In 1923 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “During June, Mr. Hall and Mathis came down from Chicago to see me, on their way to San Antonio. I will have a chance to get in on that job with Barnard, who is entitled to the work, being a member and boss of the Shrine stunts.” Moses was referring to Herbert Barnard, a well-known scenic artist and art director in San Antonio, Texas. In 1923, newspapers listed Barnard as a pageantry expert whose work was famous throughout the south. Later that summer, Moses later wrote, “Left El Dorado for Tulsa, Oklahoma, spent a day with Barnard and saw the city. Enjoyed it immensely.”
In 1923, Barnard was secured by the parades and pageant committee of the International Petroleum Exposition of Congress to supervise the presentation of the three spectacles which were given in connection with the big oil and gas show in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
From the “Daily Oklahoman,” 12 Oct 1923, page 11.
The Expo was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that July. The “Tulsa Tribune” described the Barnards spectacles on 29 July 1923: “A second entertainment feature will be the brilliant pageant staged during the week under the able direction of Herbert Barnard, of San Antonio, Texas, well known scenic artist. The first of these will be a fashion show, the most gorgeous ever presented in the southwest, given though the co-operation of the merchants of Tulsa. The second pageant will tell by means of floats the history and development of the petroleum history, from the earliest discovery and use of oil by the ancients down to the present day. The third pageant will take place on the last night of the exposition and will lead into the coronation of Queen Petrolia. Every state and every foreign nation represented at the congress will be requested to enter one of its most beautiful women as a princess, and from this number the Queen will be selected. The crowning of the Queen, a beautiful and impressive spectacle, forms a fitting close to the first annual international Petroleum Exposition and Congress. “
On July 22, 1923, the “Tulsa Tribune” reported, “Barnard’s work as a director of festivals is famous throughout southern states. For many years he has had charge of San Antonio’s annual Fiesta San Jacinto, designing and supervising the construction of the floats for the pageant, the ‘Battle of Flowers,’ and setting the ceremony for the coronation of the queen. Previous to this, he was connected with the Mardi Gras at New Orleans, where his brilliant work excited much favorable comment. His remarkable versatility is displayed in the number of varied activities in which he is engaged in San Antonio. An artist as well as scenic director and designer, he has decorated three of the largest theaters of the Texas city, and is now under contract to make the stage scenery in a number of the junior high schools. He has also been connected with the establishment of some of the most prominent architects of San Antonio.
“As director and designer of outdoor festivals with their floats and other spectacular trappings. Barnard stands almost unrivaled in America. Despite the number of years that he has been engaged in scenic decoration, his work displays ever-increasing ingenuity and originality. He builds the floats in keeping with the spirit and nature of the event for which they are designed, and in some of his former connections has produced carnivals and festivals of bewildering lavishness and startling originality.”
In the fall of 1919 Thomas G.
Moses wrote, “September found us all tied up with the big electrical show for
the Coliseum. We have to rent the
Alhambra stage and put Mr. Warren over there with a crew. I did two large drops, both on the Chinese
order. They were 38’ high and 125’
long. I had some work, but they proved
to be very effective.”
The Electrical Show, was actually
the Electrical Trades Exposition. The “Chicago Tribune” reported that it was “a
veritable exposition of the progress recently made in the adaptation of
electricity for light, heat and power” (9 Oct. 1919, page 7). The event at the
Coliseum included a Chinese village that housed exhibitors. The “Decatur Daily
Review” reported, “A Chinese design will be employed throughout, a pagoda rising
60 feet in the center of the hall and decorated with stained glass and 18,000 ‘Novagem’
jewels and Chinese lanterns, all brilliantly illuminated, being panned. The
decorations of the tower will be similar to those of the ‘Tower of Jewels’ at
the Pan-American Exposition at San Francisco” (28 Sept. 1919, page 5). The
elaborate decorative theme expenditure as estimated at $40,000 to $50,000.
From the “Herald and Review,” Decatur, IL, 10 Oct 1919, page 12.
The Electrical show at the
Coliseum ran from October 11-25, with an estimated five thousand electrical
dealers and contractors attending the Saturday night opening. Newspapers across
the country announced, “For the first time in nearly eight years the public in
Chicago will have an opportunity to witness the great strides made in the
electrical world” (Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News, 19 Sept.1919,
page 18). The last electric show had been held in 1911. Articles noted, “Household
labor saving machinery is coming rapidly into common use, according to the
exposition management, and electricity is doing much to solve great servant
problem. Displays will include cooking apparatus of all kinds, electric stoves,
electric heating equipment, vacuum cleaners, refrigerating machinery, motors
for sewing machines, electrically operated machines for washing and ironing,
and electric fans for cooling and ventilating” (Decatur Daily Review, 28 Sept.
1919, page 5). There were electric potato peelers and electric trucks for
carrying food. Electric cooking was also a hot topic with manufacturers suggesting
that there was less shrinkage of food with electric cooking that with any other
cooking process. The “Decatur Review” reported, “There is every domestic reason
in favor of electric cooking – better food, greater cleanliness, less work and
more comfort – no ashes, no smoke, no dust” (28 Sept. 1919, page 5). As there
had just been a great coal shortage, electric ranges were intended to save fuel,
as well as time. At the time, the average family consumed 800 pounds of coal
for cooking, whereas the central electrical station only required 262.5 pounds
of coal monthly in order to supply the same family with ample cooking current.
