Part 535: W. H. Clifton, Stage Carpenter for Sosman & Landis
In 1905 there were two articles about a Sosman & Landis stage carpenter in the “Weekly Journal-Miner” (Prescott, Arizona, 1 Feb. 1905, page 2). In February, W. H. Clifton finished installing the curtains and scenery at the Elks Opera House in Prescott, Arizona. It was a name that I had not encountered before and decided to do a little digging. By 1905, Clifton had worked at Sosman & Landis for fourteen years.
The earliest mention of Clifton working for Sosman & Landis was in 1889. That year the “Sterling Gazette” reported, “Mr. W. H. Clifton of Sosman & Landis, stage furnishers and scenic artists of Chicago, returned to Chicago this morning after completing his work in the Wallace Opera House. He has been engaged for the past two weeks in fitting up an entirely new outfit of scenes and stage appliances, and has done his work well. The Opera House now has, for its size, one of the best furnished stages in the state outside Chicago” (19 April 1889, page 3).
Thomas G. Moses grew up in Sterling, Illinois, before moving to Chicago where he became a scenic artist. In 1878 Moses returned to Sterling to paint scenery for various of venues. His incentive to return home was to marry his childhood sweetheart Ella Robbins. Moses continued to work as a scenic artist in Sterling after his marriage, painting an advertising drop and later some scenery for a “barn storming company.” Soon he was employed to both decorate Sterling’s Academy of Music and paint ten full sets of new scenery for the theater. But there wasn’t enough work in Sterling to keep him there.
Moses returned to Sterling again in 1886 to repaint many of the Academy of Music scenes; this was the same year that his daughter, Lillian Ella Moses, was born. In 1886 Moses wrote that he was in Sterling “to repaint the work I did eight years ago. It didn’t look good and I soon made an improvement over the old stuff.” The Academy of Music was a 900-seat theater illuminated with gas and electricity. The proscenium measured 35 feet high by 30 feet wide. The depth of the stage was 40 feet from the footlights to the back wall. The height of the grooves was 16 feet. A decade later in 1896, Charles J. Kennedy was listed as the scenic artist for this venue in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide.
Harry Miner’s American Dramatic Directory for the season of 1884-1885 listed the Wallace Opera House as being a 1000-seat theater with a 21×23 stage, and “fair stock scenery.”
“The Sterling Gazette reported that same year, “The opening of the Wallace Opera House, tomorrow, promises to be one of the great theatrical events in the history of Sterling. The house has been thoroughly renovated and equipped with new and costly scenery, painted by Sosman & Landis, of Chicago, which is being put into place today, under the personal supervision of this celebrated firm of scenic artists. The attraction selected for the opening could not be better. The Gorman’s Spectacular Minstrels, is one of the leading recognized legitimate attractions on the road and that the opening will be a proud success there can be no doubt, as manager Lawrie has pledged the hearty support of our leading citizens. He has also received word from Prophetstown, Prairieville and Milledgeville that goodly crowds will come from those places. The Gorman’s have made it a feature to cater to the better classes, and this fact being so well known the wealth and culture of Sterling will be fully represented. The sale of seats has been very brisk and lovers of refined merriment of the very high order of excellence should procure seats as early as possible and avoid the rush which is sure to be at the door at night. This house will be opened to stay and the management and its support promise to furnish theatre-goers with nothing but the very best attractions” (The Sterling Daily Gazette, 3 April 1889, page 2).
Wallace Opera House advertisement from the “Sterling Daily Gazette,” 3 April 1889, page 2
Early-twentieth century scenic artists painted for a variety of venues, such as retail stores. What first brought Thomas G. Moses and Will Hamilton together to form Moses & Hamilton was the creation of Christmas decorations for a large New York department store. In 1905, Moses was still painting store displays.
Moses wrote “[I did] a lot of work for Marshall Field and Company, retail store-full decorations.”
Marshall Field advertisement from the Chicago Tribune, 29 Jun 1906, page 4
The story of Marshall Field is quite interesting, especially in light of the BBC series about a once Marshal Field employee – Selfridge. In 1856, Marshall Field (1834-1906) moved to Chicago and worked at the dry goods firm of Cooley, Wadsworth & Company. In 1860, the company’s bookkeeper Levi Z. Leiter (1834-1904), Field and John V. Farewell, Sr. (1825-1908) established Cooley, Farwell & Company. In 1864, the company was renamed Farwell, Field & Company.
The founder of P. Palmer & Co., a very successful dry goods store, was in very poor health and looking for a solution for his business. At the beginning of January 1865, Field and Leiter entered into partnership with Potter Palmer and his brother Milton Palmer, forming Field, Palmer, Leiter & Company. In 1867, the store was renamed Field, Leiter & Company, or “Field & Leiter.”
When news broke of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, the store’s employees at Field & Leiter worked tirelessly to remove much of the merchandise before fire overcame the structure. Six months later, Field & Leiter reopened in an unburned building at Madison and Market Streets. Two years later, during October 1873, Field & Leiter returned to State Street at Washington, and opened a new five-story store at their old location. They now leased space from the Singer Sewing Machine Company. This store was expanded in 1876, only to be destroyed by fire again in November 1877. The Singer Company built a new, and even larger, six-story building on the ruins of their old 1873 store. Field, Leiter & Company bought the structure and reclaimed their traditional location at the northeast corner of State and Washington by April 1879. By 1881, Field bought out the junior partners of the firm and renamed the company Marshall Field & Co. The firm was divided into a wholesale store and a retail store. In 1887, Harry Gordon Selfridge (1858-1947) was appointed to lead the retail store as it evolved into a modern department store.
