In 1920 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “June and July found us tied
up with a lot of repaint stuff for the Junior Orpheum, all over the country,
and there was some awful stuff sent in to be repainted, while there was some
that was really good.” Junior Orpheum theaters were the Orpheum Circuit’s
“popular-priced” vaudeville houses.
There are a few things to consider about Moses’ diary entry.
The first is that stage settings were never meant to last. Repainting backdrops
and flats were a common occurrence when theaters could not afford to purchase a
new scene, or entire stock scenery collection. Due to the nature of the paints,
the scenery did not just receive another coat of paint. The tempera paint was
scrubbed down, effectively removed to leave a slightly stained piece of fabric
that was ready for a new coat of paint.
Painted scenery was a major investment for any performance venue
at the time. Scenic studio catalogues even offered the refurbishing of old
flats and fabric as an alternative to purchasing new. From 1889 to 1894, Sosman
& Landis catalogues included a “Special Notice.” The section noted, “When
there is already a stock of Scenery on the stage, and it is desired to add some
new scenes and wings, we can easily make them to fit the frames of present
scenery, and they may be mounted on the backs of other ‘flats’ and ‘wings.’ We
can do this work for you much better, and we think cheaper than you can have an
artist do it on stage, and it will save you considerable trouble. If you intend
putting any new Scenery this coming season, we hope we will hear from you, and
we will try and make it to your interest to at least give us a trial order.” At
the time, the firm advertised they had already supplied 1700 opera house,
theaters and halls in the United States and Canada with stock scenery. By 1894,
Sosman & Landis catalogues announced, “Over 4,000 places of amusement are
to-day using scenery made by our firm.” By 1904, it was close to 6,000.
The Junior Orpheum Circuit was just one more client who opted
to repaint existing stock scenery collections for upcoming touring shows and a
variety of vaudeville acts.
Of the Junior Orpheum Circuit, the “Los Angeles Evening
Express” interviewed Martin Beck, managing director of the Orpheum Circuit on
April 9, 1920 (page 29). He explained the theater chain in seven cities that
will be grouped under the name of the “Junior Orpheum” circuit. In the
interview Beck stated, “In naming the theaters that are to make up the Junior
Orpheum circuit, we intend calling them after the intersecting streets on which
they are located. Thus, in Kansas City we have named that theater the
Fourteenth-Main, and the one in Minneapolis has been called the Ninth-Hennepin.
The Los Angeles theater will be known as the Hill and the name of the other
street on which it will be situated. It is impossible to give the exact
location of the Los Angeles theater at the present time, as the full title of
the property has not been acquired.”
Mort H. Singer was the manager of the Orpheum Circuit. He
explained, “By the establishment of the Junior Orpheum we will be able to book
more and better material for the regular Orpheum system of theaters which has
always been far above the best of any vaudeville circuit. Contract will be made
for an entire year, and the acts will play first the regular Orpheum Circuit
and then double back on the Junior Orpheum circuit, thus maintaining the same
high-class performance on the Junior circuit and in the regular Orpheum
theater. There will be no reserved seats in the Junior Orpheum theaters, and
the admission charged will be at popular process. Patrons will be assured of
more than three hours of high-class entertainment.” This reminded my of second
run dollar theaters; same show, a little later, and a lot cheaper. Really quite brilliant from a business sense.
You are able to extend the run of a show, and have a secondary venue simply
based on volume.
Moses had previously worked with both Beck and Singer, so
the Junior Orpheum selecting Sosman & Landis to refurbish all of their existing
stock scenery is not a surprise at all.
In
1920, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “My Sundays are all taken up with my oil work in
my home studio, and I seem to have a more thorough understanding of the real
nature of oils. I have always hammered
into the oil, same as I do with temper, I have so little time for this work
that I get a bit discouraged.”
Moses’ refernce to “temper” was distemper, or tempera
painting. Dry pigments are made usable for painting by “tempering” them with a
binding medium. As defined by Encylopedia Britannica: “The
word tempera originally came from the verb temper, ‘to bring to
a desired consistency.’ Therefore, tempera painting uses pigment ground in
a water-miscible medium.” However, the
binding medium can vary. For example, egg can be used in tempera painting; here
are directions for egg tempera: http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/intro/tempera.html
Dry pigment colors with dry hide glue in the center.Pigment powder before it is turned into a paste.Hide glue granules before water is introduced and it is heated to a liquid, then diluted for painting.
19th and 20th century scenic artists used tempera painting
for the stage, just with a different binder. They used animal glue (hoof and
hide) instead of egg for stage paintings. The diluted animal glue provided a
matte finish that worked well under the glare of stage lights, unlike other paints.
Arriving in slabs or granules, water was added to the dried glue and then
diluted prior to mixing with dry pigment paste. Like egg, once binder was added
to the pigment there was a limited shelf life; the binder can quickly rot.
Ideally, a scenic artist mixed fresh size every day.
My palette of dry pigment paste. The size water (diluted hide glue) is mixed with the paste on a palette when I paint.
Moses’ 1920 diary entry is his first commentary between oil and
temper painting. Tempera was his preferred medium of choice; second nature as it
was also used in the scenic studio.
His skill on the studio paint frame with the medium carried
over to his fine art easel. By 1932, Moses wrote, “I should like nothing better
than to be able to spend all my time on these tempera pictures which I painted
from pencil sketches that are taken from all over the country.”
Keep in mind that Moses’ was a
member of several fine art groups, including in Palette & Chisel Club
(Chicago), Salmagundi Club (New York) and the Laguna Beach Art Association
(California). He worked in various artistic media that included watercolor,
oil, pen and ink, graphite and temper. Moses also had several art exhibitions
over the years, with the most notable one occurring in Chicago during the fall
of 1913.
In 1913, Moses wrote, “November
3rd, I got all my framed pictures; oil, watercolor, pen and ink and
lead pencil…. A great many of the members didn’t expect to see so many or as
good pictures as I had the pleasure of showing there. The amount of the sale went far ahead of what
I thought it would. It was pretty good
for me, and up to this date it was the most ever sold at the one show. I had 77 pictures on the walls, oil, water,
temper, pen and ink, and pencil. Maine
to California. That made it quite
interesting. I received some very
flattering newspaper notices. Mama and
Rupert were responsible for the show, as I would have never gotten it up
myself. We opened with a reception,
which was well attended.”
