Information about historic theaters, scenic art and stage machinery. Copyright © 2024 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Scenery by Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934) for the Scottish Rite Theatre in Fort Scott, Kansas.
For More information about the Fort Scott Scottish Rite or Scottish Rite theaters, use the keyword search function.
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
At the end of 1923, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “This year has been a very disastrous one, in respect to my picture painting. I have not been able to do anything but a few pencil sketches, enroute to the south and east. I will never be able to have the time I had in New York, where I could run up to the Catskills in a few hours at very little expense. My dream of desert sketching will never come true, unless I sell out. My forest pictures will always be with me, as it is now second nature for me to do them. I should have made a stronger effort in Oregon and Washington to get some of the big tree sketches and a few more of Mt. Rainier, that very elusive peak that was under a cloud cap, most of the time, as there is only a few months during July, August and September that it is possible to get it at all. It is almost necessary for one to live there and catch it on the fly.”
You can feel his regret, the realization that he had gambled and lost. When Moses went back to Sosman & Landis in 1904 he gave up the one thing he valued most – time; time to paint pictures. He left a successful business in New York to supervise all aspects of production at Sosman & Landis. He was initially compensated for the loss, receiving shares of stock, the title of vice-president and recognition, but he lost time…and time is the one thing that you can’t get back. Moses must have told himself along the way that all of his sacrifices would eventually pay off. When he got older, there would be enough time and enough money to go paint for himself. But year after year, the sketching trips became less frequent, until there were none.
This is one of the reasons that I started painting for myself this year. I didn’t want to waste another decade.
To be continued…
I continue to revisit some favorite locations with my brush. My previous painting series “Quarantine Travels” and “Colors of Colorado” helped me weather quite a few challenges in 2020.
Here is a new series featuring scenes from the Canadian Rocky Mountains. I will continue to post each completed painting to the series until I am ready to journey elsewhere.
The Canadian Rockies: Johnston Creek Waterfall. 16” x 20” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.
The Canadian Rockies: Lake Louise. 16” x 20” acrylic painting by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett.
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Scenery by Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934) for the Scottish Rite Theatre in Fort Scott, Kansas.
For More information about the Fort Scott Scottish Rite or Scottish Rite theaters, visit www.drypigment.net and use the keyword search function.
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1923, Moses wrote,” I went to El Dorado and signed up for $3,150.00 including the murals. I felt pretty good over that. I will do something worthwhile on them.”
Moses landed the contract for scenery and murals in the lodge room at the new Masonic Hall on North Washington Street in El Dorado, Arkansas. It was a four-story building designed in the Egyptian Revival style. The cornerstone laying ceremony took place on April 28, 1923, and Moses began work on it right away while juggling a few other projects. Although was still employed at Sosman & Landis, this was one of the side projects for Moses & Megan, as they bided their time, waiting purchase the Sosman & Landis name.
Much of the scenery for the El Dorado Masonic Hall was painted after hours when Moses was on site in Binghamton, New York. That fall, Moses wrote, “On the 25th of October, I received a wire from El Dorado, asking me to come on there for a few days and lay out the color scheme. As I had been working on the scenery for El Dorado and Wichita during my stay in Binghamton, I had it shipped so I could put it up.” After arriving in El Dorado to install the scenery, he wrote, “A few days’ work – put all my scenery up and had it paid for, which was a surprise as I expected I would have to wait for some time.” He also collected $600 as a down payment for the mural work. A month later, Moses was working on the lodge room murals. He wrote, “I started my mural panels for El Dorado and some Masonic models which we were sadly in need of…I am very anxious to have my murals at El Dorado come out good as it is going to mean a great deal for me in the future, not only in Masonic work but back again in lobby displays in hotels and theatres.”
