Electric Scenic Theatre – Drypigment.net

Sosman & Landis: Shaping the Landscape of American Theatre. Employee No. 43 – Chauncey D. Baker

Chauncey D. Baker worked at Sosman & Landis during the 1890s. He was credited as the electrical engineer for the firm’s two electric scenic theaters at the newly-constructed Masonic Temple in Chicago.

On February 10, 1894, an article in “Scientific American,” entitled “A City Under One Roof – The Masonic Temple,” described the new building at the corner of Randolph and State streets. The article reported, “Of all the buildings of our Western sister Chicago, none is more remarkable than the Masonic Temple, a structure which, in its functions, dimensions and construction, is one of the unique buildings of the world. In spite of its name, it is proudly claimed to be the “highest commercial building in the world.” In it we find exemplified the union of Freemasonry and commerce, a four and one-half-million-dollar building supplying beautiful halls and parlors for Masonic rites, as well as an unequaled collection of business offices.”

Atop of the massive structure was the Masonic Temple Roof Garden. In 1894, Sosman and Landis Scene Painting Studio designed, installed and managed two electric scenic theaters, situated at the roof garden level. The firm was diversifying, investing profits from Columbian Exhibition projects. New business endeavors included the establishment of the American Reflector & Lighting Co. and the theatrical management firm of Sosman, Landis & Hunt. The Masonic Temple roof garden was a culmination of the two; their first management theatre project before branching out and leasing other theaters throughout the region.

Sosman & Landis’s 1894 catalogue includes advertisements for both the Masonic Temple Roof Garden and the American Reflector & Lighting Co.

*Back cover of Sosman & Landis catalogue, 1894.*

*American Reflector & Lighting Equipment Co. advertisement in 1894 Sosman & Landis catalogue.*

Embracing electrical potential, Sosman & Landis began to expand the scope of their projects to electrical services and equipment. Already in 1889 company catalogues had offered a wide range of lighting equipment for performance venues, including the Eclipse.

*Lighting equipment offered in 1889 Sosman & Landis catalogue.*

By the 1890s, Sosman & Landis employed a full team of electricians, and leading their team electrical engineer, Chauncey D. Baker. Baker was considered a genius in his field, with four patents already filed.

Baker’s Masonic Temple project, however, was a game-changer for the firm. It highlighted the potential of electrical lights for the stage and scenic possibilities, using a very public, popular and accessible platform. The two electric scenic theaters were designed to accommodate seventy-five patrons each. They both featured a scenic metamorphosis that was aided by electrical lighting equipment. Although the firm only managed the venue for a year, it was a massive undertaking at the time.

When the Columbian Exposition closed, work slowed down at many scenic studios. It was at this time that Sosman & Landis planned an entertainment venue for the Masonic Temple Roof Garden. Sosman was a well-known Scottish Rite Mason and heavily involved with the production of new scenery for fraternal stages in the building. Joseph S. Sosman was a Scottish Rite Mason, and had been involved with the Fraternity in Chicago for years. Sosman & Landis were well known for specializing in of painted settings for fraternal productions and other activities. They even took out advertisements in a variety of Masonic periodicals. Including “The American Mason,” noted as a “Weekly Journal for the Craft.” The publication boasted a 10,000 circulation among Masons. Sosman & Landis placed an advertisement in the Dec. 3, 1892, issue that featured the new Masonic Temple in Chicago. They advertisement stated, “We make a specialty of Scenery for Illustrating the Different Degrees in Masonry. Nothing adds so much to the impressiveness of degrees as appropriate scenery. Much superior in every way to magic lantern or stereopticons.”

*Sosman & Landis advertisement in* “The American Mason,” *1892.*

*Chicago’s new Masonic Temple was featured in* “The American Mason,” *Dec. 3, 1892.*

Sosman & Landis decided to replicate two experiences from the Columbian Exposition: “A Day in the Alps” and “Court of Honor.” Articles about the new Masonic Temple noted that “A Day in the Alps” went beyond a mere imitation and included “extended improvements,” with more attention paid to detail.

*The Masonic Temple in Chicago featured a rooftop garden and two electric scenic theaters.*

The electric theaters at the Masonic Temple were located 302 feet up from street level, providing an added incentive the visit the new performance venue. Even the journey to the top floor was an adventure worth taking. On Feb. 10, 1894, an article in “Western Electrician” described the ascent to the rooftop performance venue: “Upon entering the building a visitor’s attention is attracted by a large sign composed of incandescent lamps in the form of a hand pointing upward and the words ‘Electric Scenic Theaters.’ From the tip of the forefinger of the hand a row of lights extends upward the entire height of the building to the garden. This is called a “chaser,” and the lamp globes are of different colors. By means of a switch light passes along the line, changing in hue as it ascends, until it reaches the glass roof of the building.” This switch, as well as with all of the electrical devices for the electric scenic theater was credited to C. D. Baker, the electrical engineer for Sosman & Landis.

Images posted to Chicagology. Here is the link: https://chicagology.com/goldenage/goldenage026/

I am going to include details of Baker’s work for the Masonic Roof Garden stages, as it gives some context for his position at Sosman & Landis during the 1890s.

The first electric scenic theatre replicated “A Day in the Alps” from the Columbian Exposition’s Midway Plaisance. 1893 World Fair guidebooks described the production in detail: “The stage picture is a beautiful Swiss Alpine scenery, depicting in a realistic way every change of nature shown from dawn to night, as each gradually appears, and representing some of the most wonderfully realistic light effects ever produced by electric lamps. It is almost beyond belief that the visitor is not looking at a marvelous production of nature itself, instead of a picture created by an ingenious and artistic display of electric lights.”