By 1930, Moses wrote, “Have made
several trips on Saturdays to the mountains for oil sketches and have been
partly successful. Owing to the high
winds, it is too hard to anchor my easel and umbrella. I find I would rather work in distemper. Not so mussy when I come to pack up.” Understandable
as tempera painting uses water for clean-up, and does not require carrying a
solvent.
Later in 1932 while working in
McAlester, Oklahoma, Moses wrote, “Early in October, I was lucky in finding a
wonderful place to sketch. Kimball organ
man, Coverly by name, used his car and took me to his place, nearly 30 miles
from McAlester. I found a subject from
which I did a large distemper and presented it to the Temple for which they
were highly pleased.”
In
1932, Moses was still working in both oil and tempera, writing, “Have an idea
that I will attempt some oil pictures as well as tempera… I have done quite a
number of tempera 15 x 20 pictures. Hope
to do something with them at the Blackstone Gallery here in Oak Park, where I
will have an exhibit of my oils in the fall… I will get busy at once and get
some of my tempera pictures in the eastern galleries. I have written to galleries and to Pitt in
Trenton; also Washington D.C., Fort Wayne, Indiana, Tacoma, Washington, and
Pasadena, California, all of which are willing to give me space for a
consignment of my water colors or tempera… Have received some very flattering
notices of my tempera pictures that I have sent out. I hope to sell some of them as they seem to
please everyone. But it is awfully hard
for anyone to buy pictures when bread is needed.”
By
the end of 1932, Moses wrote, “At seventy-six years of age, I am just as
capable of painting, and have the proper amount of ‘pep’ to back up my ambition
to turn out some picturesque bits, as I had fully forty years ago. I will not live long enough to realize my
fondest hopes of someday being recognized as a painter in oil, with an equal
amount of ability as I have displayed in scenic painting. I feel that my tempera pictures are
appreciated by all, even the artists. If
I could get the same in my oils, I would be thankful. I will wait for tomorrow
– maybe it will bring me the same plaudits that I have so often received in the
theatre. If not, I will pass on with the
happy thought that I tried my best and lost.
It was a pleasure to have made the effort.”
This is a long and contemplative post, so my apologies in
advance. Quarantine is providing me with a little too much time to think, hence
why I am painting so much; it silences the internal dialogue.
In 1918, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Pitt and Stella dropped in
on us from Trenton on my 62nd birthday on the 21st, and
we all enjoyed their surprise and their visit.” Pitt was Moses’ eldest son who
lived in New Jersey. Today, Moses may be considered three years away from retirement.
In 1918, he was mid-career with no retirement in sight. What were the physical
barriers of a scenic artist working in the early-twentieth century versus now?
There are a few things to consider about the careers of
scenic artists during the early twentieth century. The first is that they were
not working on the floor, most painted on a vertical frame, one that moved up
and down. Aged scenic artists didn’t have to crawl around on the floor to tack
down a drop, or bend over to paint some little detail. They did not spend a
lifetime having to suddenly drop to the floor or kneel for extended periods of
time.
Thomas G. Moses working at Less Lash Studios in New York, ca. 1910.
How long could scenic artists work during the
late-nineteenth and early twentieth century? Until death. If you don’t have to
kneel down, and the painting was at a comfortable height, why stop working? With
no social security net, stopping work at any point might not be an option. Take
away the physical obstacles and you could paint as long as your mind stayed
sharp.
It’s pretty simple if you deconstruct the early-twentieth
century painting process. What are the greatest obstacles that an older artist
may encounter in a shop if they are above the age of 60? Kneeling, crouching
and climbing. I am almost fifty-one years old and consider myself in pretty
good shape. I am overweight, but I have remained active my whole life and spent
hours working on the floor. Starting out as a dancer, the flexibility remains
with me – so far. That being said, I can no longer crawl around on my hands and
knees for extended periods of time anymore, without suffering the next day. I
had a big epiphany a few months ago when I was painting an ad drop on a
motorized paint frame at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. I was putting in
an ungodly amount of hours, all by myself, yet did not feel the strain. Although
I enjoyed what I was doing, the key for me was painting on a vertical paint
frame. At every step of the process, my painting was at the perfect
height. No over-reaching, no crouching
and no straining. Why would I need to ever retire if I could physically do the
work I love?
There is another thing to keep in mind about the early-twentieth
century American scenic studio that is really important– journeyman artists had
assistants. That is not the case with every journeyman artist now, especially
if you freelance and do not enjoy a permanent position. These young assistants,
“pot-boys” (for filling pots of paint), would tack up the drop on a vertical
frame, prime it and possibly base-coat many of the basic colors. If you were at
the top of your profession, you may only need to show up to paint the complex part
of scene, adding in flourishes to add dimension and sparkle. There are pros and
cons to our industry at every step it seems.
The industry really began to change in the 1920s – and then
completely shifted in the 1930s during the Great Depression. Scenic artists noted the shift in their
memoirs and in newspaper articles. Those who recalled the changing times at the
end of their life detailed the cause of change in scenic art. A few years back,
I read a series of letters between John Hanny and Dr. John Rothgeb from 1979.
They are now part of the Rothgeb collection at the University of Texas, Austin.
Hanny was hired at Sosman & Landis by Thomas G. Moses in 1906; he was 16
years old at the time and earning $6 a week. Although his salary increased
five-fold in six years, by 1920, he and four other artists left to form Chicago
Service Studios. That business only lasted six years. In 1926 Art Oberbeck of
ACME studios of Chicago bought the studio. Hanny’s scenic art career was
tumultuous at best beginning in the mid-1920s.