In 1892, the structures between the 1879 building on State Street and Wabash Avenue to the east were demolished; the architectural firm of D. H. Burnham & Co. was hired to design a new building in anticipation of the impending World Columbian Exposition. The Burnham associate, Charles B. Atwood, supervised the construction of the nine-story “Annex” at the northwest corner of Wabash and Washington Streets, that opened near the end of the World Fair. In 1897, the old 1879 store was rebuilt and had two additional floors added, while the first of Marshall Field’s iconic landmark Great Clocks was installed at the corner of State and Washington Streets.
In 1901, Marshall Field & Company was incorporated. Selfridge spurred on Marshall Field to raze the three buildings north of it, as well as the Cetral Music Hall at the southeast corner of State and Randolph Streets. The twelve-story building fronting State Street opened in 1902, and included a grand new entrance. A third new building was also under construction on Wabash Avenue, eventually to open in 1906. This was the project that Moses was working on. However, midway through the construction, Selfridge resigned and bought a rival store in 1904– Schlesinger & Mayer. However, he sold it only three months later to Otto Young, who leased it to Carson, Pirie Scott and Co. firm. After a brief retirement, Selfridge went on to open Selfridge’s of London.
On January 16, 1906, Marshal Field died in New York from pneumonia, a mere six weeks after the death of his son. A widower since 1896, Field, at the age of 70, had married fifty-year old Delia Spencer Caton. Caton was a widow and his neighbor for years. The couple had only been married four months at the time of his death.
On the day of Field’s funeral 900 stores and business offices in Chicago were closed. The artist, Luther D. Bradley, drew a tribute to Marshall Field after his death with the saying “There is an honest way to wealth.” It was published on January 19, 1906, in the Chicago Tribune.
“There is an honest way to wealth.” It was published on January 19, 1906, in the Chicago Tribune after Marshall Field’s death.
Part 533: George Cohan’s “45 Minutes from Broadway”
Program for “45 Minutes from Broadway” at the Colonial Theatre. Scenery was by Thomas G. Moses
In 1905 Thomas G. Moses designed and created the models for George M. Cohan’s new show “45 Minutes from Broadway.”
Fay Templeton
Abraham Erlanger had just lured Fay Templeton away from Weber & Fields, convincing her to sign a contract with the Theatrical Syndicate. Erlanger approached Cohen to create a play for his new star. This was to be a vehicle for Templeton that would possibly boost her career into stardom. Temple played the role Mary Jenkins for two seasons before leaving the stage to marry William J. Patterson, a Pittsburg Millionaire. “45 Minutes from Broadway” also starred “Kid” Burns as Victor Moore, Donald Brian as Tom Bennett, Julia Ralph as Mrs. David Dean, and James H. Manning as Daniel Krohman. Cohan created a show with only eight chorus girls, a new concept that concerned Erlanger in the beginning.
“45 Minutes from Broadway” program depicting scenery by Thomas G. Moses
According to railroad timetables, New Rochelle, New York, is 45 minutes from Broadway. The plot began with Tom Bennett’s arrival to New Rochelle after the death of his millionaire Uncle Castleton, who presumably did not leave a will. Bennett’s wisecracking secretary, “Kid” Burns, accompanies him to New Rochelle, “Kid” is a retired prize-fighter. Bennett’s fiancée, Floradora Dean, follows him to New Rochelle with her mother, Mrs. David Dean.
“45 Minutes from Broadway” program depicting scenery by Thomas G. Moses
“Kid” Burns discovers that Bennett’s uncle left all of his possessions to Mary Jenkins, the favorite servant of the millionaire. Jenkins, engaged to be married to Dan Cornin, is the most popular servant girl in New Rochelle. Cornin is a promoter of bucket shops; his business thrives in the first two acts. By the way, in a bucket shop “trades” were carried out instantly according to the prices listed on the board; the prices came from Wall Street by telephone or tickertape.
A scandal arises at the announcement of Jenkins and Cornin’s engagement; the girl is accused of being in league with Cornin, who it is soon discovered, has robbed the girl’s employer by selling him bogus shares in the Montana Copper Mine.
This information is only discovered at the death of Cornelious Castleton, for whom Mary has been working for thirteen years. Upon the arrival of the heir, Thomas Bennett, Jenkins is asked to leave town. She is upheld, however, by the citizens and asked to stay until proven innocent. The arrival upon the scene of young Bennett’s fiancée starts another scandal. Bennett’s fiancée is retiring from a musical comedy chorus to become the wife of the millionaire. It is only through the diplomacy of Mary Jenkins that the actress is accepted by the so-called New Rochelle society. Through methods that he employs, he accidentally discovers that Mrs. Dean is an old friend of Cornin. Finally he drives the woman and her daughter back to Broadway. He asks Mary to marry him, and having spent 24 hours in New Rochelle, starts back to New York, declaring that “the little town is 45 Minutes from Broadway isn’t any more civilized than Providence, R.I.”
“Kid” Burns goes to his employer and implores him not to marry the actress, whom he knows is one of the mercenary maidens. Meanwhile, Mrs. Dean plots to have both Jenkins and Burns discharges from Bennett’s employ. Enter, Daniel Krohman, the unscrupulous stock broker and con man who swindled the millionaire uncle with phony mine stocks. Krohman also knows Mrs. Dean and threatens to reveal her true identity unless she divulges the combination to Bennett’s safe. Although she concedes, Krohman is caught red-handed with attempting to steal back the phony bonds in New York. As the police close in, Mrs. Dean and Floradora flee to the city. Burns confesses to Jenkins that he is in love with her, but is unable to marry such a wealthy woman, handing her the millionaire’s will to which she is the recipient. Determined to make her own fate and happiness, she rips up the will.
