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Yesterday, I examined the drop curtain for the Empire Theatre by Hugh Logan Reid. It was described in the article “Well-known Drop Curtain in Philadelphia Theatres” (The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 18, 1894). While looking for information about Reid, I came across another project that I feel compelled to share.

Reid painted the scenery and drop curtain for the Columbia Theatre in Boston. On September 13, 1891, “The Boston Globe” described the new theater in detail. Located at 978 to 986 Washington Street, the building occupied an entire block. Of the architectural style, the article reported, “In design it follows the Moorish style. Its towers, grand in their proportions, rise far above the surrounding buildings. The front is composed of pressed brick and terra cotta, supported by cast iron columns and arches, while a second circle on the fourth floor level is surmounted with the name of the theatre in bas-relief letters. The upper portion of the lower arch is so constructed as to form a magnificent window of cathedral and stained glass. The architect has taken ‘The Alhambra,’ the perfection of Moorish art, as his ideal for the construction of the Columbia, and both exterior and interior have been worked out of the minutest detail.”

Of the drop curtain painted by Reid, the “Boston Globe” described, “It depicts the Conquest of Granada, and shows the surrender of the city by the Moors to the Spaniards in 1492. On the right of the picture is seen the Moorish generals delivering the keys of the city to King Ferdinand, who is accompanied by Queen Isabella and retinue. There are over 60 figures painted on the canvas, most of them being life size. The work is from the brush of Scenic Art H. L. Reid.”  This particular description made me think of the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Santa Fe that was also based on the Alhambra, almost two decades later.  

There are numerous nineteenth and twentieth century buildings in American that were inspired by the Alhambra, and were considered Moorish-revival style buildings. Many were Masonic, including various Shrine mosques with massive theaters. Another example was the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Cathedral, completed in 1912. However, the mural above the proscenium arch in Santa Fe depicts the same composition as the drop curtain painted by Reid and described above. Above the proscenium arch is a mural painted by J. G. Vysekel depicting the moment when Boabdil (Mohammad XII of Granada), the last Nasrid king of the Emrirate of Granada in Iberia surrendered the city of Granada to the Catholic monarchs. The mural was installed at the Santa Fe Scottish Rite in 1915; three years after the building opened. Vysekel was a commercial artist who worked for Mandel brothers of Chicago.The painting was almost identical to ”La Rendición de Granada” by Francisco Pradilla y Oritz from 1882.

In regard to the Columbia Theatre’s stage, “The Boston Globe,” reported, “A visit behind the curtain reveals one of the largest, best arranged and most perfectly appointed stages in the United States measuring 75 feet from the floor of the stage to the gridiron. On either side, far above the stage, are two fly galleries, used for working all the overhead rigging, such as border lights, grooves, borders, drop scenes, etc. To the left are the prompter’s quarters, which are indeed worthy of more than casual notice. The gas table for all the gas lighting in the house controls about 800 burners. The gas table is supplied with all the necessary valves and by-passes, and contains the most modern and improved appliances.

Close at hand is the electric switchboard with its elaborate and handsomely finished switches and appurtences for working the 1378 electric lights required to illuminate the theatre. The curtain or proscenium arch is 36 feet in height by 38 feet in width.

The depth of the stage is 50 feet; width from wall to wall, 71 feet; the first fly gallery is 30 feet; the second fly gallery, 71 feet; and the gridiron is 75 feet above the stage.

In fact the stage is large enough to set any production that may be desired. The trap cellar is of unusual size, with an extra pit for trick scenes. A full set of working traps, bridges, etc., are all available when required…

The curtains, drops, scenes, etc., are of the most complete character. First there is the asbestos fireproof curtain, an absolute preventative of fire communicating with the auditorium from the stage, notably so in this theatre, as at either side the curtain runs through a slot in the brick wall, and is held in place by a strong cable.

The act drop, as well as the drop curtain, is a marvel of beauty. A full set of borders and one of the largest scene lists ever put into a new theatre are to be placed in this house as fast as they can be prepared. This important work has been entrusted to the hands of Mr. H. L. Reid, one of the most noted scenic artists in the country. The stage furniture consists of a set in white and god, upholstered in brocatelles of different colors; a set covered in Wilton rugs with mohair plush trimmings; a set of English oak with tapestry coverings, and asset of gothic design. There is the usual inventory of stage cloths, carpets, rugs, etc.”

To be continued…

A drop curtain by H. J. Reid was described in the article “Well-known Drop Curtain in Philadelphia Theatres” (The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 18, 1894). The J. was a misprint, as the scenic artist was Hugh Logan Reid (1853-1928).

The Empire Theatre, located at Broad and Locust Streets from 1891 to 1898, produced large scenic productions during seven-years existence.  Originallydesigned by architect Willis G. Hale, the building was soon razed for the construction of the Walton Hotel in 1898.

Of Reid’s drop curtain for the theater, the “Philadelphia Inquirer” reported:

“Curtains that show reproductions of famous paintings are among the most expensive in the world to obtain, because it is not every artist who is willing to put his name to the painting which is going to be critically compared to, perhaps, the greatest painter in the world, and when he does make up his mind to do so, he will want to work very slowly and to be paid a very good sum for his worry and time. Such a curtain is the masterpiece displayed at the Empire Theatre. This subject was selected by Manager J. B. Worrell, during one of his European trips. The curtain was painted in 1891, by H. J. Reid, of New York, a young artist rapidly rising to fame. The scene presents the interior of the ducal hall. The duchess appears seated, her ladies in waiting about her, and her husband, the duke, standing behind her, when an old musician, with a battered mandolin, and accompanied by his blind daughter and a lean, apparently half-starved dog, enters the apartment. The old musician plays while his blind daughter accompanies him in song. The well-kept dog belonging to the duke meanwhile scrapes and acquaintance with his less fortunate canine friend. Through an open door at the rear is seen an attendant entering with a tray, containing wine and other refreshments for the half-famished visitors. So realistic is the scene that the ruffled up edge of the large moquette rug in the foreground of the picture seems not to have been painted, but to be actually placed on the curtain. There are eleven full-sized figures in the scene, not including the dogs. The border of this curtain is painted with a conventional design, representing a deep gilded frame, ornamented with dimple-cheeked cherubs, busts of women, wreaths, and festoons of flowers, with medallions in bas relief in the lower corners.”