When asked by Dr. Rothgeb in 1979 to describe the era from
1900 to 1929, Hanny wrote the following:
“The depression of 1929 just about stopped the production of
stage scenery – at least in Chicago. Road shows, musicals, etc. if any were
being produced in New York and Hollywood. At this point all the studios
disappeared but the scene painter just couldn’t disappear and had to become
freelancers. There was no such thing as a steady job and the boys were hard put
to find a day’s pay. Most of the following 10 years were really tough and 1929
proved to be a big change in our business, in purpose, in design, paint and
other materials.” Hanny goes onto describe the emergence of a new theatrical
supplier: “These were not Scenic Studios but rather combinations of carpenter
and machine shops equipped to turn out booths, revolving turn tables,
electrical effects and so on. The art was done in any available loft or vacant
store space.”
This is when scenic art shifts from an art, to a craft; no
longer does painted illusion drive the industry, it almost becomes an after
thought of the production process. Yes, there are exceptions.
Hanny continues, “The biggest change to us painters was our
paints. Luminal Casein was pretty well established as a very practical and
useful medium so, it, and show card color was the norm. So – no more ‘dry’
colors – no more soup bowls or hot size, and of course no more paint frames.
Drops, if any were painted on the floor.” THIS is a turning point in American
scenic art. We abandon something that worked incredibly well for over a century.
Not everyone transitions to floor painting, and pockets remain with scenic
artists continuing to paint on vertical frames – just look at Hollywood. Scene
painting continues to thrive there more so than anywhere else in the United
States.
With the shift from painting on a vertical frame to the
floor for live theatre and industrial shows, standard techniques and tools also
changed. Hanny recalled, “The house painter’s sash brush came into use and many
of the former ‘tools’ such as snappers and center-poles and others were no
longer needed. The folding 2 ft. brass bound rule gave way to the yard stick.”
When this industry wide change occurred, Hanny was in his
forties and Moses was at the end of his career. I cannot imagine watching my
entire life’s work be condemned as “old fashioned” as much pictorial realism
went out of vogue. Think of the theatre world that Moses entered in 1873. He
was from the generation of scenic artists who chummed together on sketching
trips to gather resources. The generation who took art classes together at fine
art academies and garnered some of the top salaries in the theatre profession.
This was all ending, faster than any of them realized.
We talk about evolution in the theater industry;
technological innovations that herald change and produce ever-better products.
Sometimes the only way to forge ahead is to forget the past. If we don’t look back, we can’t lament what
is lost. Such was the case when the golden age of American scenic art came to
an end. 1880 to 1914 is what I consider the golden age of scenic art. Yes, I am
sure there are many who disagree with those dates. Much scenic art training simultaneously shifted
to academic institutions around this same time. This created a very different
atmosphere, a departure from scenic studios that began training sixteen-year-old
boys.
As with everything, a massive shift in any industry affects
the accepted standards. What we consider “beautiful” or even “acceptable” is
sometimes based on the lowest common denominator. As with many things,
“quality” work is relative to accepted industry standards and the times.
Part 551: The Phobias of Dry Pigment and Aniline Dye – Third of Three Parts
Over a fairly short period of time, the American scenic artists shifted from using dry colors to pre-mixed paints. Dry pigment and binder were replaced with a relatively expensive pre-mixed product in a can. In addition to the expense, pre-mixed paints had a limited shelf life and color selection. Keep in mind that dry colors can be stored almost indefinitely and used even after they freeze, get wet, or are stored in less than ideal conditions. The longevity of dry pigment is due to the fact that it is stored separately from the binder.
Cans of premixed paint
So why did we shift to a more expensive product, especially one with inferior paint colors and a shorter shelf life? Convenience is a big reason.
Selecting to use pre-mixed paints instead of dry pigment and hide glue is similar to deciding on take out in lieu of cooking a meal. When we buy fast food there is no shopping, preparation or clean up involved for that meal – just pull up, pay and drive away. You don’t even have to know how to cook. The same can be said for using pre-mixed paint in a can; no instruction needed, just open and apply. Pre-mixed paint was the great equalizer and removed some of the mystery from the scenic art process. You don’t have to understand how certain dry pigment colors interact with others or worry if the binder is either too weak or too strong.
But there is one factor to consider when we chose convenience. Just like preservatives placed in a variety of pre-made meals, we need to be aware of hidden ingredients in pre-mixed paint. Yesterday I alluded to ever changing paint formulas and additives introduced to the product; not all paint ingredients are safe. With dry pigments, we worried about the possibility of lead, cadmium, arsenic, or other dangerous ingredients in specific colors. However, beyond the concern of using certain colors, the binder was all natural, simply diluted hide glue. As scenic artists, WE controlled every ingredient that we were handling as we mixed our own colors and binders. This is not the case with pre-mixed paint produced by a company.
We also must always remember that paint manufacturers believe we solely handle and apply their product as recommended, and in a traditional manner with a brush, roller or sprayer. As scenic artists we have a variety of non-traditional practices when applying paint to scenery. We push the limits of the product and bend recommended handling procedures to achieve stunning effects. While doing this, we also get covered with paint.
Here is what I have observed thus far. Many scenic artists are much more cavalier with water-based products than their solvent-based counterparts – regardless of any warning. Water-based paints constantly get on our clothes and skin; we wear it like a badge, signifying what we are to the general public and our colleagues. Paint covers our shoes, socks, pants, shirts, sweatshirts and other personal items. Our phones, keys and jewelry all sport little droplets of paint. We spend hours spattering paint, squeezing paint out the bristles, cleaning spray guns, and scrubbing out buckets.
I have seldom encountered “tidy” scenic artists, those who wear street clothes that show no sign of their profession. We look back in wonder at early-twentieth-century photographs that depict scenic artists who painting in suits, showing very little paint spattered on their clothes. Our predecessors were smart to avoid dry pigment and hide glue from getting on their clothes and coming into contact with their skin.
Many artist’s don;t shy away from getting paint on our hands – we should.
A few years ago, I began wearing everyday clothes while painting. The immediate change in my behavior was astounding. I worked with the water-based paint as if it were solvent-based paint; avoiding contact with my skin or clothes at all costs. This immediate shift in my perception was fascinating. Our overall perception of all water-based paint needs to change. We must acknowledge that there are hidden dangers in pre-mixed paint and we have yet to discover them all.
