternity and C. A. Brown.
Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World at The Forum. This door likely led to the secretary’s office, as in most fraternal buildings.
The Forum also was home to the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World (I.B.P.O.E. of W.). This is not the same as the B.P.O.E. As Prince Hall Freemasonry, it was a fraternal order fueled by racial inequality.
Founded in 1898, the group is now considered the largest Black fraternal organization in the world. In 1906, Chicago Lodge No. 43 was incorporated by W. D. Langford, T. J. Wilson, and R. L. LaCasse (Chicago Tribune 22 Nov 1906, p. 13). I believe that the Lodge is now known as Great Elks Lodge No. 43 and have contacted the fraternity to confirm.
After a little preliminary research, here is what I uncovered about the three gentlemen listed in the 1906 announcement:
W. D. Langford, was listed as a physician listed in the 1907 Chicago Directory, practicing at 500, 39 State Street.
Ralph L. Lacasse (1861-1909) worked as a porter and usher. I was also able to find his will that listed his Prince Hall Masonic association (Garden City Lodge. No. 59) and membership with the Knights of Pythias (Hannibal Lodge). Here is a link to Prince Hall Freemasonry Archives with Garden City folders at the Chicago Public Library: https://www.chipublib.org/fa-prince-hall-freemasonry-archives/
Thomas Jefferson Wilson, Jr. (1877- 1963) worked as a porter for the Pullman company in 1900. That year he roomed with his first wife Anna B. at the Payton family home, 4731 Armour Avenue in 1900. He later worked as a clothing salesman, marrying his second wife Yolanda Charleston.
I remain uncertain as to when the I.B.P.O.E. of W. started meeting in the Forum, but I have located a newspaper article from 1944 that confirms they were situated in the building (Chicago Tribune 26 Aug 1944, p. 8). For more information about this fraternal organization, visit https://www.ibpoew.org/history If you do a little digging, there is a fascinating history out there.
In Summary
There are many historic scenery collections across the country that are important. Extant backdrops that are linked with significant people and events in American history. They connect performance venues to local, regional, and national histories, often allowing us to discover the people who created it, delivered it, manipulated it, performed in front of it, and saved it.
That being said, The Forum drop curtain is one of a kind; there is nothing else like it in North America. It should be used as a forum for discussing the past, present, and future.
Please spread the word that the Forum exists, that it has historic scenery, and that it needs financial support.
Again, here is a link The Forum’s website: https://www.theforumbronzeville.com/
To be continued…
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