Reid was well-respected as a figure painter. Reid was an associated with the Providence, Rhode Island, area, but he also worked in many eastern cities as an itinerant artist, such as Boston, Philadelphia and New York. In Harry Miner’s American Drama Directory, for the 1882-1883 season, Reid was listed as the scenic artist at the Providence Opera House.

By 1883, Reid was working from coast to coast. According to the “Boston Globe,” he furnished scenery for a new theatre at Los Angeles (7 Oct. 1883, page 10),.  That year, Reid also worked with Jos. Clare to produce the sets for the  “Duke’s Motto, ‘I am Here!’” at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York (Boston Globe, 8 Dec. 1883, page 7).

By 1884 Reid entered into another partnership with Harley Merry and J. L. Getz, establishing “Getz, Merry & Reid.”  Getz was also from the Boston area, with Merry located in Brooklyn. The firm lasted approximately five years. Theirbiggest success was the creation of scenery for Wm. J. Gilmore’s “The Twelve Temptations,” an attraction advertised as “a scenic, ballet, and pantomimic spectacle.”   The painted settings included sixteen full stage pictures with a moving panorama.

In 1887, Reid created scenery for Imre Kiralfy’s “Grand and Colossal Revival of the Famous Ravel Pantomime, Mazulm the Night Owl” (The Times, Philadelphia, 25 Dec. 1887, page 9). At the time, Reid was listed as the scenic artist for the Globe Theatre. Another notable production with scenery credited to Reid was E. E. Rice’s “World’s Fair” in 1890 (The Boston Globe. 27 July 1890, page 10). By 1891, the “Boston Globe” reported that Reid was “one of the most noted scenic artists in the country (13 Sept. 1891, page 9).

Reid moved to New York City and officially established his residence there. In New York Reid began painting for a variety of theaters, but was primarily associated with Daly’s Theatre of Manhattan (The Standard Union, Brooklyn, 17, Aug. 1902, page 15).

He became the primary scenic artist for Henry W. Savage’s the Castle Square Opera Company during 1899. Other scenic artists for the venue during the company’s existence included Thomas G. Moses, Walter Burridge, Frank King, and John Clare. Reid’s design’s included “The Grand Duchess,” “Rigoletto,”  “Olivette,” “La Gioconda,” “Mikado,” “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” “Carmen,” “The Barber of Seville,” “Faust,” “Il Trovatore,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and “Aida.” (The increased volume of subscriptions during the first three seasons of the Castle Square Opera Company, supported Savage’s plan to establish at the American Theatre a permanent home for opera in English.  The opera company also had branches in Chicago and St. Louis.  By 1900, it was advertised as “the largest operatic company in the world,” having “gained a larger clientele than any other established musical organization.”  A commemorative book, “500 Times,” documented the success of the Castle Square Opera Company’s performance of operas in English by Monday, October 16, 1899.

For other theaters, he worked alongside Richard Marston, Walter Burridge, John H. Young, Homer Emens, and Harley Merry onvarious projects. This same group created the scenery for Margaret Mather’s “Cymbeline” at the Columbia Theatre (Evening Star, Washington, D.C., 13 Feb. 1897, page 24).

Reid placed an advertisement in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide for the 1902-1903 season. It, he listed his studio office at 1380 Broadway, New York City. He listed past projects at the following New York theaters: Fifth Ave. Theatre, Murray Hill Theatre, Metropolis Theatre, Manhattan Theatre, People’s Theatre, Miner’s Bowery Theatre, and the Weiting Opera House (Syracuse). Other theaters included the Lyric Theatre (Allentown, PA), Columbia Theatre (Boston), Grand Opera House (Boston), Bowdoin Square (Boston), Lyric Theatre (Hoboken, N. J.), and the Bijou Theatre (Brooklyn).

In 1902, Reid was credited with producing scenery for “one of the most important theatrical events” for the season” – “The Tempest.” The “Standard Union” reported, “The scene of storm and shipwreck with which the play opens will be one of those realistic and marvelous episodes which are rarely seen except on stage of the old Drury Lane Theatre in London…The new scenery for this production has been painted by H. Logan Reid, for many years the scenic artist at Daly’s Theatre in Manhattan” (Aug. 17, 1902, page 15). Of Reid’s association with Augustin Daly, the Saint Paul Press” commented, “The several scenes, which were painted by H. Logan Reid, who was associated with Augstin Daly for so many years, are by a multiplicity of beautiful transparencies made to melt one into the other, as if by the very agency of magic which pervades the original text of Shakespeare. This treatment has had the best results in the opening scene of the play, which gradually changes from a peaceful fairy-like forest glen to the shore of the island, showing the tempest tossed ocean, with the great ship bearing the more mortal characters of the story to its treacherous rocks” (4 March 1903, age 4).

Interestingly, the John Rothgeb papers at the Harry Ransom Center included a letter written by Charles H. Stewart of Somerville, Massachusetts that mentioned H. L. Reid.  Stewart wrote, “I do know he was an old man when he died, for my father worked with him in the Opera House season 1909-1910. I am still looking – he was fired so Urban could take over. Urban had a studio/office in Boston in 1910 but soon left for New York.” What an interesting tidbit of lost theatre history to know that an aging scenic artist lost his position to the up and coming Joseph Urban, twenty years his junior. Reid was 57 years old at the time.

In 1915, Reid created a succession of painted settings for a submarine attraction for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. He was sixty-one years old at the time. World Fair midway passengers entered the steel submarine and toured the labyrinths of Neptune, a succession of painted scenes. Of the attraction, “The Red book of Views of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition” described:

“The first thing to greet the eye of the visitor to this great spectacle is an allegorical front, with cascades of moving water typifying the restlessness of the ocean.  Neptune sits proudly over all, basking in the beams from a near-by lighthouse.  At the dock the passenger enters a steel submarine, is taken beneath the waters where he sees a shipwreck, marine animals, and a typical ocean floor.  Landing again, he is taken through the labyrinths of Neptune, a succession of wonderful scenes by H. Logan Reid of New York City.”

To be continued…

A drop curtain by Henry E. Hoyt (1833-1906) for the Arch Street Theatre was described in the article “Well-known Drop Curtain in Philadelphia Theatres,” published in “The Philadelphia Inquirer” on Dec. 18, 1894. Hoyt was listed in a theatre playbill for Mrs. John Drew’s Arch Street Theatre on April 2, 1877.  It noted, “Complete new scenery by H.E. Hoyt.”