Part 550: The Phobias of Dry Pigment and Aniline Dye – Second of Three Parts
Dye drop at the Theatre Museum in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. This museum features many of the design, drops, and scenic art tools of Jesse Cox.
Detail of dye drop at the Theatre Museum in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.
Detail of dye drop at the Theatre Museum in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.
During the first decade of the twentieth century, much traveling scenery was created with aniline dye, allowing drops to be easily folded and packed in a trunk. This process ensured that the painted composition would not crack or dust off during transit and repeated use.
Folded dye drop collection from the 1920s. This scenery is still used by the Scottish Rite in Madison, Wisconsin.
Dye drops were lighter and far easier to handle, perfect for tent shows, midway amusements, circuses, and vaudeville troupes. The vibrant colors of aniline dye also worked beautifully for certain stage effects, translucencies and stained glass. All you needed to mix it with gum arabic, or a similar binder, and it provided maximum adhesion and minimal bleeding of color. However, just like any chemistry project, you had to get the binder/water/dye ratios correct. For inking in charcoal lines, aniline dye was used with a little bit of shellac. Aniline dye was a wonderful and versatile “go-to” product for painting and staining.
Dye drop currently at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. This backdrop was produced with aniline dye and rented by the Eclipse Rental Dept. Inc of Chicago.
Detail of dye drop rented by the Eclipse Rental Dept. Inc of Chicago, now property of the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.
Detail of dye drop rented by the Eclipse Rental Dept. Inc of Chicago, now property of the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.
Fast-forward eighty years to the 1980s. Aniline dye was still used in some paint shops, and for more than just translucent effects. The dye was used to brightened paint colors, especially when some pre-mix batches began appearing lackluster and dull. A good dollop of aniline dye dumped into a five-gallon bucket of paint made most drab colors bright and beautiful. But this colorful additive did not necessarily make everyone grab a pair of gloves to prevent the paint from staining their hands, or threatening their health. This was not an anomaly, as the handling of aniline dye was different then; previous generations of scenic artists broke up clumps of aniline dye with their bare hands, not fully understanding the health hazards. We were just starting to acknowledge some dangers in our industry. I doubt that any of these scenic artists were trying to be irresponsible or dangerous to others; they simply didn’t have all of the facts to properly handle the product.
As a parallel topic, there were prolonged debates about cutting Styrofoam with a hot wire. Some of my colleagues insisted it was perfectly safe, while others were adamant that it was an incredibly dangerous process. I then also think about the debates concerning the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke – dangerous or not? We now know the science. It takes time to identify health concerns and disseminate the information to the general public. It takes time to establish and implement proper safeguards. In many cases, something has to happen for a safety warning to be included on a label – or a warning label to go on a product at all. Whether it is a problem documented during the testing of animals, or problems identified among a group of users, a consensus is reached to prior to adding a warning. For scenic artists there can be a long list of health concerns. Some are extremely hard to diagnose if the majority of users also smoke and are exposed to other airborne toxins.
So lets consider how an industry implements changes in handling procedures or identifies alternative products. Is it simply easier for us to distance ourselves from a controversial product that has been used for decades? How does that compare with trying to raise awareness about how to safely handle this product? These discussions become complicated if some belittle those addressing health concerns. Regardless, we now fully understand the necessary for safety precautions that must be in place when handling aniline dye. Has this information arrived too late? Why are some toxic paints acceptable and others not? Aniline dye is still readily available and actively sought out by woodworkers, leatherworkers and other artisans, just not scenic artists. Why?
It is understandable that we constantly seek safer products, especially in lieu of altering our handling methods for a familiar product. Are the new products really safer, or are we once unaware of the hidden dangers once again?
It takes decades of use and generations of artists to identify certain problems or health hazards associated with a particular product. New products simply can’t enter the market place with every danger being known. One example is the popular alternative to aniline dye – thinned supersaturated paint. This switch seems completely reasonable, and far safer. But what if we are unfamiliar with all of the ingredients and take very little care in the handling of this seemingly safe water-based product?
As an artists I read the safety data sheets (SDS). However, it is difficult to read it more than once, beyond that first time prior to handling a new product. It is difficult to continue examining information on updated SDS prior to every use, especially after our initial investigation; certainly when we have limited time and/or are freelancing where this research occurs on our own dime. Regardless, we must remember that many paint formulas change. Cheaper pigments are discovered or other ingredients are added to increase overall flexibility and shelf life. Changes also occur to a formula based on increasing the profit margin. This practice is not unusual and occurs in many other manufacturing industries. However, as scenic artists, we must look beyond the subtle color shifts in new batches of paint.
We must read, and re-read, every SDS each time we handle the product, even if we have been using this same product for years. We must also remember that even when paint formulas remain consistent, acceptable exposure levels could change; new information may come to light. When was the last time that you looked at an SDS for a product that you have used for over a decade? Look one up online and read it again.
Part 549: The Phobias of Dry Pigment and Aniline Dye – First of Three Parts
This seems to be an appropriate time to discuss both dry pigment and aniline dye. There will be three installments about these products.
Dry pigments are available for purchase online
Liquid aniline dye are available for purchase online
In the past, I have tried to avoid this subject. Discussing the use of dry pigment and aniline dye has become a hot button topic for some within the American theatre community, almost as volatile right now as discussing politics. That being said, safety has always been my first priority. I constantly refer to safety data sheets for paint products, taking precautions to protect both others and myself at all times. I take pride in being familiar with traditional and new products, as well the dangers for each. Over the decades, artists’ palettes have been affected by the ebb and flow of color availability.
