Kliegl Bros. – Drypigment.net

Anton T. Kliegl was a Freemason.

I discovered this fraternal connection while looking for information about Al C. Field’s “The Land of the Midnight Sun” spectacle. A 1925 newspaper reported, “Frank Bliss attended the annual theatre party and dance given by the Lincoln Lodge of Masons at Hotel Astor, Tuesday evening. Mr. Bliss was the guest of Anton Kliegl.” Lincoln Lodge of Masons (Lincoln Lodge No. 3, F. & A.M.) was formed in 1792 and is located in Wiscasset, Maine. Still an active lodge, the “Wiscasset Newspaper” reported, “When the Lincoln Lodge of Masons formed in 1792, Maine was still part of Massachusetts” (17 Dec 2014)

As I processed the following information, my first thought was, “Of course he was a Mason.” I think back to the many other theatre personalities who belonged to the fraternity, including Sosman, Volland, Noxon, and the list goes on. Of all the big movers and shakers in early twentieth century technical theater, the question should be: “Who wasn’t a Mason?” and not “Who was a Mason?” Theatre manufacturers and suppliers needed these fraternal connections to secure new contracts; the Masons built some of the best theaters in the early twentieth century and appeared to possess almost unlimited funds. Who would pass up that connection; a leg up on the competition?

Kliegl Bros. “pose slide” artwork in paper binder, page 17. Ohio State University. Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute. Joel E. Rubin Collection.
Here is the link to the page: https://kb.osu.edu/
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I decided to see if I could dig up a little more information about the Kliegl’s Masonic affiliations and immediately hit the jackpot. My “jackpot” was the form of a blog post.

On April 3, 2012, “Inside and Abandoned Masonic Hall in Tappan, NY” was posted to Scouting New York. Photos attached to the article showed the decaying German Masonic Home in Tappan. Nestled in a picturesque setting, it was located across the road from the German Masonic Park. The park is still home to Traubenfest, Tappan’s Oktoberfest. Yes, lots of German heritage in Tappan. Masonic artifacts sometimes hold more value for those who are not members of the Fraternity. I stumbled across the Scouting post because Anton Kliegl funded to construction of the German Masonic Home chapel in Tappan, New York. After his passing in 1927, stained glass windows with portraits of Anton and his widow were installed as a memorial in 1928. In 1928, Kliegl’s widow was the sole recipient of his estate, valued at $305,756. Today’s equivalent purchasing power is approximately $4,600,000.

Stained glass window of Anton Kliegl at the German Masonic Home in Tappan, NY. Posted to Scouting NY. Here is the link: http://www.scoutingny.com/
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The stained glass windows have since been restored and re-installed in the United Brothers Lodge #356 in Whitestone, New York, according to “Masonic News, Ninth Manhattan District (Summer Issue 2014, page 2). Interestingly, in 1914, the Masters Association (Stuhlmeister-Vereinigung) and Charity Ball Journal were founded. By 1939, the Gala Charity Ball was held in the Hotel Astor in New York and celebrated the “Silber-Jubiläum” (Silver Anniversary). The 1939 issue of the Charity Ball Journal was co-dedicated to the founding of the Master’s Association and to Anton Kliegl. This means that Kliegl’s involvement with the Fraternity was not minimal, he was extremely active.

The same Masonic building was also the featured in an episode of “Abandoned,” available on YouTube. Here is the link as it says a lot about the current state of many Masonic buildings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O1Lss9sUjE&feature=youtu.be The general public is always intrigued with the Masons and their spaces, in some ways more so that the members that abandon these grandiose facilities. Watching this YouTube video reminds us of how much has been squandered; the lost history.

The German Masonic Home in Tappan, New York, 1920.

Here’s a little background on Tappan, New York. It is steeped in history, especially revolutionary events. As an interesting aside, on October 2, 1780, British Major John André was captured by American soldiers, tried, convicted and hanged as a spy in Tappan. André had plotted the surrender of the American fortress at West Point with American General Benedict Arnold and was capture while returning to British lines. André was also a scenic artist and I spent countless hours as an undergraduate student tracking down his theatrical ties.

German Masons in Tappan purchased 20 acres in 1872 for approximately $14,000. Although construction did not commence until 1906, the complex was completed by 1909. This was at the same time that the Kliegl Bros. were really making a name for themselves and achieving some financial success and discretionary income for charitable endeavors. The facility closed in 1983, less than eight decades after it was opened. This structure, however, may have a second lease on life. According to Steven T. Scwartz, president of Noble Ninth Incorporated, a Manhattan-based Masonic company that owns the property now, renovation work to transform the facility to serve community senior citizens was in the works. After viewing photographs and video of the dilapidated complex, it really is a long shot.

As with many fraternities, care for aged members, their widows and children were once one of the many benefits to belonging to a fraternity, hence the creation of Masonic Homes. This was not unique to Freemasonry. It was an early form of insurance for members that guaranteed their loved ones would be cared for after they passed away. Masonic homes were never intended as profit making ventures. Times change.

To be continued…

In 1914, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Did a spectacle set for the Stanley, Philadelphia. I went with it, and spent a whole week with it. Got some good lighting effects. Kleigel [sic.] came on from New York to do it.”

In 1914, the “Kliegl Bros.” were advertised as “the greatest experts in their line in this country” (The Indiana Gazette, 1 Dec. 1914, page 1). The brothers had worked their way up from employees in a factory that manufactured electric arc lamps, to establishing their own company in 1896 – Universal Electric Stage Lighting Co. Much has been written about their early history, but here is a link to some of their patents: https://klieglbros.com/patents/default.htm

In addition to being marketed as the famous duo, “Herr Kleigl” was mentioned in newspapers for his design of special effects for stage spectacles. It remains uncertain whether “Herr Kliegl” was Anton T. or his brother Johann “John” H. My gut instinct says it was Anton.