Hoyt’s drop curtain for the Arch Street Theatre was described in detail:

“One of the most interesting curtains to the student of mythology is the drop which for seventeen years has occupied the place of honor in the historic old Arch Street Theatre. This curtain was painted by H. E, Hoyt, in 1877, a noted scenic artist, and represents a scene on “The Isle of Delos.” To thoroughly understand and appreciate the rare beauty of this masterpiece of idealism it is necessary to go back and refresh your memory from the mythological records of the ancient past. According to mythology, Delos, now known as Mikra Dill, was an Island in the Aegean Sea, sacred as the sanctuary of Diana, the virgin goddess of the chase, The curtain reveals Diana attended by Cretan companions and ocean nymphs, standing by the shore of the river Inopus. She is habilitated in hunting sandals, with her flowing garments tucked up for speed. One her back she bears a quiver and in her left hands grasps a bow. In her right hand she holds aloft a horn, while by her feet stands a magnificent stage hound with half open mouth and kindly expectant eyes, looking up into her face and awaiting her regal order. With a blast from her horn she calls to one of her ocean nymphs who has strayed to the shore of Lake Trochoeldes, and their bathed in the rosy blush of morn, is looking across its tranquil waters. The whole scene is one of half tropical beauty, but the crowning triumph of the artist’s brush is the rich glow of rosy light suffusing the entire picture, which is an effort to reproduce the “birth radiance” of Apollo and Diana, for it was here that both those twin deities were born.

The 1894 article also noted a slightly older curtain by Hoyt at Carncross’ Eleventh Street Opera House. The building was located on Eleventh Street near Chestnut, having begun its existence as a House of Worship. On March 19th, 1855, it became a theater that primarily featured minstrel performances.

Two decades later, Hoyt delivered his drop curtain to the venue. Here is what was included in the 1894 article:

“The unique drop curtain of the cozy little house of minstrelsy at Carncross’ Eleventh Street Opera House is a plain mass of gray satin drapery embroidered with a broad of gold lace, about the sides of which are looped crimson plush hangings. It was painted by Harry Hoyt in 1875.”

Hoyt’s drop curtains for the Arch Street Theatre and Carncross’ Eleventh Street Opera House were considerably old when the 1894 article described them. At a time when new scenerywas continuously purchased by theaters and older scenery repainted, it is remarkable that two of Hoyt’s curtains remained in place, one 17 years old and one 19 years old.

Hoyt was ranked among the top drop curtain painters in the country at the time. In 1884, he was mentioned in the “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” article “Curtain and Scene Painting.” Hoyt was part of an elite group of scenic artists that included, Russell Smith, Phil Goatcher, Richard H. Halley, Thomas C Noxon, Patrick J. Toomey, and Ernest Albert. Of Hoyt.

The 1884 “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” article reported “Henry E. Hoyt of Colville’s, Fourteenth Street, New York City, has lately started a boom in the direction of drapery without either figures or landscape views.  His last curtain, which was of this character, was painted for the Euclid Avenue Opera House, Cleveland.  He finished it in three weeks, and got $600” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 21 Jan. 1884, page 8).

Hoyt was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1833. Of his early career  “The Epoch” reported, “He was first brought prominently before the New York public by his work at Abbey’s Park Theatre in 1878; he was there but a short time, however, when he accepted the position of scenic artist at Booth’s Theatre in West 23^rd St. His work at that house made him famous” (Aug. 30, 1889). His Metropolitan Opera House debut was on Dec. 2, 1885, when he created the scenery for “Die Königin von Saba.”

By1892 Hoyt was noted as one of the foremost scenic artists in the United States and mentioned in “Paint Mimic Scenes, Men Who Have Found Fame in the Wing and Drop Curtains” (Chicago Sunday Tribune, Dec, 18, 1892, page 41). The article noted:

“One of the foremost figures in the scenic world today is Henry Hoyt, an artist of remarkable power and versatility.  In architecture he is a trifle irregular but always interesting, has a taste for the rococo, and in the duplication of plushes and velvet textures he is unequaled.  That he is facile in clever conceits and delicate color is testified in his output of pink and green ball-rooms for the New York Casino.  “The Isle of Champagne” produced here [Chicago] last summer was one of his hasty but brilliant ideas.

The same year that the Chicago Sunday Tribune noted Hoyt as an artist of “remarkable power and versatility,” he helped establish the American Society of Scene Painters. On June 26, 1892, the “Pittsburg Press” noted that its membership included some thirty of the most prominent and representative men in the profession, reporting, “The objects of the society are to promote the artistic and practical efficiency of the profession, and consolidate as a whole the dignity of the profession hitherto maintained by the individual artist. Practical reforms in the conduct of the professional business are anticipated.” Organized in Albany, New York, the executive staff included Richard Marston (Palmer’s Theatre), Henry E, Hoyt (Metropolitan Opera House), Homer F. Emens (Fourteenth Street Theatre), Sydney Chidley (Union Square Theatre), Harley Merry (Brooklyn Studio) Brooklyn and Ernest Albert (Albert, Grover & Burridge).

By July 2, 1892, the “Chicago Tribune” published, “The members of the organization, particularly those who work by the job, as is the case with the best of them, claim that the stage manager is their worst enemy. They say that scenes are set nowadays not with painters direct, but in accordance with the off-hand wishes of the managers, and accordingly much of the most artistic effects of the scenes are lost by the failure to properly display them” (page 4). The plan of the new organization was for its members to accept no work from the theaters except on an agreement that the scenes are to be set exactly as they dictate. Harley Merry planned the organization, and among its first officers were Richard Marston, President; Henry E. Hoyt, Harley Merry, and Ernest Albert, Vice-Presidents; Homer F. Emens, Treasurer, and Sydney Chidley, Secretary.

Hoyt’s Broadway credits included “Erminie” (1886-1888), “Tabasco” (1894), “The Geisha” (1896-1897), “A Runaway Girl” (1898-1899), “The Man in the Moon” (1899), “Three Little Lambs” (1899-1900), “Broadway to Tokyo” (1900), “The Monks of Malabar,” (1900), “The Merchant of Venice” (1901), and “A Country Girl” (1902).