The exposition included many
devices beyond those that would assist housewives and domestic help. Incandescent
lights were manufactured on site and before the eyes of visitors. Other featured exhibits included high powered
search lights, wireless telephones, and a self-printing telegraph apparatus. There
was also a focus on military advancements, such as electrical furnaces for
making the high-grade steel necessary for long range cannons. A working model
of the battleship New Mexico was also on display; at the time, the United States’
newest and largest dreadnaught propelled by electricity. Electric scrapers and
brushes for cleaning warship hulls were also on display. Formerly the task took
between 170 to 200 man-days to clean an 18,000-ton battleship, with electrically
driven machines, the cleaning of the ship now took only twelve hours.
A Commonwealth Edison Co.
advertisement announced, “Manufacturers especially will be interested in our
Industrial Lighting Exhibit. A typical machine floor, inadequately lighted, the
machines driven by overhead line shafts, pulleys, belting. Etc., is contrasted
with an installation of modern lighting and direct motor-driven machines. The
modernized factory will be exhibited in actual operation – manufacturing
souvenirs for distribution to visitors. Increased production, improved quality,
safety, economy of operation and contentment of employees – all these are
directly and intimately associated with modern lighting.”
The biggest hit of the show was
the wireless phone. On Oct. 13, 1919, the “Chicago Tribune” reported, “Wireless
Phone Stirs Crowd at Electric Show” (page 3). The article continued, “What was
declared one of the greatest feats of electrical science was demonstrated
yesterday at the electrical show in the Coliseum. A tune whistles into a
wireless telephone operated there was heard clearly by other operators in
Ludington, Mich., and Milwaukee. The stations at these two cities have
apparatus capable of receiving messages but are not able to send. The operator
at the Coliseum talked to the two stations during the entire afternoon and
answered his questions by wireless telegraphy, advising him whether or not they
were hearing him clearly. At the radio station in the Transportation building.
Lieut. Wells also talked to Capt. C. C. O’Leary at the Coliseum. The
demonstrations are being conducted in conjunction with a recruiting campaign
for the signal corps. An army plane is being made ready to make flights with
wireless phone set and beginning Tuesday visitors at the show will hear talks
from the airplane.”
In 1913, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Did
an exhibition for the Dairy Show at the Coliseum, November 1st.”
Ribbon and picture from the 1913 National Dairy Show in Chicago.
Three Educational Expositions
were held in Chicago during the fall of 1913, the National Dairy Show, the U.
S. Land Exposition, and the International Live Stock Exposition (“Journal
Gazette” Mattoon, Illinois 22 Oct. 1913, age 4). The National Dairy show was held from October
23 to November 1, with exhibits of milk, butter and cheese. Activities included
judging cattle, instructive laboratory work, and discussions on problems of
breeding, feeding and fitting dairy cattle. Dairy Association meetings were also
held throughout the event at Chicago’s International Amphitheatre and the Union
Stockyards; the stockyards included a coliseum. There were also a series of
athletic events staged at the Chicago National Dairy Show, such as motorcycle
polo (Joliet Evening Herald-News, 0 Dec. 1913, page 10).Very little is
available about the Chicago Dairy beyond a few advertisements and some souvenirs
for sale online, so it is difficult to know what was delivered by Sosman &
Landis that year.
Entrance to the Union Stockyards in Chicago, 1913.
I did come across one entertaining
article that described the milking championship at the 1913 Dairy Show. On
October 30 ten dairymen contested for the milking championship of the
world. Of the event, the “Indianapolis
News” reported, “Milking Cow is an Art,” describing the event in detail(30 Oct
1913, page 18). The article reported, “Although in the aggregate they handle
nearly two hundred thousand quarts of milk daily, not one of the contestants
had milked a cow in the last twenty years, and several had never sat on a
one-legged stool before, trying to soothe “bossie,” and hold the milk pail,
drive off flies, dodge the cow’s tail, and milk. The first prize, a leather
medal, big enough to half sole a pair of shoes, was won by S. C. Shedrick, of
Buffalo, proprietor of the Queen City Dairy Company. S. O. Dungan, proprietor
of Polk’s Sanitary Milk Company, of Indianapolis, won second prize, a glass of
milk. While third honors went to John Bingham, president of the Ottawa Dairy
Company, of Ottawa, Canada. Bingham started under a handicap. In the first
place, he forgot which was the proper side to introduce himself to “boss” and
was kicked to remind him of the breach of conventionalities. Later, when his
pail was half full, he moved his one-legged stool and spilled the milk. John
LeFeber, of Milwaukee, claimed fourth honors and clamored for a prize, although
only three were offered. He said the cow selected for him did not know how to
be milked.”