*The Electric Scenic Theatre at the Columbian Exposition, 1893.*

*Photographs of the Electric Scenic Theaters and Masonic Temple Roof Garden, posted to Chicagology.*Images posted to Chicagology. Here is the link: https://chicagology.com/goldenage/goldenage026/

Similarly, the Masonic rooftop production also presented a transformative alpine scene. The mountain stream running through the miniature painted setting was actually a motion picture screen, adding increased realism to the running water and activities of the townspeople. Upon the river’s banks were miniature houses, a chapel and mill. A castle was nestled high above in the snow-capped mountains, overlooking the village scene. Down below, villagers crossed a bridge – their projection on the central river screen. The show started with the midnight toll of the bell, and the gloaming of dawn gradually transitioning to a brilliant sunlit scene. Midway through the production, a thunderstorm approached the mountain valley, passing by with loud thunder and vivid flashes of lightning. The calms and the sun sets, with the moon rising high above in the night sky. There is a moment of tranquility as the clock strikes midnight. Lighting effects for the production necessiated focusing lamps, rheostat boxes, switches, reflectors and other devices placed behind the scene.

The second electric scenic theater depicted the “Court of Honor,” presenting a view from the Columbian Exposition’s agricultural building. Like “A Day in the Alps,” the scene transitioned from morning to night, changing the appearance of the neoclassical buildings that surrounded the central lagoon. In front of the administration and electricity buildings, gondolas and electric launches shifted position, underscored with band music in the background. As evening approached, electrical lights outlined the White City, beautifully reflected in the tranquil lagoon. The February 24, 1894, issue of “Western Electrician” described, “Searchlight effects flash from one building to another, and the administration building, with its handsome decorative lighting scheme, shines resplendent under these streams of light.” The article also noted that some of the illumination was achieved using a Packard mogul lamp (300-candle power).

The two electric scenic theaters also incorporated Steele MacKaye’s luxauleator, also known as “a curtain of light.” The luxauleator consisted of a border of incandescent lights around the four sides of the stage opening. An invention credited to MacKaye, newspapers described it as “a peculiar optical illusion” originally created for his Spectatorium. Unfortunately, the construction of this massive scenic electric theater was never completed for the Columbian Exposition and the project was abandoned (see past installment #187: https://drypigment.net2017/08/24/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-acquiring-the-fort-scott-scenery-collection-for-the-minnesota-masonic-heritage-center-part-187-hardesty-g-maratta-and-the-spectatorium/).

MacKaye’s original patent for his curtain of lights claimed, “In combination with the proscenium opening, a series of lamps bordering the same and provided with backings adapted to throw the space back of the lamps and the opening into complete shade, while flooding the opposite portion of the space with light so as to form in effect a vivid curtain or screen of light that will intercept all sight of persons or things occupying the shaded portion of the space, substantially as described.” On May 26, 1893, “The Wichita Eagle” described how the luxauleator used rows of lamps that were placed in conical shaped reflectors. The newspaper article reported, “The modus operandi was very simple, the mere turning of a switch being all that is necessary; the same movement of the switch that throws the current of electricity into the lamps of the luxauleator, also turns out all the lights upon the stage and the effect produced the same as if one were sitting in a brilliantly lighted room and endeavored to look out into darkness” (page 6). MacKaye’s lighting effects were detailed in an article for the February 24, 1894, issue of “Western Electrician” (Vol. XIV, No. 8). Here is a link to the article in Google Books, as it has some really wonderful images and information: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Western_Electrician/N3Q2AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22luxauleator%22&pg=PA86&printsec=frontcover

This lighting effect was incorporated by Sosman & Landis into the two electric scenic theaters. The firm heavily relied upon the skills of Baker at this time for many of their electrical offerings and projects. Unfortunately, beyond four patents and a couple directory listings, little is known about this electrical engineer. Here is what I have located to date about Baker:

Chauncey D. Baker was born in Vermont on March 26, 1848 in Vermont. One would think that the name “Chauncey” would help refine and limit the search; it did not. There were an unbelievable number of Chauncey Baker’s running around America during the late nineteenth century. The earliest listing that I have for Baker in Chicago is from 1887, but he was already living there in 1886. In 1887 the “Chicago Directory” listed Chauncey D. Baker as an electrician working at 114 Wabash and living at 41 236 State. In 1887, 114 Wabash av. was listed for rent by L. E. Crandall & Co. On Sept. 18, 1887, the “Chicago Tribune” listed, “TO RENT – VERY LOW, FOR MANUFACTURING or storage, part or whole of lot 100×50; elevator, large windows; centrally located” (page 22). I believe that Baker rented a portion of this space in 1886, when he was working on his Electrical resistance coil patent (No. 368,804. Aug. 23, 1887), governor for incandescent lights on arc circuits patent (No. 371,915. Oct. 25, 1887), and the commutator or electric circuit-breaker patent (No. 375,328. Dec. 27, 1887).

Chauncey D. Baker later partnered with Lewis G. Bronson of Chicago in 1888. They applied for an Electrical Apparatus patent on April 30, 1888 (No. 417,217. Dec. 17, 1889). Here is a brief excerpt from the patent’s description: “Our improvement is primarily designed to be used with relay-instruments – such as used with burglar-alarms and other electrical devices – for the purpose of bringing into operation an independent set of electrical devices when there is material derangement of, or change in the current of, the main circuit. Such derangement or change may occur either as a consequence of the opening of the circuit, or by short-circuiting the main circuit of grounding part of it.”

In 1890, Baker was still listed in the “Chicago Directory” as an electrician, living at 1320 Indiana. By the next year, his title transitioned to “electrical engineer,” living at 1089 W. Monroe in 1891. I have uncovered very little about Chauncey’s life in Chicago during the 1890s beyond his work at Sosman & Landis. However, in 1898 he was still listed as an electrical engineer in the city, now living at 225 S. Morgan.

Multiple family genealogies cite that he was married to Charlotte Wilson (b. 1823-?). This would make her 25 yrs. his senior, so I am a little skeptical. Not that it was unheard of, just unusual. Baker was definitively married, but I have yet to locate any marriage certificate to date. At the time of death, he was still listed as a married man. I am basing this off of his death record, as I have been unable to locate an obituary that was published in a newspaper.

Baker died 20 Nov. 1917 in Chicago at the age of 69. He was buried at Mt. Hope. His death certificate reported that he was still working as an electrician at the time of his passing.