To be continued…

A drop curtain by Russell Smith for the Chestnut Street Opera House was described in the article “Well-known Drop Curtain in Philadelphia Theatres,” published in “The Philadelphia Inquirer” on Dec. 18, 1894.

The Chestnut Street Opera House, formerly Fox’s American Theatre, was rebuilt and refurbished in 1877, opening under the management of George K. Goodwin in 1877. This building is not to be confused with the various Chestnut Street theaters.

Here is the description of Smith’s curtain:

“Equally delightful is the charming landscape on the new curtain at the Chestnut Street Opera House. This is an original painting and the last masterpiece for Philadelphia from the brush of that remarkeable artist, Russell Smith. It was painted at his studio in Weldo, in 1890, and, though the artist had attained the patriarchal age of 78, it is, if possible, more exquisite that any of his former triumphs. Indeed, age seems only to have ripened his genius and steadied his hand. The whole ensemble of the picture is that of the rarest, richest beauty. It is as at a time when the dark green summer foliage is being flecked with red and gold autumnal tints. An almost indefinable dreamy languorous haze seems to fill the air and hang over the beautiful landscape.

The subject of the composition is ‘Leonato’s Garden,’ and is the first scene in the third act of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’ Beatrice, whom nobody could woo, has crept behind Hero, daughter of Leonato, and Ursula, he waiting-maid, and overhears them telling each other how Benedick, who is sworn to bachelorhood, loves her. The poison of Cupid’s arrow sinks deep into her heart, as it was intended it should, and the fair Beatrice stealthily withdraws, determined to requite the burning love of Benedick. ‘All the world loves a lover,’ and one is inclined to condone the subterfuge by which the two hearts into a condition to beat as one. The interior decorations and furnishings of this popular home of opera are kept in harmony with the artistic effects of its beautiful curtain.

Everywhere are creamy tints picked out in silver and delicate filigree work, while pretty cupids float around through fleecy clouds of  opalescent green, shading off into lightest blue to the faintest tinge of pink.”

To be continued…

Another section of the article “Well-known Drop Curtain in Philadelphia Theatres” discusses the drop curtain painted by Russell Smith for the Park Theatre in 1889. The venue at 701-705 N. Broad Street near Fairmont Avenue opened that year. A description of Smith’s curtain was published in “The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec. 18, 1894:

 “Another beautiful curtain from the brush of Russell Smith is the handsome “drop” at the Park Theatre. Painted in 1889. The scene is an ideal one, and represents the Water Palace of the Princess Agiroum, a remarkable character described by that celebrated traveler, Marco Polo. The lower border of the curtain is ornamented with seven medallions, representing personages and scenes taken from the plays of Shakespeare, while in the lower corners are square panels showing the masks of comedy and tragedy. The same bright coloring, fleecy clouds, glorious autumnal tints to foliage and trailing vines, exquisite flowers that seem to exhale a delicious fragrance all their own; the opalescent waters of the lake reflecting back the images of the gondolas that float on its placid bosom, beyond Moorish-looking palaces, back of which rise in majestic grandeur the craggy peaks of high mountains tinted with the richest of coloring. All of the decorations and furnishings within this popular playhouse are in keeping with the artistic taste displayed in the painting of the curtains and it is custom here, between the acts, for the ladies as well as gentlemen to leave their seats and wander about the beautiful lobby.”

The building was designed by John Bailey McElfatrick. The architectural firm of J. B. McElfatrick & Son was chiefly known for its theater designs. By 1896, the company advertised that they were responsible for the design and construction of seventy-one theaters in New York, Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, Washington and Texas.  They also designed theaters in Canada. Started by John Bailey McElfatrick, his two sons soon joined the business. John Morgan McElfatrick (1853-1891) and William H. McElfatrick (1854-1922) became architects to establish J. B. McElfatrick & Sons.  John passed away in 1891, but his brother William continued as an architect throughout the remainder of his life, continuing the family business after his father passed away.

J. B. McElfatrick (1826-1906) is credited with designing over one hundred theaters over the course of his career, changing audience expectations of the physical structures. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he studied architecture and engineering with his own father Edward McElfatrick.  By 1851, J. B. soon started his own architecture business in Harrisburg, and then established his business in to Philadelphia.  From there, he continued to journey west, opening offices wherever he moved to on his journey – Cincinnati, Cleveland, Chicago, and St. Louis.  He finally returned to New York where he ran the main firm. 

His focus on theater design began in approximately 1855.  It was a subject that would remain his specialty throughout the duration of his career. Architectural historians cite his innovations concerning auditorium seating and the implementation of ground-floor performance venues. In the 1917 publication, “Modern Theatre Construction,” Edward B. Kinsila wrote, “The greatest individual strides in American theatre construction have been effected through the personal endeavors of a single architect, Mr. J. B. McElfatrick of New York City, who should be revered as the Father of American theatres.”

Kinsila’s publication describes that in the 1880s American theaters were designed and constructed in a similar manner to their English prototypes; specifically, they shared a comparable subdivision of main floor seating.  The American use of “parquet” and “parquet circles” were the equivalent to the English use of “pit” and “stalls.” He notes that they both shared the “same lyre-shaped balcony, the same stage projection or apron, and the same extravagant and distracting ornamentation.” 

McElfatrick, is credited with improving the sight lines by arranging continuous front-to-back seating on the main floor, without, and balconies that were flatter and deeper.

He also greatly reduced the “projecting apron,” a common nineteenth-century stage feature at the forefront of the stage. In terms of another significant characteristic of McElfatrick’s theater designs is the placement of the theatre on the first floor of a building. His designs also included multiple exits, sprinkler systems, and improved dressing rooms.  For more information about McElfatrick, see past installment 333.

To be continued…

Another section of the article “Well-known Drop Curtain in Philadelphia Theatres” discussed the drop curtain painted by Russell Smith for the Grand Opera House in 1887. When it opened in 1888 The Grand Opera House on Broad Street and Montgomery Avenue became the third active opera house in Philadelphia alongside the Academy of Music and the Chestnut Street Opera House. It was published in “The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec. 18, 1894:

“The Grand Opera House, which was opened to the public April 9, 1888, has one of the handsomest drop curtains in ton. It was painted by that now aged artist, Russell Smith, in 1887, when he was in his 75^th year. The scene, so graphically designed, represents and incident in Greek history. When the Athenians (413 B.C.) undertook the expedition against Syracuse under their general, Alcibiades, they were defeated and many were taken prisoners, but such was the fame of Euripides throughout Greece that any of the prisoners who could recite verses from his writings were set at liberty. The picture represents Athenian prisoners in the city of Agregentum, in Syracuse, trying to obtain their liberty by reciting verses from Euripides.