In 1911, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “We started Brewer’s work at
the 20th Street studio, with an extra number of men. Pausback had his hands full; Scott acted
bad. Got Geo. Schultz on the staff at 20th
Street. I was obliged to remain at the Clinton Street studio, only going to 20th
Street every other day.”
Before building their main studio on Clinton Street, the Sosman
& Landis studio was located at 277 and 279 S. Clark Street in Chicago. As
business increased, it became necessary to build a larger studio to simultaneously
accommodate multiple projects. However, even the new Clinton space could not
accommodate all of the contracted projects. Therefore, some projects were
manufactured on site, Carpenters were sent ahead of scenic artists, building
paint frames in various opera houses, theaters and music halls.
Space and location was the key
to any studio’s overall success; scenic artists needed access to multiple
frames throughout a city when a very large project hit. They referred to these
additional spaces as “annex studios,” temporary locations that complimented the
main studio and business offices. Sosman and Landis opened a second
studio space on the West Side of Chicago, renting the “old Waverly theatre” and
referring to the second space as “the Annex” during August 1892. According to Thomas G. Moses, the studio measured
93 feet wide by 210 feet long and 40 feet high.
The first annex studio had four paint frames with plenty of floor
space for all kinds of work. This space
was specifically secured for Moses and his crew to accept additional work for
the Columbian Exposition. Moses’ arrangement with Sosman & Landis was to
receive all of their sub-contracted work. Moses records that his annex
studio crew included A. J. Rupert, Frank Peyrand and Harry Vincent besides a
number of assistants and paint boys. He
wrote, “It was awfully hard to keep the building warm. It was so big we had to use stoves.” Even
with his own studio, however, Moses was still constantly sent on the road to
complete on site work for the company. During these extended absences, Ed Loitz
took charge of the Annex studio.
The annex space remained open throughout 1894. During the summer
of 1894, Thomas G. Moses painted a number of small shows there. The work kept the annex studio open, despite
the decline in projects after the close of the Columbian Exposition. Moses also
wrote that the annex staff was always needed to “get the work out on time.”
In 1896,
Sosman & Landis opened another annex studio. Moses wrote, “I had so
much special work to do and it was hard to handle in the Studio. We rented the frames at the Alhambra Theatre
and I worked there during the Fall and Winter.” This annex studio, however, was located in quite a rough
neighborhood. Moses recorded the Alhambra Theatre was located on State Street and Archer
Avenue. Moses wrote, “It
was a long ride to Oak Park and I disliked the theatre. It was a very rough neighborhood – a hangout
for all the big crooks.” In 1897, Moses was still supervising the annex at the
Alhambra Theatre.
In 1907 Sosman & Landis established another Annex studio.
Of it, Moses wrote, “We opened our annex studio at 19 W. 20th Street
in July, and Ansel Cook went there as a manager. He did some very good work but
was a long time doing it, which, of course, didn’t pay us.” Moses divided his
time between Sosman & Landis’ main Clinton Street studio and the annex
studio that year, in addition to being on the road for weeks at a time. After
one extended absence from the annex studio, he wrote, “Took charge of the 20th
Street Studio on my return weeks. Cook
did $750.00 of work in three weeks. My first three amounted to $3,500.00, some
difference. I hustled while he talked art and what the firm ought to do to get
business.” Moses was obliged to stay at the 20th Street annex in
1908, commenting it was “an awful place to heat.” Nicholas J. Pausback
eventually replaced Cook as second in command.
In 1909, Moses primarily worked
at the main studio before finding himself back at the annex again. Of the move,
Moses wrote, “Sosman seemed to think I was needed there more than at 20th
Street. Pausback took charge of the 20th
Street studio.”
My research suggests that Sosman
& Landis painted approximately 1200 drops during 1909, this being very conservative
estimate. Fortunately, they had a staff of forty-eight on payroll in the main
studio and twelve in the annex to help with the ever-increasing demand for
painted scenery, stage machinery, draperies, and other theatrical equipment.
While looking for additional information pertaining to
Thomas G. Moses’ Kansas exhibit at the 1911 Chicago Land Show, I came across an
interesting article about a panorama painted for the Omaha Land show that
opened in the Omaha Coliseum on October 16, 1911. It was the artist that caught
my eye, a new name for me. As I
researched his history and artistic philosophy, it prompted me to include him
in the storyline. Arts education for children and its benefits for society are
not a new concept, individuals have been fighting for the inclusion of art
classes in American public schools for over a century. What my generation once
took for granted, daily arts classes, metallurgy, or woodworking, is not
necessarily part of out children’s academic experience anymore.
Here is the article published in the “Daily Bee” that
initially brought George L. Schreiber to my attention (“Vale depicted in
Panorama,” Omaha, Nebraska, 11 October 1911, page 5):
“One of the first big exhibits for the Omaha Land Show which
opens in the Coliseum next Monday arrived from Salem, Ore. The displays are
representative of eight counties in the Willamette valley.