For additional context, I want to provide a bit of history about the American Reflector and Lighting Co., as well as the company’s link to both Joseph S. Sosman and Perry Landis. The company was featured in their 1894 catalogue, stating “The American Reflector & Lighting Co. manufacture a full line of improved Lighting fixtures for electricity, gas or oil, specially adapted for the lighting of Theaters, Halls, Assembly Rooms and Churches.”

On March 24,1893, the “Inter Ocean” listed the American Reflector and Lighting Company of Chicago as a newly formed business under the heading “Licensed To Do Business.” The company’s incorporators were listed as Perry Landis, William A. Toles and Robert Latham, Perry’s brother, Charles Landis, as the treasurer. The companies official incorporation date was April 5, 1893. The firm’s salesroom was located at 271-273 Franklin Street in Chicago. They stocked approximately 150 styles of reflectors for use with electricity, gas and oil. The company advertised that both their indoor and outdoor reflectors “promised that the power of light was fully utilized, as its rays are saved from waste, strengthened and thrown in the desired direction.” Their lighting fixtures used crystal glass lined with pure metallic silver to provide “the best practical reflecting surface.”

The officers of the company, however, were Joseph S. Sosman and the three Landis Brothers – Perry, Joseph and Charles. They simply rotated the positions of president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer. In regard to the original incorporators, one man stands out, William A. Toles. Toles had a history with the reflector business in Chicago, having helped establish and manage the Wheeler Reflector Company of Chicago, along with Willard L. Gillam and George E. Plumb. The Wheeler Reflector Company sold the reflector designs of civil engineer and inventor, William Wheeler (1851-1932). By the way, Wheeler was widely known for his innovative patents that included not only lighting, but also water and sewage systems. In 1880, Wheeler filed a patent for a novel form of lighting and commercialized his invention through the Wheeler Reflector Company of Boston, Massachusetts. The company was extremely profitable and remained an important manufacturer of street lighting until the mid-twentieth century. Interestingly, an ex-employee in Chicago later accused Toles of bribing city officials to select their company when contracting work for streetlights during 1886 (“Inter Ocean,” 4 April 1887, page 1). This accusation contributed to the end of one business and the start of another; Toles established the Western Wheeler Reflector Company.

The Western Wheeler Reflector Company was located at No. 88 Lake Street in Chicago. On April 13, 1888, the “Inter Ocean” listed the company’s incorporators as William A Toles, Willard L. Giliman, and George E. Plume. Same individuals, just slightly different spelling of names in the newspaper announcement. The American Reflector and Lighting Company was Toles third reflector company, and at the time of its establishment, he was still actively involved with the Western Wheeler Reflector.

Baker and other electrical engineers were critical to the success of not only Sosman & Landis, but also the American Reflector & Lighting Co. It was the combination of their innovations and expertise that put them ahead of competitors. Featuring their electric lighting equipment and the work electrical engineer Baker at the Masonic Temple in 1894 was a fantastic marketing opportunity. Despite the short duration or financial outcome, this project pushed Sosman & Landis to the forefront of electrical effects for the stage by the mid-1890s. They would continue to offer a variety of stage equipment until the 1920s, when both Sosman & Landis and the American Reflector & Lighting Co. changed hands; each firm entering the second iteration of the company.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 588 – “A Day in Japan” for the Pittsburg Exposition

Part 588: “A Day in Japan” for the Pittsburg Exposition

In 1908, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Built a fine little show for Pittsburg Exposition “A Day in Japan.” I went down and put it on and started it off to good business. It was a little too classy.”

Advertisement for attractions and amusements at the Pittsburgh Exposition in 1908. From the “Pittsburgh Press,” 27 Sept 1908, page 34

A Day in Japan advertised as an amusement at the Pittsburgh Exposition, from the “New Castle Herald,” 8 Sept 1908, page 8

Moses was referring to one of the amusements at the Pittsburgh Sesqui-Centennial Exposition tha ran from July 4, 1908 to November 26, 1908. On June 21, 1908, the Honorable George W. Guthrie, mayor of Pittsburgh had issued the following proclamation that described the 150^th birthday celebration for the city of Pittsburgh:

“To the citizens of Pittsburgh: On November 25, 1758, the British and Colonial troops under the command of General John Forbes, took possession of the smoking ruins of Fort Duquesne, which had been abandoned the day before by the French and Indians. As the sun was setting, the British flag was raised by the brave Pennsylvanian, Colonel John Armstrong, in the presence of Washington, Forbes, Bouquet, Mercer, and other noted American and British soldiers, and the name of the great Pitt, whose genius had conceived the expedition, thus signally crowned with success, was conferred most appropriately upon the site between the Forks of the Ohio, which was long thereafter known as the Gateway of the West. On November 25th of the present year will occur the 150th anniversary of the permanent founding and naming of Pittsburgh, and it is most fitting that the event be celebrated in a manner appropriate to the city’s important history and its great growth and achievements in many lines.”

The planning for the celebration began during the fall of 1906. By spring of 1908, the plan was presented to Mayor Guthrie and the City Councils. After approval, twenty-eight committees, involving almost 600 individuals, made it possible for Pittsburgh’s celebration.

The Daily Republican reported “Among the amusements is the military spectacle of the Spanish-American war, which is a vivid reproduction of the blowing up of the ‘Maine’ and the historic battles; the scenic cyclorama, ‘A Day in Japan’: the Theatorium, and many other entertainments” (Monongahela, Pennsylvania, 6 Oct 1908, page 4). The “Sedalia Democrat” commented, “Among the new attractions in the main building are an electrical scenic cyclorama, ‘A Day in Japan’”, while he “Pittsburgh Press” advertised that it was “an electric novelty” (Sedalia Democrat, 2 Sept 1908, page 7, and Pittsburgh Press, 9 August 1908, page 6).

Postcard depicting exposition buildings in Pittsburg during 1908. Notice roller coaster by the bridge.

There is a lovely article about this project and Moses’ involvement that was posted in the “Pittsburgh Daily Post” on September 2, 1908 (page 8):

“Visitors Taken to Japan.