The picture is surrounded by a heavy border, skillfully painted to represent a frame. At the bottom is a medallion of Shakespeare flanked on either side by Greek vignettes. A small copy of oil of this famous curtain hangs in the lobby of the Academy of Music. The wealth of bright coloring artistically distributed over the surface of this handsome curtain is such as distinguishes all of the works of that celebrated artist, Russell Smith. On the foreground is the harbor of Agregentum, and on its greenish blue waters float both oar and sailboats of curious pattern. On the quay are two military tents about which are grouped the Athenians and their Syracusian captors. Beyond rises the magnificent city of Agregentum, with its turreted towers, porticoed palaces and frowning prisons. A large circular tower to the right, from whose dark dungeons the prisoners have been dragged, seems to rise from the very waters of the harbor. A fountain surmounted by a bronze vase containing rare tropical plants shows the general climate of that part of Sicily.

Beyond the city and stretching away towards the northeast, among fleecy clouds, rised the frowning summit of Mt. Etna, 10,874 feet above the blue waters of the Mediterranean. Over the distant mountains seems to hang a faint pinkish opalescent haze, tinged here and there with rare tints from the bluish green waters of the harbor. The hole ensemble makes apicture at once pleasing, interesting and artistic.”

To be continued…

Part 731: Drop Curtains in Philadelphia, 1894 – Alfred Voegtlin and the Old Walnut Street Theatre

One section of the 1894 article “Well-known Drop Curtains in Philadelphia Theatres” focused on the scenic art of Arthur Voegtlin, William M. Voegtlin’s eldest son. It was published in “The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec. 18, 1894.  Although the artist in the article is listed as Alfred, I believe it was a misprint. The only Alfred Voegtlin that I have encountered to date was a political figure from the 1920s. On the other hand, Arthur Voegtlin was a scenic artist who began his career in New York and rose to fame as not only a scenic artist, but also a producer, playwright, and actor.

Here is the section about Voegtlin’s work for the old Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia:

“Looped up at the corners and hanging down on either side of the ‘drop’ are skillfully painted silken curtains surmounted by crimson velvet hangings bordered by a broad band of royal ermine. Manager Frank Howe, Jr. has had a new curtain painted for the historic old Walnut Street Theatre, representing “A Change of Horses at the Red Lion Inn.” It was painted by Alfred Voegtlin of New York, the scene being taken from the famous watercolor by F. F. English. In the foreground, drawn up in front of the inn, is the coach Alert, owned by Colonel Edward Morrell.”

In regard to the subject matter, Frank F. English (1854-1922) was born in Kentucky and mainly remembered for his watercolors. English’s artworks primarily depicted life along the Delaware River. In regard to the scenic artist who replicated English’s painting, “A Change of Horses at the Red Lion Inn,” Arthur was part of a well-known scenic art family that thrived during the late nineteenth century.

Arthur Voegtlin was born on Nov. 8, 1858, in Chicago, Illinois. He and his brother Emil trained with their father, William R. Voegtlin. In the 1880s, there were three Voegtlin’s painting scenery across the country. Arthur Voegtlin was painting at the Grand Opera House in Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Daily Post, 28 Jan., 1888, page 5). William Voegtlin was painting at the Chicago Opera House (Oakland Tribune, 14 Jan, 1889, page 1). Emil was painting at various theaters in between jail sentences.

William’s son, Emile, started out as his father’s assistant before breaking out on his own and primarily working as a scenic artist at the New York Hippodrome. Unfortunately, Emil was arrested a few times over the course of his career. Amazingly, his criminal activities as a boarding-house and hotel thief, his criminal activities are documented in “Revised biographies based on NYPD Chief Thomas Byrnes 1886 book, ‘Professional Criminals of America’” (https://criminalsrevised.blog/2018/07/20/47-emile-voegtlin/). Emil was described as “Medium build. Height, 5 feet 10 inches. Weight, 155 pounds. Brown hair, hazel eyes, dark complexion. Wears black mustache and side-whiskers. Has a very genteel appearance.”

In 1882, Emil was convicted of larceny, and sentenced to five years in State prison on January 4, 1884. He was stealing jewelry from hotel residents where he was staying, the Irving House in Tarrytown. This was not the end of his trouble, being released from Sing Sing prison in 1888 and returning to scenic artwork, he was again convicted for larceny and was convicted another three years at the State Penitentiary in Jackson, Michigan. Yet he continued to return to scenic art.  Only after the death of his father, did Emil purportedly cease his criminal activities. Here is a link to the full case, as it is quite interesting: https://criminalsrevised.blog/2018/07/20/47-emile-voegtlin/

Arthur followed a far different trajectory from his brother. In 1914, the “Indianapolis Star” reported, “Mr. Voegtlin, who has a world-wide reputation as one of the greatest living scenic artists and who has invented more ingenious stage ‘effects’ than any one else engaged in that line of endeavor” (15 Nov. 1914, page 15). The “Hartford Courant referred to Voegtlin as “the ‘man behind’ the world’s largest theater, the designer, devisor and inventor of the ten colossal spectacles which have been presented at that playhouse [New York Hippodrome] since it first became an established institution in the metropolis” (3 Jan. 1915, page 17).

Of his work, Voegtlin was quoted as saying, “Realism – that’s the keynote of my work. I suppose if Max Reinhardt were to produce ‘Pinafore’ he would give us a violet ship with red trimmings on a purple sea. That sort of impressionistic art is a joke, in my opinion. Bad drawing and clashing colors produce nothing except a discord to me. I believe in appealing to the imagination, but I believe in making the appeal a sane one. I believe in sane art. Put me down, if you like, as an apostle of artistic realism. My father was a noted scene painter and I was brought up with orthodox ideals as to scene painting and stage settings. Thank heaven they abide with me. We spend nearly $250,000 every year at the Hippodrome before the curtain goes up. My art has to be sane.”