I start the dry pigment and the aniline dye debate with my own personal stance: I believe that all paints are dangerous when they become airborne and you inhale the product – whether wet or dry. I cannot think of a single paint product where any manufacturer will tell you that their colors can be safely inhaled or ingested. As an artist, it is my job to carefully research and handle all paint materials that I encounter, as well as training my students in the safest way to handle, mix and apply paints. Yet, many in our industry are quick to point out the dangers of dry pigment and aniline dye, especially focusing on their powder form during the initial stages of mixing. Not all pigments arrived at the studio in dry form. Keep in mind that going from dry to wet is a self-contained step. While mixing the dry pigment paste, one takes the proper safety precautions, such as respirators and gloves. These are the same safety precautions when encountering anything that becomes airborne, such as sanding treated/painted/stained wood, foam, fiberglass and other materials used for theatre scenery. Many artists prepare the surfaces that they will paint, and this even includes the sanding of gesso layers.
There was a shift in our industry about two decades ago; dry pigments and aniline dyes went from being used in university shops to being avoided at all costs. What happened? Dry pigments and aniline dyes are still manufactured and distributed all over the world, used by a variety of artisans for many projects.
Dry pigment available for online purchase
Dry pigment available for onllne purchase
Dry pigment available for online purchase
We can purchase dry pigment from many local art stores throughout North America, Europe and the United Kingdom; we can even order it online. Keep in mind that dry pigment, aniline dye, and hide glue ship Amazon Prime. There are even aniline dye starter kits with set colors for fine artists to use in the comfort of their own home. Website warnings include, “a respirator mask should be worn so that no pigment dust is inhaled.” Pretty straightforward, isn’t it? Dry pigment no longer arrives by the pound in brown paper bags with only the manufacturer label and color. For some dry pigment containers, labels may include additional information and directions; this is standard procedure for most paints today. It helps companies protect themselves from a client’s ignorance about the product.
Dry pigment is readily available from Gamblin, Sennelier, Cornelissen, Langridge Artists Colours, Dick Blick, Michaels, Grapewoods International, Earth Pigments, Pip Seymour Fine Art Products, Kama Pigments, Newton Art Supplies, and many others. Some dry pigment is still shipped in glass jars due to high lead content of the product. Small amounts of dry pigment, like most other products when sold at retail price in minimal quantities, are very expensive. Huge amounts of dry pigment are still purchased by art supply manufacturers, such as Golden acrylics or Conté Crayons.
Dr pigment available for purchase
Aniline dyes are also purchased and used by both individuals and large companies today. Aniline dye manufacturers include Keda Dye and J. E. Moser’s, just to name a few. Woodworkers and those who stain leather love working with aniline dyes due to their transparency and brilliancy; Gibson guitars are even stained with aniline dyes. Like other paint products that we handle in our profession, aniline is a known toxic substance during the application of the product. It has been linked with causing bladder cancer since the late 1890s. Safety precautions are crucial while handling, the same as with many paints.
Liquid aniline dye available for purchase, marketed to leather workers
Powder aniline dye available for purchase, marketed to woodworkers
Aniline dyes used for staining wood
Guitars are often stained with aniline dyes
Sadly, after continued use by generations of scenic artists, a significant part of our theatrical heritage linked to both dry pigments and dyes has been lost. This shift happened relatively quickly. This is especially unfortunate since we now live in a time where safe handling procedures for all art products are readily available to the users. Many scenic artists are simply unfamiliar with the use of dry pigment and aniline dye because they have been labeled as “dangerous.” This means that many historical scene-painting techniques specifically associated with those products are now veiled in mystery. It is unbelievable that techniques associated with a centuries-old trade could be lost so quickly over the span of just a few decades.
The theater community has simply decided that we no longer use dry pigments and aniline dyes. Ever. Again. They are deemed “unsafe.” Fair enough. But, if they are handled properly, as with any paint product that is out there, they can be enjoyed and the traditions passed along to future generations. Keep in mind that a far worse product readily available to scenic artists in prop shops and paint studios is spray paint. It is extremely dangerous. Yet, we are expected to safely handle this product with proper ventilation in a spray booth. Why did we so quickly turn our backs against dry pigment and aniline dye while continuing to embrace other equally dangerous coatings?
Let’s look as what has been lost due to our inability to believe that professionals can use these products safely. Twentieth-century scenery, like that produced before it, was painted with dry pigment and diluted hide glue. We know that dry pigment and aniline dyes should be mixed in a spray booth while wearing protective clothing, a respirator and chemical gloves. This is not too much to ask, as we constantly handle and mix many other dangerous products. When I handle dry pigment, aniline powder, or any paint for that matter, safety comes first. I control the color, I prepare the environment, and I take precautions to prevent any overspray or contamination to people and other projects nearby. These are the same precautions that should be taken for all paint procedures.
Now let’s think about the danger of other toxic particles floating around scenic artists in a shop. I want to put the “dust danger” of pigment in context for those of us who paint scenery used for theatre, opera, theme parks, industrial shows, and other venues. Although I may always try to take proper safety precautions while handling any type of paint, those around me may not take similar precautions with their own projects. I am not just speaking to my fellow artists, but also the sculptors and carpenters who construct and carve massive set pieces created from wood, foam, steel and other materials. What I have noticed over the years is that I am always at the mercy of those working around me. I can control the potential dangers associated with my own project, but not the projects of others working nearby, especially those cutting or sanding treated lumber, foam, fiber glass, plaster, or other materials. The dust from these products may be extremely dangerous.
We work in an industry where many airborne toxins are prevalent, some of which are never acknowledged or addressed. Even when there are regulations, standard air quality tests are not common practice for every shop, especially during periods of high productivity. So why did dry pigment and aniline dye take the rap a few decades back, becoming the poster children for “shop danger?” There are several factors to consider that I’ll discuss in detail tomorrow.
Part 520: Palette & Chisel, October 1927 – Creating Stock Scenery
Thomas G. Moses was a member of the Palette and Chisel Club in Chicago and contributed a variety of articles to their monthly newsletter during the late 1920s. His series “Stage Scenery” began during September 1927, however, it was originally written during the spring of 1918.
Here is the third part of Moses’ “Stage Scenery” in the Palette & Chisel newsletter during October 1927:
“The material used to paint on is a fine grade Russian linen and a heavy grade of cotton cloth. Linen is used for all scenery on frames; the cotton is used for drops and borders, usually called “hangers.” The lumber is a fine grade of clear, white pine, without knots or sap. It has to be very clear and straight grained so it will stand upright without too much bracing.