“A Day in Japan,” one of the most enjoyable entertainments of the Exposition, will transport spectators in an instant to the “Flowery Kingdom,” the realm of the Mikado. The wonders of electric lighting and manipulation are carried to a height rarely attained. A picturesque Japanese mountain village is shown nestling at the base of the historic, snow covered mountain, Fujiyama.

With scarcely conceivable realism, the soft radiance of moonlight, bathes the quiet scene, then the break of day, the white light of noonday, the yellow of late afternoon, the gradual coming of dusk and darkness, and the lighting of lamps within the dwellings, are portrayed with extraordinary faithfulness to detail.

A storm gathers, trees are tossed by the wind, lightning flashes and thunder of the preceding calm, is welcomed with relief.

The entertainment is not a moving picture show, nor an acted play. A model of a village taken from active life has been built on the stage, representing the minutest details of Japanese home life, in a style never before attempted. A pagoda, rising high in the foreground, occupied a skilled artisan many days in making it, so delicate is the workmanship.

No details of instructive value are omitted. The beauty of the production is extraordinary. The scheme of decoration in the Oriental style is carried into every detail. Even the ticket office is a structure quaintly built on lines of Oriental architecture. Its position in the gallery, midway down the main hall, on the Allegheny side, makes the entertainment a prominent feature of the Exposition.

A carefully prepared lecture accompanies the entertainment, as the scene shifts from night to day and back to night again. It has been the aim of the acting manager, Thomas G. Moses, vice-president of Sosman & Landis Company, of Chicago, to afford the maximum of both instructive and entertainment values.”

This was the first mention that I have discovered about Moses being vice-president of the company. He returned to Sosman & Landis in 1904 to manage the main studio, but his becoming vice-president is not mentioned in his memoirs. Perry Landis left the company in 1902 due to poor health. By 1904 Sosman was desperate for help in the studio, as he had assumed all of the sales responisbilities; those duties previously handled by Landis.

By 1915, immediately after Sosman’s death, Moses became the president of the Sosman & Landis. For me, this transition now makes sense in regard to the board of director’s decision to elect Moses president.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 585 – John J. Murdock and the Olympic Music Hall

Part 585: John J. Murdock and the Olympic Music Hall

In 1908, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “We did a show for Murdock at the Olympic – a failure, scenery and play.” He was referring to the newly opened Olympic Music Hall in Chicago. The venue was previously known as the Olympic Theatre before the purchase and renovation by J. J. Murdock in 1908. The Olympic Music Hall opened on November 2, 1908.

John J. Murdock and his Olympic Music Hall, from the “Inter Ocean,” 8 Nov 1908, page 30

An article in the “Inter Ocean” reported, “The work of converting this famous landmark of amusement into a music hall is being carried on day and night, the men working in shifts of eight hours each. The playhouse is now under the control of J. J. Murdock, who successfully operated the Masonic Temple roof garden, and who had been at the head of the Western Vaudeville Managers’ Association. Mr. Murdock will adopt a policy along the lines of the Palace, or Tivoli, London, England, on a more elaborate scale” (Chicago, 25 Oct 1908, page 41). The mention of the Masonic Temple Roof Garden caught my eye.

The Masonic Temple roof garden and observatory was transformed into two electric theatres by Sosman & Landis in 1894. Advertised as Chicago’s first roof garn theatre, it included two electric scenic theatres that were design, constructed and operated by Sosman & Landis. An images of the Masonic Temple roof garden theatre was even pictured on an 1894 catalogue for Sosman & Moses. Although their control of this venue was short-lived, it provides an earlier connection between Murdock and Moses at Sosman & Landis. Murdock’s association with unique and innovative performance venues such as the roof top garden and music hall provides additional context.

High class vaudeville was to be the dominant feature at the Olympic. The “Inter Ocean” published an article on the new Olympic Music Hall (8 Nov 1908, page 30). In it, the question was asked, “When is a vaudeville theatre not a vaudeville theatre?” The response was “When smoking is permitted, then it is a music hall.” In Chicago, Murdock afforded patrons that privilege. The article continued, “Mr. Murdock is a connoisseur of everything pertaining to the entertainment of the public, and realizing that the great majority of men are addicted to the smoking habit, he conceived the happy idea of permitting the patrons of the Olympic Music hall to indulge in that pleasure.” The article noted, “The new Olympic will be different from other Chicago playhouses, in that smoking will be permitted. This innovation, new to Chicago, is familiar to London and Paris theater-goers, and Manager Murdock is convinced that this feature is destined to be as popular in Chicago as it is abroad.” Another “Inter Ocean” article described the smoked-filled music hall: “Blue smoke curled upward from full 500 cigars. Maybe 1,000 men lounged back comfortably in their theatre chairs. Beside almost blessed man of them sat his wife, or his sweetheart, or his dearest friend, or maybe only his sister. Toward a rose tinted ceiling smoke drifted cloudlike and then mysteriously, as an enchantment, suddenly disappeared.”

According to Julius Cahn’s Official theatrical guides, the original Olympic Theatre in Chicago had a seating capacity of 2,127, and new music hall had a seating capacity of 1584. The “inter Ocean” provided a further description of the Olympic Music Hall’s auditorium and stage:

“Immediately above the entrance to the auditorium a series of Swiss chalet windows, with stained glass and heavy stucco ornamentation, attract the eye. The theater proper also has undergone a thorough renovation. The color scheme is of gray damask, blending harmoniously with rose and old Roman gold. The ceiling and mural decorations consist of panels of exquisite design, bordered by stucco ornaments, tipped with gold and ivory. A massive new chandelier bearing hundreds of glistening prisms and scores of electric globes hangs just above the orchestra, while at the side of the boxes on both sides two tremendous light clusters have been placed. The balcony and gallery rails have been provided with strings of lights, so that the house is capable of illumination equal to the noonday sun.