Voetgtlin’s Broadway credits as a scenic designer include: “The Talisman” (1893), “The Old Coat” (1898), “A Day and a Night in New York” (1898), “My Innocent Boy” (1899), “Janice Meredith” (1900), “On the Quiet” (1901),  “Don Caesar’s Return” (1901), “The Diplomat” (1902), “King Dodo” (1902), “The Crisis” (1902), “The Bishop’s Move” (1903), “Harriet’s Honeymoon” (1904), “The Beauty Doctor” (1905), “The Society Circus” (1905), “The House of Silence” (1906), “About Town” (1906), “The White Hen” (1907), “The Girl Behind the Counter” (1907), “The Gay White Way” (1907), “The Auto Race” (1907), “The Battle of Port Arthur” (1907), “Nearly a Hero” (1908), “The Mimic World” (1908), “Three Wishes” (1908), “Sporting Days” (1908), “Mr. Hamlet of Broadway” (1908), “Havana” (1909), “The Jolly Bachelors” (1910), “The King of Cadonia” (1910), “The Summer Widowers” (1910), “The International Cup, the Ballet of Niagara, and the Earthquake” (1910), “Around the World” (1911), “The Never Homes” (1911), “Under Many Flags” (1912), “The Pleasure Seekers” (1913), “Wars of the World (1914), and “H.M.S. Pinafore” (1914).

Voegtlin also designed many of the facades and interiors at Luna Park, even staging “The Great Train Robbery.” Years later the Miami News commented, “While he didn’t make any money on that enterprise, he revealed a trait of character which indicated all that was necessary to make his pile was a lease on life long enough for him to produce something that the public would buy. It was hardly a custom in those good old days, Wells Hawks writes about now and then, for a showman to reward his backers with anything but congratulations, unless the box office receipts were such as to defy secretion. But Voegtlin was a different type. He was entitled to the rating of a square shooter when he returned to the syndicate of lawyers who had backed him money which they had to all intents and purposes kissed goodbye” (The Miami News, 28 March 1926, page 43).

Voegtlin became a stage producer and producing director from the opening of the New York Hippodrome, 1904-1918 (Wilmington Daily Press, Wilmington, California, 19 June 1948, page 7).

Voegtlin set his sites on another adventure – opening the Theater Fontaia near Arch Creek in Florida on Jan. 16, 1926. His associate was Charles A. Pearson. It was an immense theater with a Spanish village and cabaret behind the stage, building a theatre in the woods, far from the metropolitan center of Miami. It was a theatrical colony. There were 200 people in the organization that Voegtlin brought to Florida, causing him to erect four dormitories that contained 26 rooms each, called the “Barracks.”

He later moved to Hollywood, where he enjoyed a career as an actor, writer and director. Arthur was listed as both a writer and actor in the early film “America,” (1914). Voegtlin married to Maude Caldwell and their son, Arthur Caldwell Voegtlin (1904-1982), followed in his father’s film footsteps and became a director. His son later changed his name to Jack Voglin. 

Arthur Voegtlin Sr. passed away in Los Angeles in 1948.

To be continued…

Part 730: Drop Curtains in Philadelphia, 1894 – William M. Voegtlin, the Standard and Lyceum Theatres

Two sections in the article “Well-known Drop Curtains in Philadelphia Theatres” focused on William M. Voegtlin’s scenic art at the Standard Theatre and Lyceum Theatre. The article was published in “The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec. 18, 1894, page 45.

“Another very pretty curtain is the asbestos drop at the Standard Theatre, the classic design and artistic finish of which is equal to the more pretentious curtains in the other playhouses. It was painted in 1890 by William M. Voegtlin, who died last year. The subject of the scene is called “Cupid in Captivity,” and represents two beautiful women in classic attire standing by a fence in a meadow rich with flowers and surrounded by a number of winged cupids. The scene itself, with its exquisite coloring and artistic finish of detail, forms only a small disc in the centre of the curtain. It is a copy form an original painting of that name, copies of which, in the art stores and on calendars have made it famous on two continents. The remainder of the curtain as originally painted, represented a mass of crimson drapery in imitation of satin and silk, but when, two years later, the house was redecorated, the crimson drapery was changed by Daniel F. Crème to yellow and black, to correspond with the other color effects as they now appear.”

Voegtlin also painted a drop curtain for the Lyceum that was later described in the article:

“The very attractive drop curtain at the Lyceum represents a Venetian scene, in which a goodly company of ladies and gentlemen in rich Florentine costumes are standing on a well-shaded terrace overlooking the greenish blue waters of a placid lake. The scene was painted by William M. Voegtlin in 1890, and occupies a small circle in the centre of a curtain about which is painted a richly carved Viennese frame. This curtain has been much admired by many patrons of this most popular theatre.”

The Voegtlins were a famous family of scenic artists. The patriarch, William Voegtlin was born in Basle, Switzerland in 1835. He immigrated to the United States at the age of 15, settling in New Orleans where he began painting first scenery. Voegtlin quickly ascended to the top of his profession. By 1879 he was listed as one of the “very best of living scenic artists,” listed alongside Russell Smith, R. Martin, and W. Seavey (The Philadelphia Inquirer, 15 Nov, 1879, page 5). In the 1892 article “Paint Mimic Scenes, Men Who Have Found Fame in the Wing and Drop Curtains” Voegtlin was remembered for his talent (Dec. 18, 1892). Of Voegtlin, the he article reported, “One of the great giants of the scenic world was William Voegtlin, the greatest deceiver of transformation effects that ever walked the paint bridge. He had a style peculiarly his own and seemed to incorporate the stunning effects of all schools, but was not without artistic weakness and peculiarities. In some respects his drawing had the weakness of Morgan, but his color was wonderfully vivid, and he was a grand master with foil. In this latter respect he was only rivaled by Thomas Noxon of St. Louis, a remarkable artist in spectacle. Voegtlin often ate and slept on the paint frame for weeks at a time during the rush of a great production. Then followed a period of dissipation, when his painting was very “red.”

Of his productivity, Voegtlin was remembered as “an extremely rapid painter.” In 1892, “The Star-Gazette” reported that “when he made the scenery for an elaborate production of Faust, the Brocken scene, the magnificence of which has been extensively advertised, was scarcely more than half finished when the curtain rose for the first act. But it was finished by the time it was wanted, though it was till wet” (Star-Gazette, Elmira, NY, 3 June 1892, page 4).