Bottom sandwich batten for backdrops
Bottom sandwich batten for backdrops
After the canvas has been carefully prepared with a priming coat of whiting and glue is thoroughly dried, the artist draws his design with charcoal, which must be carefully done. In many cases the model must be laid off in squares and the same is carried up on the drop or set pieces. This enables the artist to produce the model exactly as part of the paint frame is below the bridge most of the time so the artist cannot see all of the drop. After the scene is drawn in it is traced with ink, which enables the artist to lay in the main local colors without destroying the drawing. The drawing out of an interior is very laborious. The work has to be done very accurately and pounces and stencils made, as there are many pieces to be covered.
In case of a landscape, they sky is laid in first, distance follows, then the middle distance, and there are many pieces to be covered.
In case of a landscape, the sky is laid in first, distance follows, then the middle distance, and the foreground last. The trees are run up when the sky is dry, which takes a short time. After all the broad “masses” of the “lay in” are dry and a clean palette has been arranged by the “paint boy” and the pots and pails holding the “lay in” are placed under the palette, “(a clear space is required for the many tints that are mixed on the palette, several small cups of dark purple and a strong rich color is used to emphasize the darks in the foreground) comes the careful work of finishing a landscape; strong shadows and half tones in foliage up to the strongest flickering of sunlight. We now take a little more time for our work. The “lay in” had to be done very quickly as it is very essential that the colors be kept will blend, which, in turn, makes the “cut up” easier. A drop representing a landscape 24×36 feet in size can be “laid in” with a lot of rough detail inside of two or three hours and retain wet edges.
As the distemper colors dry out several shades lighter t causes many anxious moments to a novice. There was no trouble with color fading or changing before fireproofing; it eats all the blue (especially Cobalt) out of purple, leaving a bad color, neither a blue nor red, which makes trouble for the artist.
Showing difference between wet and dry pigment colors during the painting process
In most cases, in painting a landscape, the artist endeavors to obtain his dark colors in the “lay in” so that when the “cut up” comes it will be all light colors. Most of the artists start to finish the drops from the foreground, getting the strength of the foreground first. Big, broad strokes are what count. It may look rather coarse close by, but when the completed scene is properly lighted you will find a surprise awaiting you. We know how to light a scene, but often some of our best effects are purely accidental. We follow these accidents up, develop them, and find soft, atmospheric color, all to be done with electricity.
Looking up at a collection of backdrops and seeing the bottom battens
Stock scenery for small halls and opera houses and for large vaudeville theatres has grown to be quite a business. Scenic studios have sprung up like mushrooms all over the country. To get the very best facilities for handling all sizes of scenery, the studio has to have a height of at least 54 feet, allowing a drop 30 feet high to be painted from a stationary floor, 24 feet from the basement floor. The width of the studio should be at least 50 feet and 150 feet in length. A building of these dimensions will accommodate fifteen paint frames, giving work for fifteen artists, five paint boys, four helpers to handle the scenery on and off the frames, two sewing women and six carpenters to build and prepare the frames for the scenes. This would constitute a first class studio and turn put a lot of work.”
Part 409: “Art on the Stage” 1881, Secrets of the Scene Painter
“The Building News and Engineering Journal” published an article on the art of scene painting 1881. Here is the second of three parts.
“Secrets of the Scene-Painter
The next step is the laying in of the groundwork. The sky is, of course, the first point. This is done with whitewash brushes, the painter being absolutely free from all restraint in his method of putting on the colour. The principal point is to get it on quickly. And here the great advantages of painting in distemper become thoroughly plain. These advantages are two in number: the first is, that the colour dries very quickly, thus affording the artist a high rate of speed in working; secondly, all the colours retain, when dry, precisely the same tint as they had before being mixed. The addition of the sizing makes each colour several shades darker than it is when simply in the powdered state. The knowledge of this fact and thorough understanding of the effect the tints will produce after drying is one of the great secrets of the art. Oil-painters of high standing have been known to try the distemper method with utterly disastrous results. Colours mixed with oil always darken several shades and remain dark. Colours mixed with sizing always dry out to their original shade.
Image by Marc D. Hill. He has some amazing pictures. Here is the link: https://hiveminer.com/Tags/old,powder
Different painters have different methods, and there is as much variety in the school of scene-painting as in other branches of art. The German, French, and American artists use opaque washes, or, as it is usually expressed, work in “body colour.” The English school, in which the greatest advances have been made, use thin glazes. This in scene painting is the quickest and most effective. Morgan, Marston, Fox, and Voegtlin are among the leading representatives of this school in America, and their method is gradually spreading among the artists of that country. Its rapidity may be judged from the fact that one of these artist’s lately painted a scene measuring twenty by thirty feet in less than four hours.
One of the greatest differences in scene-painting from ordinary water-colour painting is that, while the colours of the latter are transparent, those of the former are opaque. For instance, the water-colour painter can lay in a wash of yellow ochre, and, by covering it when dry, with a light coat of madder lake, can transform it to a soft orange. In distemper, however, the coat of madder lake would not allow the yellow to show but would completely hide it, and the tint presented would be pure pink. From this fact results a total difference in the painting of foliage. The water-colour painter lays in his light tints first and puts in his shadows afterwards. The scene-painter may do this or not as he pleases. He may put his light tints over his dark ones and they will not lose any of their brilliancy. The advantage of this in regard to speed may be easily seen. If the water-colour painter wishes to put a high light in the middle of a shadow, he must first erase with a sharp knife a portion of his dark tint, or else put on a heavy spot of Chinese white. Over the spot thus erased or whitened he puts the required tint. The distemper painter is relieved of this roundabout process, for he simply dots in his light colour wherever he needs it over the darker shade, and it shows with perfect brilliancy. Again, in painting skies the scene-painter works by a method of his own, not unlike that adopted by oil-painters. The water-colour painter must leave all the broad light of his sky when putting in the main colour, and is obliged to work with his tints wet. The scene-painter may lay in the entire sky with blue, and paint his light yellowish clouds over it afterward. If the ordinary water-colour painter were to do this, his clouds would be green. Some scene-painters, however, work their entire skies wet. The effect of a sky painted thus is always very fine, but only an artist thoroughly conversant with the values of his several pigments can do this. For the colours, it will be remembered, present a very different appearance when wet from that which they have when dry.