The boxes, which formerly were most artistic, have come out of the hands of the decorators as veritable bowers of rich yet tasty beauty. They have been decorated with stucco ornaments, painted in consonance with the general color scheme and provided with heavy plush maroon curtains swinging on brass rods. The entrance to the boxes, above and below, are adorned with rich curtains, that insure at once privacy and real comfort. The proscenium has been decorated in Roman gold, the façade, doing away with the curtain drop, being especially tasty…the steel curtain has been repainted and a new olio drop provided.” The article continued, “The seating capacity of the theater has undergone no change, the safety of the patrons being Manager Murdock’s first consideration when this matter was taken up. The seats above and below have been provided with cushion seats and the framework of the chairs tinted in ivory and gold…More than $30,000 was spent by Manager Murdock in the beautification of the theater, and that the money has been expended to some purpose the admirable result are ample indication” (8 Nov 1908, page 30).

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 310: Thomas G. Moses and Frank Cox

In 1894, Thomas G. Moses recorded getting the contract for the New Lyceum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee. Located at the corner of Third and Union Streets, the old Lyceum Theatre had burned to the ground during November 1893. The theater was on the lower floor of an athletic society building and the total loss was $360,000. Only three years old at the time of the fire, construction immediately began to build another theater on the same site.

*The original Lyceum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee, 1890. The building burned to the ground in 1893.*

Opened by H.L. Brinkley, the New Lyceum Theatre cost $235,000 and had a seating capacity of 2,010. It included an oblong proscenium that was illuminated with exposed light bulbs, similar to the electric scenic theater on top of the Masonic Temple Roof Garden that same year. This was a feature was called a luxauleator, or “a curtain of light” invented by Steel MacKaye for the Spectatorium in Chicago (see past installment #265). The New Lyceum was credited as being the first theatre in Memphis to have electric lighting.

The auditorium included open metalwork railings for each of the three balconies and boxes. Ironically, it was this decorative aspect that would ultimately postpone the opening as there was a delay in the arrival of the iron work (Montgomery Advisor 7 Oct 1894, page 9). The final dedication occurred on Monday, December 3, 1894, with Otis Skinner opening the venue. His productions were “His Grace de Grammont” and “The King’s Jester.”

*The New Lyceum theatre designed by Frank Cox with scenery by Thomas G. Moses, 1894.*

Moses wrote, “The firm wanted this badly, but the architect insisted on my work.” “The firm” was Sosman & Landis and the architect was fellow scenic artist Frank Cox. Tignal Franklin “Frank” Cox (1854–1940) was also the theatrical architect who was designing several other opera houses that same year.

*Tignal Franklin “Frank” Cox (1854–1940), scenic artist, decorator and theatre architect.*

His projects in Texas alone included remodeling the opera house in Sherman, a new ground-floor theater in Galveston, the Stanger Theater in Waco, the Peterson Theater in Paris, and the opera house in Gainesville (The Times-Picayune, 8 April 1894, page 27).

Newspaper articles would note Cox as the “well-known scenic artist and architect of theatres.” Cox worked as a scenic artist, architect, decorator, builder, and developer throughout the course of his career. During the time that he the theater in Memphis, he was still running Cox Bros. and working with his brothers and Clark (1861-1936) and Eugene (1869-1943). Their ages at the time were 40 (Frank), 33 (Clark) and 25 (Clark). The three men had five other siblings with a father who had started work as a Boston painter in 1871. Eugene Cox had a son named after him, Eugene Jr. (1889-1967), who was also a scenic artist, so it gets a bit confusing.

*Eugene Cox (1869-1943), scenic artist and decorator, was part of the New Orlean scenic studio, Cox. Bros.*

*Clark Cox (1861-1936), scenic artist and decorator who worked for Cox Bros. scenic studio at the New Orleans Opera House.*

Here is a little background to place Frank Cox in context of nineteenth-century scenic art. Harry Miner’s American Drama Directory (1882-3) credited Frank Cox with the scenery for the Opera House in Batavia, New York and Smith’s Opera House in Tarrytown, New York. By 1890, Cox was working as a scenic artist, decorator and architect in the New Orleans area. He continued to work as a scenic artist throughout the decade, being credited with scenery for Temple Theatre in Alton, Illinois (1899) and Klein’s Opera House in Seguin, Texas (1903-1904). Like Moses, Cox also worked in oil and exhibited his fine art. In 1894, he participated in an art exhibition with his brother Clark. Both were members of the Artists’ Association in New Orleans (The Times-Picayune, 13 Dec. 1894, page 3). This was one of many art shows where the Cox brothers exhibited their work.

This brings us to another interesting aspect of the Cox family – the family feud. Frank, Eugene, and Clark operated a scenic and fresco business known as Cox Bros. in New Orleans. However, it was referred to as “Frank Cox’s Studio at New Orleans,” him being the eldest and most experienced. They had quite a large staff by 1891 that included the scenic artist Emile Nippert and stage machinist James A. Kee (Fort Worth Daily Gazette 11 August 1891, page 2). The Cox Bros. studio was located in the Grand Opera House of New Orleans. Frank withdrew from the partnership in 1896, but the partnership continued to operate under the same name of Cox Bros., despite Frank’s public declamation that the firm was dissolved. Eugene and Clark published a rebuttal, wanting to make it “thoroughly understood” that they would continue to operate the scenic and fresco business under the name Cox Bros. By the way, there appears to be no immediate familial ties to the Jesse Cox Scenic Studio of Estherville.

There is something interesting to ponder when thinking about the Cox family. Frank understood painted illusion for both the stage and auditorium. He would have been the perfect theater architect as he understood the aesthetic and mechanical demands of the venue. A variety of historical sources explain that architects would often hand over the stage design to a scenic studio. The studio would identify the layout and materials for the space, thus securing work from the architectural firm. I wonder if after guiding architects, Cox decided to work directly with the client and avoid working with a middle man -the architectural firm. Cox’s position as the architect would also secure work for his company Cox Bros., in the form of both scenic and decorative art. His position could have provided an endless stream of projects, as apparent in 1894. Maybe he was expecting too much of his younger brothers and swamping them with work, too much for them to handle without his help in the studio. Maybe that was why Cox reached out and specified other artists for his multiple projects – like Moses.