A novel and interesting feature will be the panoramic
painting depicting the characteristics of the fertile land in the valley. The
panorama was painted by George L. Schrieber, who is already here to install the
big canvas. As a painting it is a work of art and it is bound to attract much
attention. Electrical effects to show the variation of the light from the break
of day until sundown will make the canvas all the more realistic. W. T. Groves,
who will have charge of the soil products display from Willamette valley, has
arrived in Omaha and is awaiting the arrival of the exhibit. He will display
fruits, grasses, forage and garden products, demonstrating the wide diversity
of crops raised in his section of the country. In addition to the exhibit there
will be a lecturer here to give illustrated talks on the Willamette valley.”
In additional to this grand painting, the article continued,
“The Bolster-Trowbridge Company has announced that it will give away a carload
of grape juice to the visitors at the Land Show. The liquor will come from
California, where the company has large interests. The wines made in California
are regarded highly among connoisseurs and the Trowbridge-Bolster booth at the
Land show will no doubt be found every attractive to many visitors.”
Of Schrieber’s work, “The Statesman Journal” reported “a
representative of the Kansas City exposition was enthusiastic in his praises of
the display and was very anxious to have the same exhibition at Kansas City”
(Salem, Oregon, 7 Nov. 1911, page 1). There was a Land Show in Kansas City the
following year.
Little is known of Schreiber, beyond a dozen newspaper
article that provide a peak into his life in Chicago, and later, Salem, Oregon.
Although few, the story is compelling and tells of his passion to teach art. In
January 1894, Schreiber taught semi-weekly courses on the history of art at the
Chicago Art Institute( Inter ocean, 24, Dec. 1893, page 15), His classes were held
at the Newberry Library Center, using Mrs. D. K. Pearson’s collection of Braun
photographs. For the Columbian Exposition,
Schreiber was selected to do the painted decor for the Children’s Building,
illustrating the decorative movement in education (Chicago Tribune, 11,
February 1893, page 9). What is fascinating is that Schreiber’s work was
directed by a committee of kindergarteners.
In 1896, Schreiber was on the advisory committee of artists,
alongside James William Pattison and Caroline D. Wade for the juries of
selection and admission to the Chicago Institute of Art (Chicago Tribune, 26
July 1896, page 42). The following year, he exhibited several pieces at the
annual exhibition of the Cosmopolitan Club held in conjunction with the
chrysanthemum show at Battery D. He showed a large number of works combining
the figures of children in landscapes. The “Chicago Tribune” reported that
Schreiber also exhibited “a portrait of himself, a figure of a mother caressing
her child, and a fantasy of a Japanese girl surrounded by chrysanthemums” (7
Nov. 1897, 43).
The Children’s Building, Columbia Exposition, from the “Chicago Tribune,”11 Feb 1893, page 9 The Children’s Building, Columbia Exposition, from the “Chicago Tribune,”11 Feb 1893, page 9The Children’s Building, Columbia Exposition, from the “Chicago Tribune,”11 Feb 1893, page 9
It was his participation in the 1900 national conference for
the Mothers’ League in Chicago that caught my eye, however. Schreiber was one
of the featured speakers for the event and his topic was “What Shall Art Mean
to the Child?” (The Saint Paul Globe, 22 July 1900, page 21). For the remainder
of his life, Schreiber was an advocate for art, giving many lectures on the
benefits of art, not only on children, but also the life of the community. His
passion for arts education brought him to the public schools in Salem, Oregon.
By 1911, Mr. George L. Schreiber was listed as the
supervisor of drawing in the Salem public schools (The Capital Journal, Salem
Oregon, 22 Sept, 1911, page 5). His
assistant was Miss Virginia May Mann and the two were quite a pair, enriching
the lives of the area’s children. “The Capital Journal” reported that Salem is “probably
the only city in the state which the pupils are not required to buy textbooks
in drawing, the teacher himself being the textbook. The school board furnishes
the drawing paper, clay, charcoal, and materials for basketry, and the pupils
buy their own watercolors at the bookstores. Drawing is one of the most
practical and useful studies in the public schools, and one in which the pupils
are becoming more interested.” In addition to drawing, the pupils of the
grammar grades were taught sewing and woodwork, the former to the girls of the
seventh and eight grades, and the latter to the boys of these grades.
In a 1912 article, Professor George L. Schreiber delivered
an address to the men of the “Salem Six O’clock Club.” His talk explored the
influence of art and the effect it has on the life of the community. The speech
is really quite wonderful, especially with Schreiber’s primary point being,
“The child or the man who has once opened his eyes to beauty is safe to trust
because he thereby becomes a caretaker.” I believe that the sentiment holds
true today, especially when you look at the individuals who are attacking the
necessity of art in public education or any sort of funding for the arts. In
1912, Schreiber also addressed the beautification of public spaces, public
parks and the corresponding result of civic pride in one’s environment;
artistic endeavors enrich a community and bring individuals together. Schreiber’s
closing remarks in the “Salem Six O’Clock Club” speech stressed, “If we have
faith in our community, let us then invest it with our faith and clothe it with
beauty, and, in the years to come, when our heirs shall possess it they will
say, ‘Our fathers have builded well; they have given us a fair inheritance.”
We live in a time when the arts are a constant target. Will
our children and grandchildren feel that we have given them a “fair
inheritance.” I hope so.