William Voegtlin married his first wife Berth Fleichman in Peru, Illinois, in 1857. The couple had a total of nine children, but only two survived to adulthood – Emil (b. 1858) and Arthur (b. 1862). They followed their father in the scenic art line. The family settled in New York, where Voegtlin continued to work as a scenic artist. Like many scenic artists, he frequently traveled for work, and later took along his young sons as assistants. After extended absences and twenty-six years of marriage, Bertha ran away with a close family friend, Carl Voegel, of Voegel & Co. At the time, Voegel was also married and it caused quite a scandal.

Although Bertha returned a few times, the couple remained separated, but never officially divorced, causing even greater problems. Voegtlin eventually moved to the West Coast, painting at the Bush-street Theater in San Francisco. Ironically, his first wife was living with Voegel; cohabitating in Oakland. In California, Voegtlin met his second wife, Lizzie M. Ritchie, a dressmaker of Los Angeles. They married during May1884, and his tale of bigamy appeared in newspaper across the country (Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan 1885, page 2).

Ironically, both his first and second wife threatened to cause his arrest for bigamy unless he paid them money. Bertha held his possible imprisonment in San Quentin over his head, unless he paid her the sum of $1,360. Other stories, explained that he was told to turn his entire salary over to Bertha, which he reportedly did for some time until he tired of agreement and his arrest followed. There is quite a bit more to the story, but this is the condensed version. His tale of bigamy appeared in newspapers all across the country and is quite an interesting story (Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan 1885, page 2). When his case went to trial, however, Voegtlin was acquitted of his crimes and returned to work as a successful scenic artist.

Over his forty-year career, Voegtlin painted scenery for almost all of the principal theaters in the country. His projects included the scenery and curtain at Child’s Opera House in Los Angeles, as well as scenery for the Boston’s Grand Opera House, the Globe Theatre in Boston, Booth’s Theater, the Union Square Theatre, and the California Theatre. For a number of years, he was the chief scenic artist under Jarrett & Palmer’s management and was engaged by E. G. Gilmore at Niblo’s Garden Theatre in 1880. At Niblo’s he created scenery based on designs sent by the Kiralfy Brothers for their spectacles too (New York Daily, 13 July 1879, page 6). In 1881, the family was running a prosperous boarding house in New York.

By 1890, Voegtlin was working with two other well-known artists, Ernest Albert and Henry Hoyt, on productions for the Chicago Opera House such as “Cinderella” and “Bluebeard Jr.” In 1892 he and Joseph D. Claire and produced scenery for “Kajanka,” the pantomime (Altoona Evening Telegram, 3 May 1892, page 3). Voegtlin passed away at the age of 57 in 1892, after suffering for years inflammatory rheumatism. He was interred at Forest Hills cemetery (The Boston Globe, 1 June 1892, page 10). His pallbearers included many well-known scenic artists: Henry C. Tryon, Charles Witham, John A. Thompson, William Gill, Victor Lawson, Henry E. Dixey, William Dixon, and Mr. Brooker.

To be continued…

Part 729: Drop Curtains in Philadelphia, 1894 – Matt Morgan and the Walnut Street Theatre

“Well-known Drop Curtain in Philadelphia Theatres” was an article published in “The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec. 18, 1894 (page 45). Over the next two weeks, I will post the article in its entirety and then return to the Moses typed manuscript and the year 1909. Here is the third part about scenic artist Matt Morgan’s drop curtain at the Walnut Street Theatre.

“The drop curtain at the Walnut Street Theatre is strikingly different from any other in town. It is skillfully painted to represent silk, and appears to be made of sixty-four squares of white silk deftly sewn together, on which, in a large oval in the center of the curtains is painted a charming picture, representing Shakespeare reading his play, “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” before Queen Elizabeth. It is known as the Shakespeare curtain, and was painted by that versatile artist, ‘Matt’ Morgan, in 1877. Matt Morgan, now deceased, was a prominent figure in the art world. Though born in Ireland, he was educated in London, and worked on a number of illustrated papers. He was also a figure artist of marked ability, but was unsuccessful in his business ventures. The curtain was first unrolled September 10, 1877, and shows none of the effects of the seventeen years of constant use. Through the oval occupies less than a third of the square surface of the curtain, it contains more than a score of personnages. The aged queen, habited in a robe of yellow silk with pointed bodice of coquelicot satin, puffed sleeved trimmed with velvet and an enormous white lace collar and lace cuffs, is seated upon a throne surrounded by courtiers, pages and attendants, while she listen with rapt attention to the reading of the play.”

The Walnut Street Theatre, located at the corner of Ninth & Walnut Street in Philadelphia, opened its door on February 2, 1809. Initially the structure featured a ring for equestrian acts, built by the Circus of Pepin and Breschard. Over the course of two centuries, the building underwent many renovations. It was enlarged between 1811 and 1816, transitioning into a legitimate theatre that included a real stage. Remodeled between 1827 and 1828, the Walnut Street Theatre installed gas lights in 1837 and air conditioning in 1855; an American first for both. By 1863, Edwin Booth and John Sleeper Clarke purchased the venue. Throughout the duration of the 19^th century, the theatre underwent a series of renovations, including a series of scenery purchases, as was common at the time. Morgan’s drop curtain was installed in 1877.

Matt Morgan was celebrated scenic artist and caricaturist. An Irishman trained in London, he was a favorite pupil of  Stanfield. By 1866, he was working as a scenic artist, an assistant to Thomas Grieve at the Covent Garden Theater in London (The Era, 23 Dec. 1866, page 8). In 1870, Morgan immigrated to America and soon made a name for himself at Frank Leslie’s Illustrated paper, becoming a rival of Thomas Nast, the German-born caricaturist and editorial cartoonist (Reading Times, 12 Oct, 1876, page 4). Before immigrating to America, Morgan initially worked as a cartoonist for “Tomahawk,” a weekly comic paper during the 1860s. Once settled in America, Morgan worked in a variety of locations across the country. In 1875, a Chicago article abut the revival of scene painting in the city described Morgan as “so far above the ordinary level of scene-painters” (Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb 1875, page 10). Later Morgan was at the head of the art department of the Stowbridge Lithographing Company in Cincinnati.

In 1886, Morgan organized a scenic art company in Cinnicinnati, Ohio. The company was to “present a series of accurate and historic pictures of the decisive battles of the late war between the states. These great pictures, now approaching completion for the northern victories, are to be exhibited throughout the country under the directions of competent lecturers; well known officers of both armies (The Pulaski Citizen, Pulaski, Tennessee, 12 Aug. 1886, page 2). According to newspapers, Morgan died of pleurisy, brought on by the work in the new Madison Square Garden (Logansport Reporter, 3 June 1890, page 3).