The show went on to become the largest grossing musical since the “Black Crook” in 1866. During the show’s first eight weeks, it grossed $104,851.50 (The Scranton Republican, 24 Dec. 1905, page 6). Side note: For the “Black Crook,” it was Moses’ colleague and friend, David Austin Strong who was one of the original scenic artists for the 1866 “Black Crook” at Niblo’s Garden. In 1905 Moses and Strong were still working together at Sosman & Landis’ studio. Both the “Black Crook” and “45 Minutes from Broadway” had spectacular scenic effects. For the third act in “45 Minutes from Broadway,” Moses designed a life-size replica of a train car pulling out of the station.
“Advertisement for “45 Minutes from Broadway,” from the “Chicago Tribune,” 4 Nov 1905, page 6
After an exceptional run in Chicago during the fall of 1905 at the Colonial Theatre, the production opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on January 1906 where it played a limited 90 performances before returning to Chicago for several months. Ad’s in Chicago included, “Yes, sweetheart, I’ve seen it a dozen times and, like old wine, it gets better as it lives on” (Chicago Tribune 19, November 1905, page 70. By November 5, 1906, “45 Minutes from Broadway” returned to Broadway at the New York Theater on November 5, 1906 for another 32 performances.
Advertisement for “45 Minutes from Broadway” from the “Chicago Tribune,” 19 Nov 1905, page 70
Part 532: Thomas G. Moses and the Jefferson Theatre in Goshen, Indiana
The new Goshen opera house was named the Jefferson Theatre after the passing of Joseph Jefferson in 1905
In 1905, Thomas G. Moses worked on the stock scenery and asbestos curtain for the Jefferson Theater. Of the project, he wrote, “Goshen, Indiana, was a good contract.” The painted curtain by Moses, representing the Sosman & Landis firm, is partially visible in an early photograph. It depicts his signature composition, a babbling brook running through a heavily wooded area.
The asbestos curtain at the Jefferson Theatre in Goshen, IndianaDetail of painting by Thomas G. Moses for the Jefferson Theatre in Goshen, Indiana
Listed as the New Jefferson Theatre in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide, Sosman & Landis were listed as the scenic art firm that produced the stock scenery collection. The width of the proscenium measured 37 feet 6 inches wide by 32 feet high. The depth of the footlights to the back wall was 42 feet 6 inches, the distance between side walls was 64 feet, and the distance between the fly girders was 54 feet. The height to the rigging loft was 64 feet and the height to the fly gallery was 32 feet. One bridge connected the fly galleries. There were no grooves, just a “scenic rack” to store flats and interior box sets.
“The Indianapolis Star” reported, that the Goshen promoters named the new opera house for the deceased actor Jefferson (29, April 1905, page). The article noted, ““The Builders of the new theater in this city have decided to call the house the Jefferson Theatre. This will be the first city in the country to pay such tribute to the memory of the dead actor since he passed away. The owners had already decided to name the house the Goshen Opera House, but when the news of Jefferson’s death was received they changed this decision.” In May 1905, construction began on the theater. In July, a scaffold collapsed injuring three brick masons after they fell from the third floor to the first (Bristol Banner, 28 July 1905, page 1).
Joseph Jefferson passed away in 1905. Notice in the Boston Globe, 24 April 1905, Page 1
During construction, “A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Elkhart Country, Indiana” was published. An article on the Goshen Opera House provides some details about the performance venue, located at 216 S. Main Street in Goshen. The book’s editor was Anthony Deahl of the Elkhart County Bar.
Plans for the new opera house in Goshen, Indiana, 1905. Image from “Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Elkhart Country, Indiana”
Here is Deahl’s entry for the new Goshen Opera House in 1905.
“The new business block and theatre building, in course of erection in the summer of 1905 by the Sanders, Hay and Neidig Company, gives Goshen another institution of distinctive character and one which the citizens may well feel proud. Erected at a cost of $75,000, with a frontage of 111 feet and depth of 162 feet, three stories high, material and buffed Bedford limestone and buffed mottled Roman brick, the entire building is of usually beautiful proportions and effective design. The theatre, 67 by 162 feet is on ground floor. Three sets of doors go from the street to the main vestibule, and two sets admit to the lobby. To the right as the lobby is entered is a private office of the theater manager. Adjoining it is the box office, with ticket window opening into the lobby as well as the gallery passageways. Next to the box office, and with an opening from the foyer, is a checkroom for hats, coats, etc. Two sets of doors open from the lobby into a 10-foot foyer, at the right and left of which are stairways, each 4 ½ feet wide, leading up to the balcony. The stairs are very easy, the rise being six inches and the tread 11 inches.
Col. J. M. Wood, the architect, has followed the classic style of the architecture in the interior of the theatre and tends somewhat toward the Ionic. The decorative effects will be subdued, dignified and very artistic. The scheme of coloring will be a harmony of delicate greens, blended with old ivory. All of the furnishings, including the draperies, carpets, etc., will be handsome and in keeping with the general character of the theater.
Over 1,100 people can be seated in the theatre. The main auditorium measures 64 feet wide and 66 feet long. The height is about 45 feet. The four proscenium boxes, two on either side, seat six persons each and two loges, one of either side, four persons each. The boxes are in the Ionic style, with huge pillars as the dividing line.