In 1911, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Lawrence, Kansas, yielded a
Masonic job, which meant a lot of work for the Land Show.” Land shows were held
for the purpose of exhibiting and explaining the agricultural and other
resources of the states with exhibits that included lectures and the
distribution of information.
The Chicago Land Show, 1911.
Scenery for Lawrence Scottish Rite was a little free
advertising for Sosman & Landis, leading to the Kansas exhibit for the Land
Show in Chicago. On Nov. 8, 1911, the “Evening Telegram” reported that Charles
I. Zirkle of Topeka was leaving for Chicago to “install the Kansas Land Show
exhibit” (Garden City, Kansas, page 3). Later, Zirkle spoke at the “Kansas
Realty Men” convention in Topeka, delivering the same daily lecture from the
Chicago land show that promoted settlement and travel to the Kansas (Parson
Daily Sun, Parsons, Kansas, 29 Dec. 1911, page 4).
In 1911, Land Shows were held in Minneapolis, Houston, Los
Angeles, New York, Omaha, Pittsburgh, and Salt Lake City. Of the Land Show in
Los Angeles during 1911, the “Los Angeles Times reported, “The big railroad
companies interested in the settlement of the West immediately grasped the
possibilities of the show and bought space in the Coliseum Building and spent
many thousands of dollars in getting together splendid exhibits of fruits,
grains and vegetables from districts along their line.” (5 Nov. 1911, page 21).
A general sales agent for the Southern Pacific Railroad said, “The big land
shows are a wonderful illustration of newspaper initiative and railroad
co-operation,” explaining that when the land shows commenced, Chicago was then
“the great land distributing center of the country.”
Advertisement for the Omaha Land Show from the “Omaha Daily Bee,” Jan 19, 1911, page 16 Advertisement for the Omaha Land Show from the “Omaha Daily Bee,” Oct 18, 1911
For the Chicago Land Show, the “Chicago Daily Tribune”
advertised the event as “the greatest exposition in Chicago since the World’s
Fair” in 1893 (Nov. 16, 1911, page 20). The exposition was held in the Chicago
Coliseum on Wabash Ave., near 16th St. and exhibiting space was valued
at $47,000 and filled with the finest produce of the land from fifteen states,
inviting men and women of Chicago to exchange their steam-heated flats for
rural homes.
The Union Pacific Railroad exhibit at the Chicago Coliseum was
installed at an expense of $20,000, consisting of three specially prepared
rooms and thousands of feet of moving picture films. Of the exhibit, the
newspapers described, “Continental moving picture travelogues are to be
operated in the rooms, illustrating mining and agricultural industries in the
territory through which the railroad furnishes transportation (Nov. 16, 1911,
page 20).
Local advertisements urged, “Come down and talk to the men,
who like yourself, could not get ahead in the big city and who gave up their
jobs, went West and South and are now independent of the landlord.” Each day of
the Land Show, one farm was given away
to a lucky visitor. Other daily prizes included potatoes; 40,000 of which were
distributed on Idaho day at the expense of the state. The State of California
shipped in seven carloads of fruit and one
carload of violets to be presented to female visitors on California day.
An advertisement for the Chicago Land Show, from the “Chicago Tribune,” Nov. 16, 1911, page 20
The first Land Show was held during 1909. In 1911, it was estimated that $33,000 were
spent by the management and exhibitors in decorating the interior of the
coliseum, with the entire collection of exhibits valued at $150,000, the
spending equivalent of over $4,000,000 today. Of the $150,000 in 1911, $47,000
worth of products was sold during the show, and increase from $34,000 in 1909.
Of the Salt Lake City Exhibits, the “Los Angeles Times”
reported, “According to the Salta Lake Tribune, the Commerical Club and the
Utah Development Company of Salt Lake are arranging one of the best exhibits
that Utah can produce for tge land show here.‘The results of the exhibit sent
to the last land show at the Los Angeles were so successful that it is proposed
to make the best of this opportunity.’ Says the Tribune. Elaborate and
extensive preparations are in progress in Salt Lake City for a series of
excursions from the city during the land show, and it is expected that hundeds
of members of the Commercial Club and other organizations will come here
especially to attend the exposition. General Manager Wilson is in receipt of a
letter from Frederick Thompson, scenic artist, who designed Luna Park,
Dreamland and A Trip to the Moon at Coney Island, stating that he will submit
plans for decorations and entertainment which he expects to surpass anything
heretofore attempted in the West” (“Los Angeles Times” 5 Nov. 1911, page 21).
On July 14, 1911, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “I went to
Chattanooga, Tenn., to make some sketches from Missionary Ridge, and took a run
up Mt. Lookout – believe me it is my last.
I don’t care for the sensation of the incline. I got some good photos and had Mr. Reif’s car
and chauffeur to take me anywhere. I
went the limit and saw everything, and made three pencil sketches. Closed another contract on the strength of my
sketches – $1,800.00.”