Scene-painting has become so important an art that one large firm in New York makes a great specialty of imported materials. There is a long list of colours and other things used exclusively in scenic art, and improvements are being constantly made. Formerly scene-painters were obliged to grind their own colours, but these are now prepared in “pulp” – that is, ground in water. Among the colours used almost exclusively by scenic artists are English white, Paris white, zinc white, silver white, drop black, Frankfort black, Turkey umbers, Italian siennas, Cologne earth, Dutch pink, Schweinfurter green, Neuwieder green, ultramarine green, Bremen blue, azure blue, Persian scarlet, Turkey red, Tuscan red, Solferino, Magenta, Munich lake, Florentine lake, Vienna lake, and blue lake. Some of these colours are also used by fresco painters.
Those which are never used except by scenic artists are celestial blue, golden ochres, green lakes, Milori greens, French green and yellow lakes. The colours specially imported for scene-painters are carnation, royal purples, green lakes, and the English chromes. Indigo is used in very large quantities by scenic artists, but it is used very moderately by water-colour artists. It adds considerably to the expense of getting up scenery.
The mission of Historic Stage Services LLC is to help clients make informed decisions about their historic backstage area, especially when considering the repair and restoration of damaged scenery collections. Selecting an individual, or company, to restore water-damaged areas to their original brilliance necessitates decades of experience and an in-depth knowledge of historical scenic art techniques. It is crucial that the individual hired to restore water-damaged areas really understands the original dry pigment paint media and historical paint application techniques.
This article is intended as a resource to help you understand how historical scenery was manufactured, the precautionary measures to take when handling these large-scale artworks, and the various levels of restoration offered by Historic Stage Services LLC. Why? It may be one of the most important decisions that you will make in regards to your stage, as it will directly affect the health of your performers and audience members, in addition to the overall longevity of your scenery collection.
Water damage to roll drop at the Scottish Rite in Danville, Virginia.
Water damage is often perceived as a death sentence to any historical backdrop. Colors can dust or mold can form in damaged areas. Some may suggest that dry rot has set in and the scene is beyond repair. The damaged scenes are thrown out, or left unused high above the stage floor. Restoring a water-damaged drop is never simple, but it is always an option. Almost everything is reparable, no matter how unsightly and fragile it may appear. We have the techniques to restore severely water-damaged scenes.
The process to remove or conceal the water-damaged area is time consuming and complicated. This article is not intended as a do-it-yourself guide, or any instructional manual. It will give you a working knowledge of the process. If a proposed budget and timeline seem too good to be true, it may indicate that the individual or organization is inexperienced and will take short cuts. Restoring a water-damaged area to its original appearance takes time, talent, historical materials and years of training. We will provide you with options.
Distemper Painting
Most historical scenery collections were painted with a combination of dry pigment (powdered color) and size water (diluted animal hide glue). This process is also referred to as distemper painting. The powdered color was transformed into a paste and then mixed with size on the scenic artists’ palette before applying the mixture to a backdrop. It is a complicated process that demanded years of training.
The type of paint used by scenic artists to create stage settings included only three ingredients: color, water and binder. When a roof leaks or a pipe bursts above the stage, any backdrop below is in immediate peril – especially if it was created with distemper paint. If smoke doors accidentally open up above a stage during a rainstorm, historical backdrops can be destroyed in an instant. When water touches a painting produced with dry pigment and size, the colors are immediately reconstituted into a soft state. The painted surface can return to its liquid form rather quickly. We specialize in the use of dry pigment and size water. All of our repairs and restoration techniques use historical materials and paint mediums, don’t settle for anything less.
The Dye Line
There are only two ways to conceal the heavy concentration of color that is characteristic of a dye line resulting from water damage – removal or sealing. One method is to remove the line of consolidated pigment; this necessitates scraping it off of the fabric as depicted in the photograph below.
Scraping off the dye ring
Sealing the dye ring
Another way to conceal a dye line is to apply a sealant on top of the concentrated pigment. This approach attempts to ensure that the color will not continue to permeate the top surface of any new painting. In other words the dye line will continue to reappear in the top layer of paint, even after dozens of coats, unless it is sealed or removed. Historic Stage Services LLC specializes in both methods after evaluating the condition of the fabric and severity of the dye ring.
Cleaning
Regardless of the water damage, the entire painted composition needs to be cleaned prior to any repair or restoration. If the dye line was scraped off, the surface must be cleaned a second time, as any loose paint particles will contaminate the surrounding areas. First, a low-suction dust extractor is used on both the painted surface and backside to remove most of the contaminants. This process necessitates using a HEPA filter in your dust extractor to prevent any potential toxins from becoming airborne. Particle masks must be worn during this entire process – not only by those working on the drop, but also by everyone in the room.
Removing loose surface contaminants with a low-suction dust extractor
It is imperative to understand that over time, a variety of pollutants have settled on the surface of both front and back of a painted drop. These contaminants range from mortar dust and flash powder to bat guano and pigeon excrement. The typical color of the dirt layer can range from a mid-tone grey to a soot black. This layer of filth darkens the light areas and lightens the dark areas, thus reducing the overall contrast of values in the composition. In addition to removing the loose surface contaminants, there is often a layer of deeply embedded dirt and grime that needs to be extracted prior to any repair. Simple dust extraction with a vacuum will not remove this embedded layer of filth.
It requires the use of additional cleaning methods, such as dry chemical sponges and archival putty. The appropriate product cannot be determined until after close inspection of the damage and evaluation of the painted surface. No color should ever come off of the drop while cleaning it, especially with a sponge. If color does come off, it indicates that the binder has failed and is indicative of a much larger problem.