At the same time he was working on the El Dorado murals, he and Fred Megan were also going after Masonic projects in Little Rock, Denver and Fort Leavenworth. Those were the projects that required Masonic Models. Early in 1924, Moses wrote, “I started to work on Fort Leavenworth drops, during the week spent some little time on El Dorado murals. My best day on murals is Sunday. Megan on the road most of the time makes the studio work so much harder for me, especially when I want to paint more.” By the end of March 1924, Moses brought his finished murals to El Dorado. Of his trip, he wrote, “Got all my murals up and everyone pleased. Bowers paid me $600.00, a like balance to be paid later.” The mural project was $1800, with 1/3 due upon contractual signing, 1/3 upon delivery and 1/3 at a later date.
El Dorado is quite a fascinating town on its own, situated along the Ouachita River in the Timberlands region of Arkansas. It was timber and agriculture that initially fueled the area. However, on January 10, 1921, the Busey No. 1 oil well was completed one mile southwest of El Dorado. Dr. Samuel T. Busey was an oil speculator who struck it rich. On February 3, 1921, Topeka’s “Petroleum Journal” reported, “A doctor, a farmer and a Chinese laundryman gambled in oil at El Dorado, Arkansas. Now the little town of El Dorado, Ark., is counting its millions, actual and prospective. Samuel T. Busey of Newark, N.J., is the doctor. He’s also a geologist and globe trotter. He heard of a gasser near El Dorado Ark. That was so strong it blew its own vents in the surface on the earth. By July 31, 1921, newspapers announced, “He is a pioneer. A discoverer of three mammoth oil fields, known as the Wildcat King of the Universe; Now drilling a Super Wildcat on 6000 Acres” (Fort Worth Record-Telegram, page 28). Although the Busey No. 1 produced only a short-lived oil run, it brought a wave of speculators into the area, transforming the small town with 4,000 residents into the oil capital of Arkansas.
Okay, really hard to write this with the “Beverly Hillbillies” song going through my head…
“Come and listen to my story about a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed,
And then one day he was shootin’ at some food,
And up through the ground come a bubblin’ crude.
Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.”
Here’s the link in case you need a little Buddy Ebsen tonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T94bE2_CfPA
By the time Moses visited El Dorado in 1923, the city was in the midst of a building boom, with fifty-nine oil contracting companies, thirteen oil distributors and refiners, and twenty-two oil production companies. It’s not surprising with Moses having worked with Herbert Barnard on the Petroleum Expo in Tulsa that year. He likely got the connection at the event.
It was during this time that El Dorado Lodge No. 13, F. & A.M. built their new Masonic Hall. By 1925 the El Dorado’s population reached 30,000.
The El Dorado Masons had been around for quite a while, having first received their charter in 1846. Like many Masonic Orders at that time, they met in a variety of locations, until they secured enough funds to purchase their own building. Their luck was not fantastic though, as one after another of their buildings burned to the ground. Their last purchase before building the Hall in 1923 was the Johnsten Opera House; and yes, that burned to the ground too. Fortunately, the El Dorado Masonic Hall has withstood the test of time and even made it onto the National Register in 2001. It is now part of the El Dorado Commercial Historic District, comprised of sixty-nine buildings and one monument.
Tracking down any historic image of the hall has been quite a challenge. Fortunately, Zackery A. Cothern included two images of the building in “Arkansas Listings in the National Register of Historic Places: Egyptian Revival Design Elements,” published in “The Arkansas Historical Quarterly,” (Vol 63, No. 4, 2004).
…and then I turned to Facebook…
I started looking to see if the lodge or members were posting any photos of ceremonial activities that would provide a glimpse of the stage or lodge room. Strike! Although the stage area still remains a mystery to me, Moses’ murals for the El Dorado Masonic Hall were featured numerous times. They are quite lovely. This small fraternal theater will be part of my next southern travel itinerary.
To be continued…
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Scenery by Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934) for the Scottish Rite Theatre in Fort Scott, Kansas.
For More information about Scottish Rite theaters use the keyword search function.