The balcony seats 325 people. The orchestra pit is 5 ½ feet wide with under stage entrance. The proscenium is 38 feet wide and 28 feet high. The arch itself is an ellipse, 20 feet deep ad 50 feet long, extending from the outer edges of the boxes. It will be done in relief plaster, with magnificent decorations and prove the attractive feature of the theatre. Built of steel and brick, the arch will, when the asbestos curtain is lowered and fire-proof doors closed, completely separate the stage form the auditorium, doing away with much of the danger of fire, as fires in theatres nearly always start on the stage.
The architect has been careful to comply with the state law in detail. A general heating plant in the basement will furnish heat for the whole block. Steam will be used. All the plumbing is of the attest kind. In all there are seven exits, the lower floor, balcony and gallery all having openings in to the alley on the south of the building. The law provides for 20 inches of exit space for every 100 people. Col. Wood’s plans provide 40 inches, just double the amount required by law. All apparatus for fire fighting will be placed in the theatre.
A wide stairway south of the double room will lead to the upper floors of the entire block, wide corridors being arranged. The offices will be furnished in the metropolitan style, steam heated, electric lighted and with toilet rooms. The woodwork will be in oak, with red beech floors. There are several suites. On the third floor, over the double room, will be a lodge room, with kitchen, buffet, billiard room, card room, reception parlor, etc.
Suspended from the building by means of heavy iron chains a wrought iron, highly ornamental, and prism glass canopy or porte cochere, will extend out over the full width of the sidewalk, affording shelter in front of the whole entrance to the playhouse.
The Sanders, Hay and Neidig Company, through whose enterprise this fine building has been erected in Goshen, was incorporated February 6, 1905, with the following well known business and financial men as its officers: George W. Hay, president; Daniel A. Sanders, vice-president; Harry M. Sanders, secretary; and David W. Neidig, treasurer.”
David W. Neidig. Image from “Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Elkhart Country, Indiana”George W. Hays. Image from “Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Elkhart Country, Indiana”Harry M. Sanding. Image from “Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Elkhart Country, Indiana”
The Jefferson Theatre was completed shortly before the first performance of “The Merchant of Venice,” on 6 Nov. 1905. Richard Mansfield, who played Shylock, dedicated the building on opening night. Sadly, the venue was destroyed by fire the next year, on December 18, 1906. The fire began in the next door basement of Stiver & Smith’s Furniture Store. Despite the best efforts of local fire departments, the flames consumed the block. The newspaper reported that the opera house building originally cost $85,000 to build, was insured for only $40,000 (Garrett Clipper, 27 Dec. 1906, page 8). Construction for a new opera house began immediately.
Postcard of the second Jefferson Theatre in Goshen, Indiana
The Chicago architectural firm of Patton & Miller designed a new Jefferson Theatre that opened in 1907.
For the past few installments I have looked at Thomas G. Moses’ art exhibition and mural work for Suydam’s drug store in Oak Park, Illinois. The drug store was repeatedly advertising for a series of positions, including registered druggists, drug clerks, assistant drug clerks and relief clerks. As I industriously sought information pertaining to the store an owner, J. D. Suydam, I came across this interesting article in the “Oak Park Review” during 1909. It has nothing to do with Moses or the Oak Park art scene, but it just made me smile when I read it. There is nothing quite like finding activities to do in the Midwest when the weather turns cool!
Suydam’s drug store was mentioned in a unique game of midwinter golf (Oak Park Review (29 Jan. 1909, page 3). The article reported, “Ball again driven over two mile course and into drug store without breaking any windows. Midwinter golf on a cross country course may become popular in Oak Park as a result of a contest yesterday which was won by A. J. Musselman, who completed the course from Suydam’s drug store to the Westward Ho Golf Club and back in ninety strokes.
This contest is the second of the unique golf games played by Musselman, C. H. Wells, and L. B. Scidmore, who on Christmas day attracted the attention of a crowd by playing over the same course.
The distance is two miles and the object of the players was to make a record by driving the ball from the inside of the drug store at Oak Park avenue and South boulevard to the Westward Ho clubhouse, then return, the ball to be driven inside the drug store without breaking any of the windows.”
The article commented, “It is considered quite a credible performance to tee from the store without breakage” (The Pharmaceutical Era, Vol. XLI, Jan. 1909).
Part 530: John D. Suydam and J. W Young Art Galleries
During the spring of 1905, Thomas G. Moses exhibited a painting at Suydam’s drug store in Oak Park, Illinois. Later that summer Moses painted a mural for the drug store.
The drug store was owned by J. D. Suydam. He was quite an interesting individual. Suydam appreciated art, and eventually left the drug store business to become an art dealer by 1911.
In 1911, the “Oak Park Leaves,” linked Chicago artists with Suydam’s Drug Store (24 June 1911, page 156). The article reported, “John D. Suydam, for many years a druggist in Oak Park, has embarked in a new business, having sold his store at Oak Park avenue and South Boulevard. He has become a dealer in paintings of the highest artistic value and his work in Iola, Kansas. Is reported by the Daily Register of that place as follows: ‘There is over the whole country an awakening to the better things in art, says John D. Suydam, a representative of J. W. Young, critic and art collector of Chicago. The movement, starting in the east and spreading westward, is, according to Mrs. Suydam, just reaching Kansas, and Iola is to wake up with the other commissions. And one would be inclined to believe Mr. Suydam’s words upon seeing the interest manifested by Iolans in the collection of paintings he has in his room at the Kelley hotel.”