Removing deeply-embedded contaminants with archival putty
Consolidating the Painted Surface
When the binder of distemper paint fails, the color begins to fall off of the fabric. Backdrops with this problem must have the loose particles consolidated to prevent further deterioration. In other words, the dusting colors need to be stabilized so that they will not flake off of the fabric. To stop the dusting of dry colors, an application of the original binder, or diluted hide glue called “size,” must be sprayed onto the painted surface.
Spraying the painted surface with a diluted hide glue solution to consolidate the loose dry pigment
If left untreated, the backdrop’s color and composition will lose all depth and vibrancy. The composition then takes on the appearance of stained fabric. In this situation, only the color absorbed into the fabric during initial paint application remains visible. All of the color on the surface falls to the stage floor or becomes airborne. Some colors are hazardous when they become airborne.
The inhalation or ingestion of dry pigment may carry toxins, posing a potential health threat to all who inhale it. The overall hazard is dependent on the specific color and its chemical properties. Some colors are primarily inert and pose no imminent health threat, while others may contain harmful ingredients such as lead, arsenic or cadmium. Only a scientific analysis of each color can verify the pigment’s origin and define its toxicity. All dusting pigments should be considered dangerous until proven otherwise.
Examples of Our Work
Below are before and after pictures of a severely damaged backdrop owned by the Church of St. Patrick in Shieldsville, Minnesota. Wendy Waszut-Barrett, president of Historic Stage Services LLC and former founder of Bella Scena LLC, completed the work during February 2018.
Before restoration by Historic Stage Services LLC
After restoration by Historic Stage Services LLC
Here is another example of restoring a scene and concealing water damage for the York Rite of Freemasonry in Duluth, Minnesota.
Damaged scene being prepared for restoration at Historic Stage Services Studio
Restored scene for Duluth York Rite degree production with new painted scrim insert in center of the drop
Restored scene placed in lodge room at Duluth Masonic Center, 2014.
Part 385: Sosman & Landis – “Working Slapdash Fashion”
In 1889 W. J. Lawrence suggested that the English school of scenic art in America was superior when he wrote the article “Scenery and Scenic Artists” for “The Gentleman’s Magazine.” It was republished in “The Theatre” (July 13, 1889, page 371-374). Lawrence wrote, “Not only are English scene painters, at the present day, unrivalled in the several departments of their art, but instances are not wanting to show that they have improved the technique and carried their reformation into other countries.” The “improved technique” was the practice of glazing that had replaced the application of the European technique solid colors on backdrops in some schools, but not all American scenic artists adopted the glazing technique.
Two years later, the American scenic artist Arthur Palmer suggested that the English school of scenic art in America was far superior to that from any other country, writing, “English scenic artists as a class possess a breadth and freedom of style that are unequaled by those of any other nationality. These qualities, which are the highest excellences in scene painting, are especially noticeable in their landscapes, which are simply unapproachable, possessing, as they do at once a beauty, a realism and a fidelity to nature which we look for in vain in the work of the scenic artists of any other land” (“The Morning Call,” San Francisco, CA, 22 February 1891, page 13).
Palmer’s and Lawrence’s comments are part of the growing evidence that suggests there was the not only the development of two distinct schools of scenic art in America, but also the competition between the schools. There were those who were adhered to the English school of glazing and those who adhered to the Central European tradition of solid colors, and “never the twain shall meet.” By the late nineteenth century, the Central European school was the predominant one in the Midwestern United States, and subsequently, driving the market. By the 1890s, Chicago was major theatrical manufacturing center, remaining steeped in the European traditions of solids colors. When considering the thousands of backdrops produced by Midwestern scenic artists, it is apparent that they were guiding the accepted aesthetic in the region by sheer volume. If you also consider the influx of immigrants from Europe and Scandinavia to the Midwest at this time, there is a further support of the European painting traditions. Remember that in 1885, twenty of Europe’s top panorama artists were brought to the Milwaukee to work for the American Panorama Company (see installments #276-281). Many scenic artists would work as both theatre artists and panorama artists during the late-nineteenth century. This migration also points to the development of large studios that employed dozens of artists, all needing to worked together and share a similar approach.
In Lawrence’s article, he also commented about the work of scenic studios, and he was not complimentary about the rapidity of their process or the final product. The last section of Lawrence’s article specifically addresses the hundreds of stock scenery installation by the scenery by the firm of Sosman & Landis. Here is what Lawrence wrote in 1889:
“Paradoxically enough, America enjoys at once the somewhat equivocal honor of having elevated scene painting to the highest pitch of artistic excellence on the one hand, and degraded it to the lowest level of mechanical production on the other. While the leading scenic artists, attached or otherwise, have improved the technique by a judicious blend of the various European systems, commercial enterprise and the universal custom of touring have occasioned the upraising of several scenic depots where orders from the innumerable small theatres which abound in the States are completed “with promptitude and dispatch.” Under existing circumstances it is conceivable that the lessee of every miserable little “opera-house” (Americanese for lecture-hall) in Southern America cannot afford to keep a scenic artist on the premises. To meet the demands for the new stocks of scenery which are generally laid in when the little theatre is first erected, several scenic firms have sprung up in St. Louis, Chicago, Kansas and elsewhere, which employ artists of marked inferiority and turn out work which bears as much resemblance to the genuine article as a chromo does to an oil-painting. Produced almost entirely by mechanical means, no wonder it has been facetiously dubbed “patent medicine scenery.” In this way the firm of Sosman and Landis of Chicago, which employs about twenty-five “artists,” has in the course of nine years supplied upwards of a thousand places of entertainment with complete stocks of scenery. That such work falls short of the domain of art is clearly proven by the fact that it is not unusual for these firms to receive an order by telegraph in the morning for a scene, say thirty feet square, which will be completed dried, and sent on its way to the purchaser before nightfall. So far as the scenic depot is concerned the days of glazing and second painting are gone forever. What matters is that the adoption of the broadest system of treatment possible – working slapdash fashion in a full body colors- makes the painting crude and garish? All the more merit: for the average provincial American gives his vote for gaudiness and plenty of it.”
Ouch.
Sosman & Landis “Great Scene Painting Studio” catalogue for the 1894-1895 season, Chicago.