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1923 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “June 22nd, I took a run over to Ft. Scott and met the committee on Masonic work. At this new Temple Roy Givens came down and we had quite a showing. Our old work is in the present Temple and as they are well please with it, I feel that we stand a good chance on it, but one can never tell.” Moses landed the work and painted the majority of scenes on site.
It was the fate of this Fort Scott Scottish Rite scenery collection that prompted me to begin the “Tales of a Scenic Artist and Scholar” storyline. It started with a much longer title on February 15, 2017 – “Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery Collection for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.”
I needed to tell the story of why the Fort Scott Scottish Rite scenery collection was so significant, hoping to prevent the mishandling of another Scottish Rite collection. In November 2015, I supervised the removal and transportation of the scenery from Fort Scott to a storage facility in Minnesota where it would await restoration until the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center was completed. At the time I was working as the Curatorial Director for the facility and was slotted to complete the restoration in 2016, after finishing a myriad of other projects. My position was terminated promptly upon the opening of the center, and the restoration work completed by individuals who irreparably damaged the Moses’ paintings. In the end, the collection that I so carefully packed up in Fort Scott became the victim of hot melt glue and scissors. In the beginning, my telling of the tale was quite rough, littered with typos and missing words. My fingers can never quite catch up to my thoughts. I was struggling to find my voice while telling a particularly painful tale. Here is the first installment of story if you are interested: https://drypigment.net2017/02/15/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-acquiring-a-scottish-rite-scenery-collection-for-the-minnesota-masonic-heritage-center/?fbclid=IwAR3Jw6A0fMPDQcfAs-h4CMv6-DBqg1tYiWKCVVtjKNifwUqN4iuZXQIYZnE
It has been four years since I started “Tales of a Scenic Artist and Scholar,” and I would like to think my writing has somewhat improved. The life and times of Thomas G. Moses had been a driving force to get me out of bed and write every morning. Unfortunately, I no longer leap out of bed to write. Again, I am faced with a story that I really don’t want to tell, but am compelled to write. It has become increasingly difficult to research and post about the life and times of Thomas G. Moses on a daily basis. I have entered a period of Moses’ life that is one train wreck after another. This is when everything falls apart for him. It also coincides with a shift in the scenic art industry as the demand for painted scenery declines. Sosman & Landis close, Moses is betrayed by D. S. Hunt, and yet, he purchases the Sosman & Landis name for $20,000. He never financially recovers and ends up working for others, many of whom he trained in the early days. On top of everything else, the Great Depression hits and his health continues to deteriorate. Despite it all, he keeps on painting and doing the best he can. He is old, his body is broken and he yearns for all that is lost; that which will not come again.
I will finish my story, albeit with less excitement than when I began. Mainly because I made myself a promise. I also made a promise to Moses after I read his 1922 entry a few decades ago:
“I trust my diary will be of some interest to my relatives and brother scenic artists. I feel sure that my work will be of some interest inasmuch as I was compelled to travel over the United States a great deal from Maine to California, which gave me a great chance to meet big people of the dramatic world in the days of real actors and plays of real merit.” His story deserves an ending.
To be continued…
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
I am currently exploring the life and times of scenic Thomas G. Moses in 1923. It seems a good time to share images from my visit to the Joplin Scottish Rite Theatre in 2018. The scenery was delivered by the Fabric Studios or Chicago in 1923. For more information about the Fabric Studios, visit https://drypigment.net…/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and…/
For more information about the Fabric Studios, visit https://drypigment.net…/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and…/
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1923, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Left El Dorado for Tulsa, Oklahoma, spent a day with Barnard and saw the city. Enjoyed it immensely.” The next year Moses wrote, “I spent several days with my old friend Herbert Barnard. We had quite a good showing at his studio.” Moses was talking about fellow scenic artist, Herbert Barnard (1880-1949).