The big picture is that there was history and friendship between Cox and Moses, plus they were only two years apart in age. He was a friend of Moses and greatly respected his art. When you look at the front curtain for the Lyceum Theater, it is understandable why Cox wanted Moses in charge of the scenery for the New Lyceum . Moses and his crew painted a beautiful exterior landscape with his signature “babbling brook.” Decades later in 1931, Cox would again request that Moses paint some Fiesta floats in California, although Moses would decline.

*Interior if the New Lyceum Theatre (Memphis, TN) with drop curtain painted by Thomas G. Moses in 1894.*

*Detail of Thomas G. Moses’ drop curtain for the New Lyceum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee, 1894.*

Regardless of the reason, Cox’s selection of Moses over Sosman & Landis in 1894 had to have been quite a blow to the scenic studio as the project would not be supervised by their company as planned. That was their ultimate goal after opening the annex studio -controlling all of Moses’ subcontracted work and keeping him on a leash. By doing this they maintained a position of control and ultimately determined which contracts they would pass down to Moses, yet benefited by his name. The New Lyceum Theatre was one in a series of projects where architects and clients specified that the work solely go to Moses. This was the beginning of his second departure from the studio of Sosman & Landis.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 305 – After the Party’s Over

Part 305: After the Party’s Over

Sosman, Landis & Hunt also managed the Grand Opera House in Indianapolis and the Grand Opera Stock Company there. This was at the same time that they ran the Pike Theater in Cincinnati. By 1900 the firm was contemplating a move to Detroit due to a noticeable reduction in patronage at their productions in Indianapolis. (Indianapolis News 21 Nov. 1900, page 8). The Indianapolis Journal commented on the characteristics of the Grand Stock Company (23 Nov. 1900, pg. 3) reporting that the Grand Opera House “had a fixed payroll of a very large aggregate amount, most of which is spent within the limits of Indianapolis.” In 1900 the Grand Opera Stock Company was getting ready to present a revival of “Trilby,” “Camille,” “The Social Highwayman,” and “The Girl With the Auburn Hair.”

Sosman, Landis & Hunt also managed the Grand Opera House in Indianapolis and the Grand Opera Stock Company. The Grand Opera House later became the New Grand, a vaudeville house.

The Grand Opera was initially under the management of “Dickson and Talbott.” George A. Dickson and Henry M. Talbott rented the playhouse to the new theatrical management company of Sosman, Landis & Hunt in 1896. This was two years after their theatrical management company began in Cincinnati. They would continue to manage the Grand Opera and stock company until 1901. From 1900-1902, weekly receipts began to plummet, forcing a new company to take over the venue. It became a vaudeville house under the next management team of Anderson and Ziegler in 1901. Anderson and Ziegler were credited with introducing vaudeville in Indianapolis during 1900, the same time that profits at the Grand Opera House started to diminish (Indianapolis Star 26 May 1916, page 11). The Grand Opera House would later be known as one of B. F. Keith’s venues too.

Fire map depicting where the Grand Opera House in Indianapolis was located, later Keith’s Grand Opera House.

What I find interesting about the Sosman, Landis & Hunt business venture is the timing. Business slows after the World Fair of 1893 and they are left with two studios and a huge staff of artists. They take elements of the Midway and produce a touring show that they manage. In addition to managing the Masonic Temple Roof scenic electric theaters, they also start to invest in stock companies. This is on top of their involvement with the American Reflector Company, the manufacture of theatrical rigging and stage hardware, as well other investments. It appears that the significant profits made during the fair were invested in other business ventures. None of the wealth amassed during 1893 trickled down to their employees and this caused many of the artists to leave the following year, including Thomas G. Moses. I am sure that after all of their had work, they felt slighted when asked to take a pay cut after such a successful year.

At the beginning of 1893, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “The big Fair progressing nicely and a world of work for us in sight.” That was not the case after the close of the fair. By the end of 1893, Moses wrote about business after returning from a trip to New York, “On my return home, I found business very bad, as we all thought it would be at the close of the Fair.” Moses further wrote about his situation, commenting, “There were no more contracts and all I could see was a salary of $10.00 per day.” That is today’s equivalent of approximately $250 a day.

$10.00 a day was the same amount offered to Moses by David Hunt to replicate a few scenes from the Columbian Exposition’s Midway Plaisance, including the electric theatre. Hunt also wanted him to paint at the Pike Theater. In 1894, Thomas G. Moses went to work for David H. Hunt as scenes from the Columbian Exposition’s Midway toured the country. Highlights from the fair were appearing all over in the comfort of local venues.

Scene of the Midway Plaisance at the Columbian Exposition.

Moses traveled to Philadelphia to install and open Hunt’s Midway show on February 15, 1894. The Buffalo Commercial (Buffalo, New York) reported “The Famous Midway” was in town. A “very realistic exhibition” was on display at the 74^th regiment armory. Hunt was also the manager of the Midway Plaisance Company in addition to starting his business venture with Sosman & Landis. The article continued that those who went to the Columbian Exposition and attended the Midway “were pleased to note that an excellent reproduction on a much larger scale than might have been expected had been made, and they were well pleased with what they saw” on February 8, 1894 (page 10). Scenes included the Chinese Theatre, Dahomey village, Indian village, German village, the Turkish Theatre Hagenbeck’s animal show, the Streets of Cairo, and Old Vienna. Other scenes, such as the Ferris Wheel” were included in the distance. The article commented that the scenery was painted “so faithfully that you believe for a moment that it is the real thing. In short you have a picture of the Midway as you might have seen it in Chicago by looking through an inverted opera glass.”

Moses next traveled with the show to install it at the Madison Square Garden in March of 1894. Moses wrote, “We got the whole show up in a day, including the Electric Theatre.” He continued that they “opened to big business.” Yet he saw none of the profits and continued to work for $10 a day, while traveling with large expenses.

David H. Hunt of Sosman, Landis & Hunt, theatrical management company. Image from 1903.