View from Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Moses was referring to Charles Reif, president of the Chattanooga
Brewing Company. Reif was the son of Brewery founder George Reif who
established the business in 1890. A George immigrant, Reif came to America in
1861, settling in Cincinnati where he worked at a meat packing plant. George
invested in beer, becoming a major shareholder in Jung Brewing Co until it was
sold in 1889. By 1890, the Reif family moved to Chattanooga, where George became
one of the principle men who bought the brewing business of Conrad Geise &
Co. The business was soon incorporated, as the Chattanooga Brewing Co. George
remained the president the company until his passing in 1899, when control of
the company was passed to his son, Charles, born in 1865.
Advertisement with George Reif listed as President and Manager. Son, Charles Reif is listed as the Secretary and Treasurer.
By 1911, the Chattanooga Brewing Co. was quite large,
distributing approximately 150,000 barrels of beer annually. Chicago hosted an
International Brewers’ Congress during October 1911 that was devoted to showing
visitors various beer exhibits. The Chattanooga Brewing Co. was one of many companies
who contracted Sosman & Landis to create their exhibit for the Brewer’s Show,
held at the Chicago Coliseum. Of the Chattanooga Brewery Co. project, Moses
wrote, “Our Chattanooga picture came out best of all. It was a perfect representation of the city
and the surrounding country.”
Chattanooga Brewing
In the spring of 1911 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Early in April
I started on the designs for the Brewers’ Show, in which they wanted to
demonstrate that beer is a food and not a beverage.” Other exhibitors with
exhibits by Sosman & Landis included the Schoenhoffen Brewing Company and
the Dubuque Brewing and Malting Company.
“Our Beers are Pure Liquid Food” “Chattanooga Brewing Co. advertisement.Advertisement from the “Jackson Daily News,” 10 Aug 1910, page 6 (2)
As the work for Brewer’s exhibits commenced, Moses wrote,
“We started Brewer’s work at the 20th Street studio, with an extra
number of men…The Brewer’s Show opened October 12th with enormous
crowds. Had a lot of trouble getting our
work into the building….Sosman was well pleased, as there was a good profit in
the work. Some of the brewers thought I
had overcharged them.” In the end, the Brewery Show of 1911 was a success. By
October 23, over 94,000 patrons attended the exposition and consumed over
500,000 glasses of beer (Statesman Journal, 24 Oct, 1911, page 9). Sosman &
Landis secured $25,350.00 in contracts for the event, today’s equivalent
purchasing power of $683,361.28 – a sizable amount of work. For the opening of
the show, the “Chicago Tribune” quoted Henry E. O. Heinemann, secretary of the
exposition, “Thousands of dollars have been spent for the foundations alone, so
tons of brewing machinery must be properly set. An army of painters,
decorators, scene builders, and machinists was busy all day and far into the
night getting everything ready for the opening” (12 October 1911, page 7).
The success of the Brewer’s Show did not last long, however,
as change was in the air. The Chattanooga Brewing Co. only operated until 1915,
when Prohibition forced them to close their doors. The brand lay dormant for
decades until recently. In 2010 the company was resurrected at 1804 Chestnut
St. In Chattanooga, Tennessee. Here is the new website if you are thirsty and in
the area: https://www.chattabrew.com/
In 1911, Sosman & Moses secured $25,350.00 in contracts
for the Brewers’ show at the Chicago Coliseum. The companies created a series
of exhibit booths for various breweries at the show. Thomas G. Moses recorded
that one of the clients was a Brewing Company in Dubuque, Iowa. The unnamed brewery
was likely the Dubuque Brewing and Malting Company.
The organization of the Dubuque Brewing and Malting Company primarily
resulted from a prohibitory state law in Iowa that proceeded national
legislation. Details of the company’s origin are quite fascinating, so here is
a brief summary. In 1892 an estimated fifty heirs from the four original Dubuque
brewers wanted to sell their interests. Unfortunately, they were unable to do
so because local and state legislation governing brewery property made the
business almost unsalable. To enable the legal sale of brewery interests, the
men owning the greats shares established the Dubuque Malting Company. This
entity took over the property from the heirs and simply paid them a rental fee.
Now despite Iowa’s prohibition law, brewing continued – go figure. Production
continued to such an extent that an estimated 50,000 barrels of beer were still
produced annually.
Some of the Dubuque Malting Company memorabilia listed for sale online
Their plan was to ensure that Dubuque Malting Company would
always continued to legally operate, despite any future legislation. They would
simply manufacture and sell brewers’ supplies, as well as all kinds of grain
products. Also, if any prohibition laws were then repealed, the managers could
quickly return to the brewing business again. In Iowa, prohibition closed the brewery
part of the on December 31, 1915. Iowa became one of thirty-two states that
became “dry” prior to the law being put into effect nationally in
1919. For more history about the Dubuque Brewing and Malting Company,
visit http://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=DUBUQUE_BREWING_AND_MALTING_COMPANY
Returning to the Brewer’s Show of 1911, Moses recorded a
trip to Iowa. Of the work in Dubuque, Moses wrote, “I made a trip to Dubuque,
Iowa, to close a contract with a Brewing Company and did so. We went out for a drive. Gathered in Jake Rosenthal of the Majestic
Theatre. On crossing the river, we ran
into a team. The driver was not hurt but
his horses got to rearing and upset the wagon, which was loaded with
dynamite. Nothing exploded. Rosenthal stood aside and said, ‘What a lucky
JEW I am.’”