By 1923, Barnard had gained quite a reputation throughout the south. On July 22, 1923, the “Tulsa Tribune” reported, “As director and designer of outdoor festivals with their floats and other spectacular trappings. Barnard stands almost unrivaled in America. Despite the number of years that he has been engaged in scenic decoration, his work displays ever-increasing ingenuity and originality. He builds the floats in keeping with the spirit and nature of the event for which they are designed, and in some of his former connections has produced carnivals and festivals of bewildering lavishness and startling originality.”
Herbert Barnard was born on August 20, 1880 in Chicago, Illinois. He changed his last name from Bernard to Barnard by 1918 when he registered for the draft in San Antonio. His draft registration listed his physical appearance as medium height and medium build, with dark hair and brown eyes. Herbert’s extended family was quite large. His grandparents, Martin and Elizabeth Bernhard, emigrated from Germany two years apart; Elizabeth arriving in 1849 with the first of their two children. The couple settled in Chicago, where their family expanded to thirteen children. They eventually moved to New Canada, Minnesota, after all but four children became adults. When Martin passed away in 1886, Elizabeth moved back to Chicago and began living with her children. In 1900, she was living with Phillip – Herbert’s father; the census, however, listed her as “head” of the family.
In regard to Philip Bernhard, he dropped the “h,” going Phillip Bernard. Herbert would further alter the name to Barnard (replacing the “e” with and “a”). In Chicago, Phillip Bernhard worked as designer, although I have to locate any firm or specifics. Regardless, Phillip encouraged his son’s artistic abilities, with Herbert entering the scenic art trade.
It is very likely that Herbert first met Thomas Moses in Chicago at the Sosman & Landis shops, staying with the firm until he moved south. By 1911, Herbert moved to San Antonio Texas, with his young wife Katherine. In 1913, the couple was boarding at 418 S. Press with Herbert’s brother Jacob. The City Directory listed Herbert as working at a studio located on Soledad St. Jacob was working for the architectural firm of Harvey L. Page Co. In 1918, he was still listed as an artist, now running his own business, and living at 610 St. Mary’s in San Antonio, Texas. The couple moved around in San Antonio during the 1920s, going from 310 W. Grammency Place in 1924, to rooming at 1508 Main Ave. in 1926, and finally settling on W. Woodlawn in 1927.
By 1929, the San Antonio City Directory listed Barnard as an art director at Walter J. Daly Studios. Walter J. Studios was responsible for the stage scenery and equipment for a reinforced concrete and stone open-air theater in the Lone Star Garden in San Antonio. I have not found out much more about that scenic studio yet.
The 1930 US Federal Census lists Barnard as an artist and decorator, living with his wife Katherine (42 yrs. old) and son Phillip (19 yrs. old). I have uncovered very little about his work in the 1930s to date. Barnard’s WWII Draft registration card listed a new employer – the WPA Engineering Department, specifically, “Mr. Steinfeldt at Randolph Field in San Antonio, 2036 Addison, Houston, Texas”.
On May 12, 1949, the “Abilene Reporter-News” reported “Texas Artist Dies. Houston, May 11 – Herbert Bernard, 68, San Antonio, died of a heart attack Tuesday night as the home of his son here.” (page 11).
The “Lubbock Morning Avalanche” published a longer obituary, noting “He came to Texas from Chicago in 1911, and since had been associated with the major festivals and parades in the Southwest, including the Battle of Flowers in San Antonio, the Tulsa Oil exposition, and the Mardi Gras celebration in Galveston. He exhibited many paintings of the Texas state flower, the Bluebonnet, and designed and decorated floats for numerous parades throughout the state.”
To be continued…
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
I am currently exploring the life and times of scenic Thomas G. Moses in 1923. It seems a good time to share images from my visit to the Joplin Scottish Rite Theatre in 2018. The scenery was delivered by the Fabric Studios or Chicago in 1923.
For more information about the Scottish Rite scenery or the Joplin Scottish Rite, use the keyword search function.