Of his time spent away from Chicago with Hunt, Moses write, “Sosman and Landis didn’t like my being with Hunt as they felt I was slipping away again, which I did.” This was a turning point and we see things come full circle for Moses. Throughout his entire career he impressed people. He impressed them with his artistry, speed, and personality. Wherever he went, jobs magically appeared before him and whatever studio he was working for. It was as if Moses were one big magnet, constantly drawing future projects to his doorstep. Why not leave the studio and ensure himself a share of the profits?

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 265 – The Masonic Temple’s Electric Theaters – The Court of Honor

Image from the website “Chicagology” that notes the location of the Chicago Masonic Temple, built in 1892.

There were two scenic electric theaters on top of the Chicago Masonic Temple in 1894. Both were created and managed by the Sosman & Landis scenic studio. Joseph Sands Sosman was a Scottish Rite Mason and member of the local Oriental Consistory.

View of the Chicago Masonic Temple (1892-1939).

Roof top of the Chicago Masonic Temple where Sosman & Landis managed two electric theaters in 1894.

The first production was an imitation of “A Day in the Alps,” an attraction that had been popularized at the Columbian Exposition in 1893. The second production depicted a specific scene from the Columbian Exposition – the “Court of Honor.” The view of the setting was from the agricultural building, looking northwest. As with “A Day in the Alps,” it included a transformation scene.

The Court of Honor electric scenic theatre, designed, produced, and managed by Sosman & Landis scenic studio in 1894. It was one of two shows on top of the Chicago Masonic Temple.

The “Court of Honor” opened with a vision of the world fair in the morning. Sunrise transitioned into brilliant sunlight that illuminated massive white buildings surrounding a lagoon. In front of the administration and electricity buildings, gondolas and electric launches added to the charm to the scene while band music played in the background. As evening approached, electric lights outlined the White City and were reflected in the water’s surface.

The February 24, 1894, issues of “Western Electrician” described, “Searchlight effects flash from one building to another, and administration building, with its handsome decorative lighting scheme, shines resplendent under these streams of light.” The article also noted that some of the illumination was achieved using a Packard mogul lamp (300-candle power), that produced the scenic changes and color shifts.

The large lamp in the center is a Packard Mogul Lamp – the same type used in the scenic electric theatre. This image is from Mount Vernon Museum of incandescent lighting. It is a picture of the Thomas Houston Case in the Carbon Room. Here is the link: http://www.angelfire.com/pe/pasttech/tour1.html

The Court of Honor lighting also included a luxauleator, or “a curtain of light.” This creation consisted of a border of incandescent lights around the four sides of the stage opening. An invention credited to Steel MacKaye, newspapers reported it as “a peculiar optical illusion” originally created for the Spectatorium in Chicago (The Wichita Eagle, May 26, 1893, pg. 6). Unfortunately, the construction of this massive scenic electric theater was never completed for the Columbian Exposition and the project was abandoned (see past installment #187). MacKaye’s luxauleator used rows of lamps that were placed in conical shaped reflectors. The newspaper article further reported, “The modus operandi was very simple, the mere turning of a switch being all that is necessary; the same movement of the switch that throws the current of electricity into the lamps of the luxauleator, also turns out all the lights upon the stage and the effect produced the same as if one were sitting in a brilliantly lighted room and endeavored to look out into darkness.”

MacKaye’s patent claimed, “In combination with the proscenium opening, a series of lamps bordering the same and provided with backings adapted to throw the space back of the lamps and the opening into complete shade, while flooding the opposite portion of the space with light so as to form in effect a vivid curtain or screen of light that will intercept all sight of persons or things occupying the shaded portion of the space, substantially as described.”

The Sosman & Landis electric scenic theater attractions in the roof top garden only lasted a year. The venue changed hands by May 1895 and reopened with “several new novelties” under the management of George A. Fair. The Chicago Tribune reported, “Everything connected with the roof garden is new, and the visitor last night saw but little to remind him of the same place last year. The electric scenic theater still remains, but the other stage has been moved around to the northeast corner of the roof. The present location affords a good view of the entertainment from every part of the roof. Directly In front of the stage are 3,510 opera chairs, while the rest of the floor space is given up to refreshment tables. A new feature of the garden is the concrete walks built around the dome of the roof, where an excellent view of the city and surrounding country can be obtained. It is the intention of the management to remove part of the glass roof, affording an opportunity of enjoying the view and listening to the entertainment going on below” (May 20, 1895).

View of the street from the top of the 1892 Chicago Masonic Temple.

I have to question the use of 3510 opera chairs. That was a dramatic increase from the original 150 for the two original theaters.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 264 – The Masonic Temple’s Electric Theatre – A Day in the Alps

The Chicago Masonic Temple (1892-1939) with two electric scenic theaters manufactured by Sosman & Landis. They were place on the roof top venue during 1894.

“A City Under One Roof – The Masonic Temple” was an article in “Scientific American” (Feb. 10, 1894). It reported, “Of all the buildings of our Western sister Chicago, none is more remarkable than the Masonic Temple, a structure which, in its functions, dimensions and construction, is one of the unique buildings of the world. In spite of its name, it is proudly claimed to be the “highest commercial building in the world.” In it we find exemplified the union of Freemasonry and commerce, a four and one-half million dollar building supplying beautiful halls and parlors for Masonic rite, as well as an unequaled collection of business offices.”

One of the theaters for the Chicago’s Scottish Rite. The stage scene depicts the 15th degree setting for the palace of King Cyrus.

The Masonic Temple was situated on the corner of Randolph and State Streets and measured three hundred and two feet high. The architects were Burnham & Root, with Burnham also being selected as the Columbian Exposition’s Director General of Works. The general dimensions were 175’ (front) by 113’ (depth). The building was eighteen stories high with fourteen elevators. The seventeenth and eighteenth floors being occupied by Masonic rooms, York Rite Drill rooms and Scottish Rite stages.

View looking down at the main lobby in the first floor of the 1892 Chicago Masonic Temple.

The main entrance was a granite arch that measured 45’ high by 38’ wide, larger than most proscenium arches for Scottish Rite theaters at the time.

Main entrance to the 1892 Chicago Masonic Temple.