In 1905, the “Pittsburgh Daily Post” described one of Morgan as a “forgotten artist” when his work was exhibited at the 1905 Scene Painters’ Show. Held at the Grafton Galleries by the Scenic Artists association, the exhibit featured Theater Artists of Great Britain, including cartoons by Matt Morgan. The article reported, “One of his cartoons represented Ireland as a young girl bound to the stake, clasping to her bosom a harp. The masked executioner, setting fire to the fagots piled around her, is Disraeli, and behind him stand John Bright and Gladstone” (14 May 1905, page 26).

While searching for information about Matt Morgan, I discovered a story that gives a little insight into his personality. It appeared in “The Theatre Magazine,” Vol. 7., page 41:

“The late Matt Morgan, the scene painter and artist, had a great love for a practical joke as Theodore Hook. He was fond of donning an old suit of clothes and singing ballads, or selling chestnuts in the streets. Once he hired himself out as a drover, and was entrusted with the care of some sheep, but after taking them down the busiest part of Camden Town, suddenly left them, went home and changed his dress, and re-appeared to enjoy the predicament of an unfortunate policeman who had had to turn drover for the nonce. Another time one of his friends, attracted by a crows of people, found Matt, who, like Zacchæus, was little in stature, struggling with a man about 6 ft. 2 in., who was supposed to be an escaped lunatic, but who in reality was Matt’s cousin. By valorous exertions Matt succeeded in overpowering the big man, and with the aid of a rope contributed by the bystanders, who took it all au strieux, bound him securely, and led him away.”

What a character.

To be continued…

Part 728: Drop Curtains in Philadelphia, 1894 – Russell Smith and the Academy of Music

The second part of the article “Well-known Drop Curtain in Philadelphia Theatres,” published in “The Philadelphia Inquirer” on Dec. 18, 1894, described four curtains painted by Russell Smith for he Academy of Music -a drop curtain, a Romeo and Juliet drop, an asbestos curtain, and a Japanese silk tableau curtain. The Academy of Music was constructed between 1855 and 57. It is considered to be the oldest opera house in the United States still used for its original purpose.

Of Russell Smith’s scenic contribution to the Academy of Music, the article continues:

“It is claimed by managers that a handsome drop curtain has much to do with the drawing qualities of the house. A charming landscape depicting the greenest of lawns, sparking fountains, rare shrubbery and bright flowers, the dimpled surface of a placid lake, with magnificent hills or rugged mountains in the distance to kiss the brightest fleecy clouds, forms an ensemble well calculated to put the audience in good humor to witness a play. And when let down between the acts it has a tendency to calm the soul after turbulent passages and rouses it to cheerfulness after tearful ones.”

One of the happiest examples of this style of curtain is seen on the handsome ‘drop’ at the Academy of Music. It was painted by Russell Smith in 1857, and has been in continuous use for the past thirty-seven years, during which time has apparently lost none of its original freshness of coloring, and is considered one of the finest specimens of that famous artist’s work. It is entitled “Como,” but the actual scene is from sketches made by the artist at the head of Lake Lugano, in Northern Italy. A conventional design representing a huge frame, surrounds the picture while in the center of the lower border is a Greek bust. The scene pictures a view of “Como” in summer time. There are the finest of Italian skies, the glitter and sheen of the greenish blue waters of one of the loveliest lakes in the world. In the left foreground rises a terrace with broad, low steps leading down to the shimmering waters of the lake. To the right, in the immediate foreground is a mass of semi-tropical foliage overhanging the cool and sparkling waters of the lake. Beyond rise several palaces of the nobility; while in the background the sloping sides of the mountains are gemmed with castles and palaces. Gondolas float on the placid waters of the lake, while some of the palaces seem set like jewels in the opalescent waters.”

I was surprised to read that the drop curtain had remained in place for thirty-seven years, when many other theaters replaced their drop curtain and scenery every decade. This suggests to popularity of Smith’s work, especially in light of the drop curtain’s purpose described above. The article continued to describe the composition of another drop painted for the Academy of Music by Smith in 1883:

“The main curtain, often called the Romeo and Juliet drop, in use at the famous temple of music was painted by Russell Smith in 1883. It represents a moonlight scene from a terrace overlooking a lake. A gondolier has approached an overhanging balcony window, and delivers himself of his tender passion to the lady, who leans over the balcony rail while she listens to the music of his mandolin. The whole scene, faintly illuminated by the mystic light of the silvery moon falling on the rippling waters of the mist-covered lake, and the blue velvet curtains that drape the door opening on the terrace, with its mosaic floors and stone balustrade, making a witching moonlight scene.”

Smith also painted a fire curtain for the Academy of Music three decades after delivering the initial drop curtain. His asbestos curtain was claimed to be the first of its kind in the United Stated:

“The asbestos curtain at the Academy of Music is distinguished as the first asbestos curtain ever put in any American playhouse in America, and as far as is known, is the first in use in the world. It is made in three sections, the lower third of which has the asbestos pressed in on both sides. It was also painted by Russell Smith in 1887, and represents only a flight of steps nearly hid by a mass of red drapery.”

Finally, the article noted another scenic contribution by Russell, a tableau curtain:

“Another curtain at the Academy is the tableau curtain, made of pure Japanese silk and handsomely decorated along the border by Russell Smith, who has also painted 80 per cent of all the scenery at the Academy. The tableau curtain is made of a series of alternating perpendicular breadths of light blue and white Japanese silk with a satin finish to its surface. The curtain is divided down the center and has a border of flowers around each half. Along the bottom on an eight-foot border, are placed six large medallions representing scenes from ancient history and mythology on the left and modern views on the right.”

I was most intrigued with this particular scenic piece, as it was a silk curtain that was divided down the center to reveal a tableau. This is the first description of a tableau curtain that I have encountered to date. The specific mention of Japanese silk makes me consider the incredible expense of the piece, as well as the difficulty in its painting; silk can be a difficult fabric to paint scenic compositions, especially a series of scenes. The decoration of the eight-foot high border was quite complex, especially when considering that individual scenes were painted in each of the in six medallions within the floral area.

To be continued…