Advertisement is from the Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb, 1911, page 21
J. W. Young of Young Art Galleries was founded in 1897. The gallery sold watercolors by American, actively supporting many artists, such as Winslow Homer, Frederick Church, Robert Henri, Childe Hassam, Hobart Nickols, and E. Irving Course. In 1911, Young’s Art Galleries were at Kimball Hall, at Jackson and Wabash in Chicago (Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 1911, 21). At the time, some of artworks exhibited were by John W. Alexander, Frank W. Benson, Hilda Belcher, George DeForest Brush, Frederick S. Church, Lillian Genth, Wallace Gilchrist, Jr., George Inness, Jr., Tony Nell, and F. Ballard Williams. By 1917, Young’s Art Galleries were located at 66 E. Jackson Boulevard in Chicago and advertised as “Home of the American Art in the West” (American Art Annual, 1917, Volume 13, page 464)
The 1911 “Oak Park Leaves” article also reported, “Many people have been to see the pictures, and the ladies of the Iola Art Club are enthusiastic about them. Mr. Suydam has with him pictures by fifty famous artists, many in watercolors, and several in oil. Water-colors have come to be a favorite medium with artists, as the effects obtained are equally as good, if not better than oil. Some of the oil paintings in the collection are very fine, however, ‘The Equinoctial Day,’ by Simoni are very noteworthy pictures in this medium. All the pictures in both mediums would well repay a visit by those interested in art, the watercolors having been done by such painters as Eaton, Inness, and Ranger.
Those interested in art, says Mr. Suydam, are welcome to view the pictures. Mr. Suydam is not only a critic, but an artist as well. He pays a high compliment to the work of Rev. Carl Nau of Iola, who he says, has in him the making of a great painter.”
In 1931, Rev. Nau sent the Iola Public Library one of his watercolors for the Kansas Room. An article was published about the donation and the artist in “The Iola Daily Register 22 Jan. 1931, page 1). “He studied art and design in London for seven years at he Birkbeck Institute, connected to the Kensington Art Academy. After designing for one year in New York for a Fifth Avenue concern he gave up his profession and decided to study for the Ministry.”
Watercolor painting by Rev. Carl W. NauWatercolor painting by Rev. Carl W. Nau
Arriving as a deacon to Iola, Rev. Nau was the rector of St. Timothy’s Episcopal church when Suydam visited the city in 1911.
Part 529: Thomas G. Moses’ Mural at Suydam’s Drug Store, 1905
Advertisement for Suydam’s drug store in Oak Park, Illinois. From the “Oak Park Reporter Argus.” 18 Aug 1905, page 4
Thomas G. Moses exhibited a painting at Suydam’s drug store in Oak Park during the spring of 1905. That summer, he was hired to paint a mural for the same store. Of this project, Moses wrote, “In June, I painted a large picture for Suydam’s Drug Store, which came out very nicely. Everyone was well pleased with it.”
The “Oak Park Leaves” reported, “J. D. Suydam has recently equipped his drug store at 109 Oak Park Avenue with an “innovation fountain.” It is built of solid mahogany and white Italian marble. The draft column is of Mexican onyx and is surmounted by a beautiful art glass shade for the electric light. In the background is a painting by Thomas G. Moses, the Oak Park artist. It is a large oil painting consisting of an entrancing woodland scene with a brook breaking through the forest and bubbling over the stone. The picture is surrounded with art glass ornamentations beautifully illuminated with electric lights. Beside making these marked improvements at his Oak Park avenue store Mr. Suydam has also established a first-class drug store at Sixty-fourth avenue and Lake street. He started in this place about six weeks ago, during which time the building has been thoroughly reconstructed and remodeled throughout, making a modern pharmacy with everything new and complete. W. W. Wilcox who has been employed at the Oak Park avenue store, is in charge of he new store.
Mr. Suydam is one o f the honest, energetic businessmen of Oak Park, prominent alike in business and social circles. He came to Oak Park fifteen years ago from Philadelphia, where he was a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, one of the oldest institutions of the kind in the country. In Oak Park he is the successor of Gale & Blocki, and has not only maintained the reputation established by that firm but has earned the measure of success to which he has attained” (June 17, 1905, page 30).
Throughout the duration of Moses’ career, he completed many murals; churches, public halls, fraternal spaces and commercial properties provided many opportunities for a good scenic artist. Moses had started doing decorative painting and architectural ornamentation for P. M. Almini & Co. in Chicago during the 1870s. In 1925, he gifted a similar mural to the one that was described at Suydam’s drug store for the Pasadena Scottish Rite building. Although painted twenty years later, the description for the Suydam’s drug store mural could be the same for the mural over the fireplace in Pasadena.
Mural by Thomas G. Moses for the Scottish Rite in Pasadena, CaliforniaDetail of Thomas G. Moses mural for the Pasadena Scottish Rite, 1925Detail of Thomas G. Moses mural for the Pasadena Scottish Rite, 1925Detail of Thomas G. Moses mural for the Pasadena Scottish Rite, 1925Detail of Thomas G. Moses mural for the Pasadena Scottish Rite, 1925Detail of Thomas G. Moses mural for the Pasadena Scottish Rite, 1925Detail of Thomas G. Moses mural for the Pasadena Scottish Rite, 1925
Part 528: Thomas G. Moses, “The Edge of the Wood” at Suydam’s Drug Store
In 1905, Thomas G. Moses exhibited a painting at Suydam’s drug store in Oak Park, Illinois. He would later paint a mural for the same store. The owner, J. D. Suydam, greatly appreciated art and provided numerous opportunities for local artists to exhibit their work. After many years as a druggist, Suydam would change professions in 1911, and become an art dealer.