Jake Rosenthal, published in Jake Rosenthal, “The Des Moines Register,” 24 Sept. 1936, page 13
Jake Rosenthal was a veteran showman, having been connected
with theaters in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Omaha before settling in
Dubuque. He managed one of the first two theaters on the Orpheum circuit and
was noted as introducing vaudeville of the Orpheum circuit type in Omaha and
Los Angeles (The Courier, 10 Feb 1938, page 12). In Dubuque, Rosenthal managed
the Majestic Theatre for twenty years, as well as the outdoor Airdome before
relocating to Waterloo to manage the Iowa Theatre in 1929 (The Courier,
Waterloo, Iowa, 10 Sept 1934, page 14).
Rosenthal was credited with giving a start to many famous
performers, including Harry Houdini and Elsie Janis “on their upward climb”
(The Daily Times, Davenport, Iowa, 22 Sept, 1936, page 11). Rosenthal was also known
as being the one to give Fred Astaire his start on the legitimate stage (The
Des Moines Register, 24 Sept. 1936, page 13).
In Rosenthal’s private life, he was affiliated with the Benevolent
Order of Protected Elks, the Knights of Pythias, Woodmen of the World, the
Showmen’s League of America, and many Masonic orders, including the Shrine.
Rosenthal passed away in 1936 at the age of 65 years old, his death caused by a
coronary obstruction.
His funeral was conducted at the Waterloo Masonic temple by
Rabbi Harold Gordon, pastor of the Sons of Jacob synagogue, Waterloo (The
Courier, 23 Sept. 1936, page 2). On September 23, 1936, “The Courier” reported,
“Scores of telegrams of condolence were received from persons associated with the
theatrical world, and other friends. Wires were sent by Morgan C. Ames,
Chicago, president of the Orpheum circuit; Doc Banford, general manager of the
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film exchange, St. Louis, Mo.; Mrs. Louis Murphy, widow of
the late Senator Murphy, Dubuque; John P. Mulgrew, Dubuque, author and playwright,
and Charles and Mary Brown, owners of the theatres in Iowa City.”
The Sosman & Landis studio was scrambling after losing a foreman carpenter and lead scenic artist during the month of February in 1911. On top of the loss, Joseph S. Sosman took another family vacation. Unfortunately for the studio staff, work kept pouring in that year. One of the largest projects handled by the studio that spring included a series of exhibits for the Brewer’s Show. Chicago hosted an International Brewers’ Congress during October 1911 that was devoted to showing visitors various beer exhibits.
In 1911 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Early in April I started on
the designs for the Brewers’ Show, in which they wanted to demonstrate that
beer is a food and not a beverage.” What
a great marketing ploy, proposing that beer was a meal. Advertisements in
“Western and Daheim,” a German-language Chicago newspaper, included
articles pertaining to the International Brewers’ Congress that year,
characterizing various beer and malt products as “The Family Beer,”
“The Source of Energy,” and “Malt-Marrow: A Perfect Score in
Health” (“Geschichte des Chicagoer Brauwesens,” Westen and Daheim,
October 15, 1911).
For the opening, the “Chicago Tribune” interviewed Henry E. O. Heinemann, the secretary of the exposition. Heinemann reported, “Thousands of dollars have been spent for the foundations alone, so tons of brewing machinery must be properly set. An army of painters, decorators, scene builders, and machinists was busy all day and far into the night getting everything ready for the opening” (12 October 1911, page 7). Of the event, the article commented, “Every brewer in the exposition is an ardent missionary, eager to convert America to the ways of Germany, of Belgium, of France…Beer, they asserted during the day, is not an ‘alcoholic’ drink. Continental Europeans do not regard it as such. Americans would not, they argues, if it were not for their habit of standing at bars and drinking in a hurry.”
As the project commenced, Moses wrote, “We started Brewer’s
work at the 20th Street studio, with an extra number of men.” Of the event, Moses wrote, “The Brewer’s Show
opened October 12th with enormous crowds. Had a lot of trouble getting our work into
the building….Sosman was well pleased, as there was a good profit in the
work. Some of the brewers thought I had
overcharged them.” In the end, the Brewery Show of 1911 was a success. By
October 23, over 94,000 patrons attended the exposition and consumed over
500,000 glasses of beer (Statesman Journal, 24 Oct, 1911, page 9).
Of course, there were many groups opposed to the event too,
including the Anti-liquor force headed by the Chicago Christian Endeavor union
who were rallying for a mass meeting to protest against the brewers’ exposition
(Dixon Evening Telegraph, 16 Oct, 1911, page 5). Local headlines also reported,
“Brewer’s Show Drinking is On Increase. Consumption of Beverage is Three Times
Greater Than the Growth of Population” (Star-Gazette, Elmira, New York, 21 Oct,
1911, page 3). The “Star-Gazette” noticed that “The volume of beer business has
reached its highest point in the history of the trade.”