A “Western Electrician” article reported, “Upon entering the building a visitor’s attention is attracted by a large sign composed of incandescent lamps in the form of a hand pointing upward and the words ‘Electric Scenic Theaters.’ From the tip of the forefinger of the hand a row of lights extends upward the entire height of the building to the garden. This is called a “chaser,” and the lamp globes are of different colors. By means of a switch light passes along the line, changing in hue as it ascends, until it reaches the glass roof of the building.” This switch, as well as many of the devices in the Masonic Temple theaters, was designed and built by C. D. Baker, the electrical engineer for Sosman & Landis. There is much more information about the technical aspects of the lighting system posted at Chicagology. Here is the link: https://chicagology.com/goldenage/goldenage026/

When the Columbia Exposition closed during the fall of 1893, Sosman & Landis began plans to convert the Masonic Temple roof into two electric scenic theatres. Articles noted that the new theatre went beyond the mere imitation of “A Day in the Alps” with “extended improvements and with more attention paid to detail.” The roof garden space atop the Masonic Temple was 302 feet from the ground, an incentive to draw any audience to see a show. It was Sosman & Landis of Chicago who designed and managed the venue.

Advertisement depicting the roof top garden on top of the Chicago Masonic Temple in 1894.

Each electric scenic theater was designed with a seating capacity of 75. The first theatre replicated “A Day in the Alps” from the Columbian Exposition’s Midway Plaisance, presenting an alpine scene where a mountain stream formed a motion picture screen. Upon the river’s banks were houses and a nearby chapel. A mill in the foreground and bridge were included, allowing villagers to cross. High upon a snow-peaked mountain was a lovely castle. The production was also called “A Day in the Alps.” The show started with the midnight toll of the bell. The gloaming of dawn was followed by a brilliant. As on the midway, a thunderstorm approached, passing over the scene with vivid flashes of lightning and loud rolling thunder. Dusk soon appeared and the moon rose into the night sky until the clock struck midnight again. Twenty-four hours of in an alpine setting. Focusing lamps, rheostat boxes, switches, reflectors and other devices for the atmospheric effects were placed behind the scene.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 263 – Thomas G. Moses Paints “A Day in the Alps” for the Electric Scenic Theatre

The Electric Scenic Theatre in the Midway Plaisance at the 1893 Columbian Exposition. The scenery for “A Day in the Alps” was painted by Thomas G. Moses.

Thomas G. Moses records that he painted the scenery for “A Day in the Alps” at the 1893 Columbian Exposition. The concessionaire for the Electric Scenic Theatre at the Columbian Exposition was Mr. Arthur Schwarz. Located in the Midway Plaisance, a beautiful Swiss Alpine stage scene transitioned from day to night for each performance. Placards were placed outside of the theater’s entrance. They advertised, “Do not miss this chance of a lifetime” and “The Most Intellectual, Absolutely Interesting Spectacle of the Midway Plaisance.” They were competing with Freak shows and other spectacles. Other signs described the show: “Every phase of an Alpine Day is produced with startling realism.” These were supported by testimonials such as “The most beautiful sight I have seen at the fair!” The price for admission was $0.25 per adult or for two children. Single children were provided free admittance with an adult’s admission.

The outside ticket stand near the Electric Scenic Theatre at the Columbian Exposition Midway. Placards and outdoor signage advertised for the production, “A Day in the Alps.”

World Fair guidebooks reported, “The stage picture is a beautiful Swiss Alpine scenery, depicting in a realistic way every change of nature shown from dawn to night, as each gradually appears, and representing some of the most wonderfully realistic light effects ever produced by electric lamps. It is almost beyond belief that the visitor is not looking at a marvelous production of nature itself, instead of a picture created by an ingenious and artistic display of electric lights. The scene represents “A Day in the Alps.” Tyrolean warblers perform on their various instruments, and sing their tuneful lays. Their renowned “yodels,” as sung at each performance, are applicable to the scenery. The entire scenic effects are produced by about 250 electric incandescent lamps, operated from in front of the stage, in full view of the audience, by switches. The interior of the theatre is handsomely furnished with comfortable chairs. There are nine electric fans, producing a permanent current of fresh air, keeping the whole room at a low temperature and as refreshing as a sea breeze, it matters not how hot it may be outside.”

Flyer for the 1893 Midway Plaisance attraction.

Other guidebooks noted that the scenic production “begins with sunrise, and over the mountain top appears the ruddy glow of early sunlight. Then, as morning advances, and the volume of light increases, the beauties of the mountain become more apparent until their full glory flashes upon the beholder. The shepherd boys and girls are seen with their herds, and every feature of Alpine life is faithfully portrayed. Then a storm arises, and the effects here produced by electricity are surprisingly beautiful. After the storm dies away and the clouds vanish Nature smiles again. Then the day begins to fade, and at last it is night, with the stars brooding over all.”

Franz Reilhofer and the Tyrolean Warblers provided music during “A Day in the Alps” at the 1893 Columbian Exposition.

“Western Electric” (vol. 12, pg. 322) published that the mechanical apparatus used red, blue and white lamps that were arranged alternately. The article reported, “Each color and each locality in the setting was wired on a separate circuit, so that, by the introduction of resistance, it only becomes a question of skillful manipulation to give light of any shade or intensity desired. Of course, none of the lamps are visible, as they are arranged in the footlights and wings as well as overhead and behind the setting. The motion of the moon is produced by a tiny motor.” Just like for the 21st Scottish Rite degree production with the ruined abbey and moon that tracks across the sky.

Advertisement for the Electric Scenic Theatre’s “A Day in the Alps” at the Columbian Exposition in 1893.

This presentation was so popular that Sosman & Landis immediately created a replica for the new Masonic Temple’s roof top garden after the fair closed. Over the years the studio would create many more electric scenic studios, including the 1908 “A Day in Japan,” created for the Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Exposition. It had value.

Sosman & Landis listing another Electric Scenic Theatre for sale after the Pittsburg Exposition. Their hands would have been full with filling Scottish Rite scenery requests by this point.

To be continued…