Advertisement for Suydam’s drug store in 1905. From the “Oak Park Reporter Argus.” 18 Aug 1905, page 4
Suydam’s drug store was located on Oak Park Avenue in Oak Park, a village adjacent to the west side of Chicago. Railways and street cars connected the village to a variety of jobs in Chicago and was a popular place for artists to settle.. Frank Lloyd Wright and his wife moved there in 1889. Moses and Ella purchased their first home in Oak Park during 1893. In 1902, the village incorporated and became a growing hub for many artistic residents.
Moses’ painting exhibited at Suydam’s drug store during the spring of 1905 was titled “The Edge of the Wood.” His painting depicted a view on the historical Bronx River near New York. The “Oak Park Leaves” published an article on Moses’ painting at Suydam’s – “T. G. Moses, Artist. Oak Parker Famous as Designer of Scenic Productions – excels in Forest Pictures.”
Painting by Thomas G. Moses from 1906. Sold at auction during 2012.
Here is the article in its entirety:
“Among the residents of Oak Park who are possibly more famous throughout the country than in their own hometowns Thomas G. Moses of 223 South Euclid avenue, whose fame as a scenic artist and designer of scenic productions is co-extensive with the theatrical world. But Mr. Moses’ art is not confined to commercial lines. He is a lover of art for art’s sake, and his leisure moments after many a hard day’s toil, are devoted to the painting of beautiful forest scenes in oil whose merits entitle him to a prominent place among the woodland painters of the country. His last picture, “The Edge of the Wood,” presents a view on the historical Bronx river, near New York, and has been completed during the last month. It is now on exhibition at Suydam’s drug store on Oak Park Avenue. The painting is a fine representation of Mr. Moses’ art, imbuing the viewer with that spirit of restfulness characteristic of the quiet old woods of the east, with the outside sunshine percolating in through the trees and softening into a gentle glow.
Mr. Moses was born in Liverpool, England. His early life was spent in Sterling, Ill, where he received his first instruction in drawing. When quite young, he took up decorative art with P. M. Almini & Co. of Chicago. The head designer was Louis Malmsha, a famous scenic artist of that time, who became interested in the young man and made him his assistant. This proved to be the making of Moses, as it placed him more in the line of work he wanted, landscape, forest interiors and mountain scenes, schooling him largely to the designing of drop curtains and scenic productions. He is now of the firm Sosman & Landis, the great scenic artists of Chicago. Mr. Moses has traveled quite extensively in this country, has been to California six times to do big scenic productions, such as Booth & Barrett’s Hamlet and Marie Antoinette and Macbeth and Mary Stuart for Modjeska. During the past five years he and his family have resided in New York, where he designed and painted the scenery for the famous Florodora and Silver Slipper. During the summers he sketched the beautiful scenery in the vicinity of Watkin’s Glen, and in the Catskills near Ellenville, N.Y.
Two years ago he was admitted to the famous Salmagundi club of New York City, which has membership of their leading artists and sculptors of New York and many non-residents. He has sketched forest from California, New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon and Washington. But none appeal to him as the woods of the east, more quiet and restful, with the delicate birch and beach; a few oaks and moss covered rocks, with a small brook and plenty of sunshine. His pictures are exhibited in New York twice a year. For several years he painted in the studio of R. M. Shurtleff, the well-known painter of forest interiors, where he has secured valuable assistance” (15 April 1905, page 25).
Part 527: Thomas G. Moses’ Sketching Trip to Ogunquit, Maine, in 1905
I return to the life of Thomas G. Moses during 1905. In 1904, Moses joined the Salmagundi club while living in New York and in 1906 he joined the Palette & Chisel Club after returning to Chicago. The year in between Moses wrote, “I am getting the picture bug again, and I will have to do something in that line. My little success in New York had a good effect on me, but was not detrimental to my regular commercial activities. I will always keep them lively – that will always be my regular stand-by.”
Moses recorded that on “June 18th, after several months of intense hustling, Ella and I broke away for the east, going to Ogunquit for a sketching trip, all of which I have written in full in my ‘Ogunquit Trip.’” I have not located any of Moses’ travelogues to date, only the articles that he published in the Palette & Chisel club newsletter; the Ogunquit trip is missing. In 1905, the “Oak Park Leaves” reported, “Mr. and Mrs. Thomas G. Moses of Euclid avenue have gone to Ogunquit, Maine, where Mr. Moses will study and sketch the rock-bound coast” (24 June 1905, page 17).
Painting by Thomas G. Moses, Low Tide, Ogunquit, 1905. This 16″ x 20″ painting sold at auction.
Ogunquit was a small shipbuilding community in Maine located on the coast near the southern border of the state. The Abenaki people, native to Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine used the word “ogunquit” to describe the region. “Ogunquit” in the Alnombak language means “beautiful place by the sea.” After the arrival of the European colonists, many of the Abenaki tribes moved north into Canada. Today, the 2000 Abenakis live on two reservations near Quebec. There are 10,000 Abenaki descendants scattered throughout the New England region too.
Postcard of Bald Head Cliff, Ogunquit, MainePostcard of Bald Head Cliff, Ogunquit, MainePostcard of the Marginal Way, Ogunquit, MainePostcard of the Marginal Way, Ogunquit, MaineOgunquit, Maine
The Ogunquit community fostered two schools of art: one by Charles Woodbury and the other by Hamilton Easter Field, a student’s of Woodbury’s.