Moses also added, “Mr. Sosman would have nothing to do with
it, and told me to go after it and get $10,000.00 out of it if possible.” There
was $25,350.00 in contracts before all was finished for the event. Today’s equivalent purchasing power of
$25,350 in 1911 is $683,361.28 – a sizable amount of work.
The studio’s first contract for the event was for
$1,150.00. Moses recorded that the
Schoenhoffen Brewing Company exhibit featured the “celebrated ‘Edelweiss.’” Edelweiss was the Schoenhoffen Brewing
Company’s flagship brand. Advertisements from the time included “Delicious
Satisfaction is an Edelweiss Attraction,” “Phone Before Eleven – Delivered
before Seven,” “Here’s the Case, You be the Judge,” and “Phone for a Case to be
Sent to Your Place.”
Edelweiss Beer advertisement
Founded in 1860 by Prussian immigrant Peter Schoenhofen (1827-1893), the brewery was located 18th and Canalport by 1862. During the 1860s, the made approximately 600 barrels of lager beer each year. Production continued to increase throughout the nineteenth century. By 1868, the annual output was 10,000 barrels. By 1890, Chicago was the nation’s sixth largest beer producer, with thirty-four breweries manufacturing over 1,000,000 dollars worth of beer annually. By 1900, the annual capacity of Schoenhoffen Brewing Company was 1,200,000 barrels – big business. The Schoenhofen brewery eventually housed fifteen buildings over seven acres, two miles south of downtown Chicago. The last expansion to the brewery’s complex at this location occurred during 1912, the year after the Brewer’s Show.
Edeweiss ad from 1910Edelweiss poster
As an interesting aside, www.forgottenchicago.com reports that members of the Schoenhofen family used the Brewery’s tower to broadcast radio messages to German agents during World War I, prompting federal agents to seize the brewery. This claim, however, remains unsubstantiated.
The Schoenhoffen Brewing Company was acquired by the National Brewery Company in 1928. Operations ceased during the Prohibition Era, but reopened in 1933 after the national ban on alcohol production was lifted. The Schoenhofen-Edelweiss Co. was eventually purchased by the Atlas Brewing Co. in the late 1940s, then became part of Dewery’s Ltd. of South Bend, Indiana, in 1951. Dewery’s even reintroduced the famous Edelweiss brand in 1972.
In 1910, Thomas G. Moses wrote,
“We did a very unique exhibit for the Cement Show. A model farm, imitation of cement. It was very interesting and finished very
good.”
Postcard from the Cement Show in Chicago, 1910
He was referring to the third annual convention for the National Exposition of American Cement Industries. The Cement Show was held at the Coliseum in Chicago and ran from February 18 to the 26. Educational in its nature, the event was intended to illustrate and explore the various uses of cement and concrete. Millions of pounds of material were used in exhibits ranging from crude products to floating boats that could carry a great weight (Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 1910, page 9). There were concrete burial vaults, water tanks, fences, silos, curbs, homes and other exhibits such as the model farm that Moses mentioned (Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 1910, page 6).
The show included a series of lectures to inform the public, by word and picture, the varied uses and economic advantages of cement. Lecture topics included small farm uses of concrete, how to build a concrete silo, concrete sidewalks, concrete bridges and culverts, concrete in seawall construction, concrete in factory construction, artistic uses of concrete, concrete sheets and floors, concrete tanks, cement stucco, concrete surface and finish, concrete piles, concrete poles, concrete drain, tile and pipe construction, and the basics of mixing and placing concrete.
There were an estimated 100,000 people who attended the event from all over the country that year. Exhibitors filled the entire first and second floors the Chicago Coliseum, including both floors of the annex. There were other meetings of allied interests also scheduled to coincide with the Cement show, including the American Society of Engineering Contractors, the National Association of Cement Users, the National Builder’s Supply association, the Illinois Association of Municipal Contractors, Northwestern Cement Products association, and the Interstate Cement Tile Manufacturers association.
On February 20, 1910, the “Inter
Ocean” reported, “The cement show is simply a competitive exhibition for showing
the purpose of showing the progress of the industry. Through the combined
efforts of the manufacturer and the user it has reached its present high state
development. No really great invention ever reached perfection through the work
of one man, but through the results of the advice and criticism of the public.
Knowing this fact, it is apparent how great a benefit to the entire industry is
a competitive exhibition of this kind and size” (page 11).
The article continued, “Record attendance was attained last evening when the largest crowd that has ever attended a cement show thronged the aisles. The most interesting attraction was the second floor of the Annex, where Percy H. Wilson, secretary of the American Portland Cement association, is conducting a moving picture display and lecture. Exhibitors yesterday reported numerous sales as a result of the first business session. One concern closed a contract for 50,000 barrels of cement to be used in constructing a dam on a ranch in the West” (page 11).
President Edward M. Hagan and his associates of the Cement Products Exhibition company were responsible for the annual exhibition. In 1910, their plan was to take the Chicago event to Madison Square Garden for the week of Dec. 12.
To put the use of cement during
1910 in context: In 1880, only 42,000 barrels of cement were manufactured
nationwide. In 1909 that number
increased to 60,000,000 barrels (Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 1910, page 9).