Portrait of Charles Woodbury by his friend John Singer Sargent.
Charles Herbert Woodbury (1864-1940) was born in Lynn, Massachusetts and studied art in Boston, becoming the youngest honoree of the Boston Art Club at the age of 17. In 1886, he graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He taught art while attending MIT, and opened his first art studio by 1887. He married one of his former students, Marcia Oakes and they travel together to Europe.
His artistic studies from January to June 1891 included attending the Académie Julian in Paris. He then explored the techniques of the modern Dutch painters in Holland before returning to the United States. Woodbury’s American winters were spent painting in Boston, while summers were occupied with painting scenes of the New England coast and Nova Scotia.
Woodbury eventually spent his summers in one particular location – Ogunquit, Maine. There he founded the Ogunquit Summer School of Drawing and Painting. He first visit to Ogunquit was in 1888. That summer, he rented a room at Captain Charles Littlefield’s “Ogunquit House” on Shore Road where he painted his first scenes of the Ogunquit River and wharves. At the time, the area was nothing more than a cluster of fishermen’s homes, yet Woodbury immediately recognized the potential for artists.
Woodbury’s Studio in Ogunquit, MaineCharles Woodbury in Ogunquit, Maine
By 1896 Woodbury established his own studio in Perkins Cove, a picturesque inlet with colorful fishing boats. In 1898 he opened his “Ogunquit Summer School of Drawing and Painting.” It was later re-named “The Art of Seeing – Woodbury Course in Observation” by 1923. Woodbury taught at Ogonquit for thirty-six summers, enrolling between sixty and one hundred students in a six-week course of “painting and drawing from nature.” The course was divided into three parts, with a drawing course held in Boston, just prior to his summer move to Ogunquit every summer. The Ogunquit art school ran from approximately mid-July to mid-August and remained in continuous operation from 1898 until his death in 1940. The only exception was between 1917 and 1924 when Woodbury closed the school to work for the US government.
Painting by Charles WoodburyPainting by Charles Woodbury
Woodbury and his students rendered realistic depictions of local life and the sea, rejecting the modernist innovations that were popular at the time. He taught his “art of seeing,” which emphasized subjectivity in art. In other words, he promoted how things seemed, rather than how they appeared – just like many theatrical settings during the nineteenth century. Woodbury believed that every student, no matter the degree of talent, could benefit from his drawing and painting courses. His schools attracted both professional and amateur artists alike.
Fundamental to Woodbury’s teaching methodology was his emphasis on the powers of observation and memory. He emphasized the importance of including motion into each composition. Woodbury also introduced the use of motion pictures as a teaching device by 1928. This was to facilitate his students comprehension of things and people in motion; creating quick and accurate sketches utilizing basic artistic principles. Seeing and understanding movement was fundamental to his artistic approach. He was known to say, “Paint in verbs, not nouns.” In Chicago, Moses commented on his own artistic approach in 1905, writing, “I will always keep them lively.”
Woodbury’s approach to marine painting shifted the traditional viewpoint, placing the composition midway over the waves. He was considered by some to be the greatest marine painter after Winslow Homer. Woodbury also published three books that defined his art education philosophy: Painting and the Personal Equation (1919); Observation: Visual Training Through Drawing: (1922); and The Art of Seeing (1925)
In addition to teaching at his own school in Ogunquit, Woodbury taught in Boston and at the Wellesley College. He was a visiting art professor at both Dartmouth College and the Art Institute of Chicago. It was in Chicago where he met Thomas Moses, prompted Moses to travel east for a sketching trip. Woodbury’s students came from as far away as California to study in Ogunquit, setting up their easels for plein-air painting. Moses had always been a plein-air painter, traveling throughout the United States since the 1880s to gather information for both his fine art works and painted settings for the stage.
Woodbury’s approach to seeing meshed with that of scenic artists who created stage settings. Whether creating a large-scale or small-scale compositions, each method was based on the art of seeing. As a “Chicago Sunday Tribune” article noted in 1892, scenic art of high grade was “only different from other studio art in its breadth – a mere question of scale” (Chicago Sunday Tribune, Dec, 18, 1892, page 41).
The same year that Moses passed away, Woodbury’s art school brochure noted, “If the few who create and the many who appreciate have a common basis of training in the value of things seen, felt and heard, the gap between life and the arts will be filled and the gain be as great to the general education as to the artist.” He desperately hoped to establish “a universal graphic language,” where art was an essential part of everyone’s life.
Thomas G. Moses wrote, “J. Francis Murphy was an assistant to Mr. Strauss, who was the artist at Hooley’s Theatre in 1874. The well-known illustrator and water colorist, Charles Graham, was also an assistant to Mr. Strauss at this same time.”
Raphael Strauss, published with his obituary in the Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 May 1901, page 1
Raphael Strauss was Thomas C. Noxon’s first partner, establishing the scenic studio Noxon & Strauss in St. Louis, Missouri, during 1868. The company lasted for approximately four years, running from 1868 to 1872. In 1868, Noxon & Strauss painted a setting for “Seven Sisters” at the Olympic Theatre (The New York Clipper, 25 April 1868, page 6).
Strauss and Noxon were both immigrants. Noxon was born in Montreal, Canada, during 1829, and moved to Ohio as a child. At the age of sixteen, he traveled to St. Louis to continue his artistic studies. Noxon worked as a decorative painter, itinerant artist, and studio artist, establishing four scenic painting firms throughout his career: Noxon & Strauss, Noxon, Halley & Toomey, Noxon, Albert & Toomey, and finally Noxon & Toomey. At the time of his passing in 1898, the “Dramatic Mirror” reported, “His name appears on the corner of theatrical curtains in almost every large city in the country, and is also seen in the theatres of Europe” (2 July 1898, page 6). In 1872 Noxon & Strauss were still working together in Chicago at Hooley’s Theatre; the partnership ended sometime after that.
Many scenic artists worked in Chicago after the great fire of 1871, decorating a variety of new buildings as the city rebuilt itself. Noxon & Strauss led painted the new drop curtain and scenery at Hooley’s Theater. “The Chicago Tribune” reported, “The drop curtain will fill the entire stage opening, and is being painted by Noxon & Strauss. The design will be the castle and town of Heidelberg, surrounded by drapery” (10 Dec. 1872, page 8). An “Inter Ocean” article further described the painting, “The original drop curtain design depicted a scene from Heidelberg surrounded with painted drapery. The picturesque castle and town suggesting European origins was common for the time, as many compositions harkened to the old world” (Chicago, Illinois, 14 Sept. 1872, page 4). This drop curtain that was later replaced during 1874 by Strauss, with Murphy and Graham as his assistants. Moses watched as the second drop curtain was created as he gilded the opera boxes while working for P. M. Almini.
By 1878, Strauss was working with Charles Witham. They provided the new scenery for “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” at the Grand Opera House in San Francisco, California. The opera’s new season was inaugurated with the “reconstructed version” of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” “The Clipper” reported, “The scenic effects by Witham and Strauss were beautiful and realistic pictures.” (23 Feb. 1878, Vol. 25, page 383).
Raphael Strauss (1830-1901), was a German-American artist who worked throughout the United States during the middle and end of the nineteenth century. Strauss was both a writer and artist, producing landscapes, portraits, miniatures and tinted photographs. Born in Bavaria, Germany, he trained in Munich. Strauss arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio between 1857 or 1858. He was consistently listed in the Cincinnati directories from 1859 until his passing in 1901.
Painting by Raphael Strauss, posted online at: https://americangallery.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/raphael-strauss-1830-1901/Painting by Raphael Strauss, posted online at: https://americangallery.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/raphael-strauss-1830-1901/
It was the German-American artist, John Auberg (1810-1893), who suggested Cincinnati to Strauss, as he had immigrated a decade earlier, settling in Cincinnati by 1853. There was a large German population of the city. John Auberg also became known as Jean Aubery. Born in Kassel Germany, he first moving to the United States in 1848. Prior to his departure to America, he completed numerous portrait and church commissions throughout Europe. After his arrival in Ohio, he advertised as both a portrait artist and tinter of photographs.
Portrait of Sarah Worthington King Peter by Jean Aubery, 1854
During 1859 Strauss tinted photographs alongside Ausbery, Israel Quick, David R. Hoag, Williams Porter and Allen Smith Jr. They all worked at 100 West Fourth Street in Cincinnati. In 1862, the group divided, resulting in two firms: Hoag & Quick and Porter & Strauss. The partnerships lasted throughout the Civil War years. Strauss’ art studio was located at the corner of John and Everett Streets. He traveled throughout the region as an itinerant artist; working on various projects that included scenic art, miniatures and portraits. As many of his colleagues, Strauss was both a fine artist and scenic artist.
By 1869, Strauss again shared a studio in the second Pike Opera House Building; Aubery, Quick, Adrian Beaugureau, Frank Duveneck, and Dwight Benton were among the artists. (The Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Feb. 1933, page 49). This six-story structure replaced the first Pike’s Opera House after it was destroyed by fire in 1866. The second Pike’s Opera House theater was located on the second floor, with offices above, located on Fourth Street between Vine and Walnut streets. It was similar to the first entertainment venue, but was expanded to cover an entire city block.
The Pike Opera House in Cincinnati, OhioThe Pike Opera House in Cincinnati, OhioThe Pike Opera House in Cincinnati, OhioThe Pike Opera House in Cincinnati, Ohio
During the 1880s and early 1890s, Strauss continued to share a studio with Aubrey in the Pike’s Opera House Building at 152 West 4th Street. Their studio became a local salon for artists and art lovers alike. In his final years, Aubrey was known as “the ancient Aubrey,” while nurturing younger artists in Cincinnati’s “over the Rhine” community.
Strauss’ worked was exhibited at the 1863 Western Sanitary Fair, the Cincinnati Industrial Expositions (1871 and 1873), and the Art Institute of Chicago (1897). He later became vice president of Cincinnati Art Club. By 1895 he was still active with the group as its secretary (The Boston Globe, 27 Oct. 1896, page 28).
Strauss passed away in Avondale at the age of 71. His residence was 565 Hale Avenue. Strausss’ obituary reported, “He was a prominent in art circles, being a member of the Cincinnati Art Club and the Order of B’ne B’rith. Mr. Strauss leaves a widow and four children. Phillip Strauss, Mrs Julius Freiberg and Mrs. Dan Goldstein of this city, and Joseph Strauss, of Chicago” (The Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 May 1901, page 7). Joseph B. Strauss was a structural engineer and designer who revolutionized the design of bascule bridges He established the Strauss Bascule Bridge Company of Chicago and later became the chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge, passing away only one year after the bridge’s completion. Strauss’ widow of 43 years was Caroline Baermann. Once a pianist, an accident ended her concert career.