Regardless, newspapers claimed that “Herr Kliegl” created a specific effect for Al G. Field’s Minstrel Show in 1914. That year Field’s touring production included “sumptuous stage pictures” and “mammoth pictorial presentations” featuring four unique spectacles (Pensacola News Journal, 18 Oct, 1914, page 12). The four spectacles were “The Birth of Minstrelsy,” “Minnie Ha Ha,” “The Land of the Midnight Sun” and the “Panama Pacific Exposition.” The lighting effects for “The Land of the Midnight Sun” were credited to Herr Kliegl and described in great detail.

“The Land of the Midnight Sun” featured lighting effects designed by Herr Kliegl in 1914. From the “Port Star,” (Glen Falls, NY,) 13 Feb 1915, page 8.

Advertisement noting the special effects designed by Kliegl for the 1914 show, from the “Jackson Daily News,” (Jackson, Mississippi) 26 Oct. 1914, page 80.

Alfred Griffin Hatfield was the namesake of the touring minstrel show, going by both Al G. Field and Al G. Fields by the early twentieth century. Hatfield was born in Leesburg, Virginia, between 1848 and 1850; surprisingly, the date varies in many historical records. The man led an exciting life and traveled extensively as he made a name for himself in the beginning. Hatfield first appeared on stage at Jeffries Hall in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. It was early in 1871, and his black-face portrayal of “Handy Andy” caught the attention of Sam Sharpley. Sharpley was a well-known member of Sharpley, Sheridan, Mack and Day’s Minstrels. Hatfield began performing with the group by the winter of 1871, and his career took off. Later shows included Bidwell and McDonough’s “Black Crook” Company, Tony Denier’s “Humpty Dumpty,” Haverly’s “Blackbird’s of a Nation,” the California Minstrels, and Simmon’s and Slocum’s Minstrels, Duprez and Benedict’s Minstrels.

By 1884, he organized his own show in Peru, Indiana; a popular company that became known as the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. He remained with the group until 1886 when he established the Al G. Field’s Minstrels. Later in life, Fields claimed that his minstrel show was the first to carry their entire stage setting and scenery, as well as being the first to operate their own special train of cars. For more information pertaining to Field, see “Monarch of Minstrelsy, from “Daddy” Rice to Date” by Edward Le Roy Rice (1911). Here is the link: https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=rRc5AAAAIAAJ&hl=en&pg=GBS.PP10

By 1910, the Al C. Field Minstrels company was incorporated and continued to expand their offerings, producing increasingly elaborate shows each year. In 1914, the “Jackson Daily News” advertised, “Al G. Field, the dean of minstrelsy, is the one minstrel manager who dares invited the public to accept the past as a criterion of the present, and hence the slogan of the Al G. Field Minstrels this season is ‘Twenty-ninth Successful Year.’ Likewise the annual guarantee is given ‘everything new this year.’(Jackson, Mississippi, 26 Oct, 1914, page 80).

The article continued to describe “The Land of the Midnight Sun” reporting, “it is conceded to be the most elaborate and impressive effort ever undertaken in a minstrel production. The spectator beholds the Arctic north, with its seemingly boundless reaches of ice, snow, and sea – all opalescent with every hue, color and tone from the reflection of the sun, moon and stars. This evolves into the transformation picture, ‘The Aurora Borealis,’ when this magnificent phenomenon of nature is shown so realistically as to transport the audience. These wonderful scenes accompany a travesty skit, which introduces old Doc Cook, the North Pole, a Polar bear, cleverly acted by Henry Neiser, the Esquimaux, the seals, ice floes, bottomless well, and other Arctic features that accentuate the comedy situation.”

In 1914, the “Charlotte News” further described the “Land of the Midnight Sun:” “The Arctic regions, with the sun sinking behind the polar mountains of ice and snow, and yet illuminating all by a reflected iridescence. Then is beheld the gorgeous phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis with its irradiation of dazzling contrasted colors. Never before has it been possible to project separate colors so as to give a representation of this magnificent rainbow-like phenomenon. The device by which it is accomplished is the invention of Herr Kliegl and he worked for over four years before perfecting it. The exclusive rights to the stage use have been secured by Al G. Field, and the spectacle can only be seen in connection with his minstrel show. The scenery and effects employed in displaying this novelty are of the most elaborate and expensive, and the combined results are among the sensational surprises of the year. In starting work, Herr Kliegl had no detailed scientific analysis of the real Aurora Borealis upon which to base his experiments. Even today, the scientists have not fathomed the actual richness by which the real Aurora Borealis is produced. They are all agreed that it is caused by some kind of an electrical discharge in the atmosphere. This in turn is brought about by a magnetic influence emanating from the sun. When the particles of the earth’s atmosphere are thus charged magnetically, the electrolyzation causes such an arrangement of the light rays that many of the spectrum colors are visible. Thus it is that the crimson and gold, apple green, sea blue, violet, purple haze, mellow yellow and azure blue, form magnificent color arch, or band, or corona, or curtain that is known as Aurora Borealis. This phenomenon is not visible to the people of this country very often. Here to see it accurately reproduced in the theatre is a rare opportunity for the present generation when it can acquaint itself with one of nature’s grandest and most imposing spectacles” (10 Sept, 1914, page 7).

I would give anything for a time machine right now and see the show.

The “Wilmington Morning Star” also reported, “No invention of a mechanical device for realistic, beautiful stage effects has aroused more interest and discussion than the one which creates the awesome gorgeousness of the Aurora Borealis, as pictured in the performance of The Al G. Field Minstrels. Just as the tread mill device by Neil Borgess for the horse race in ‘The Country Fair’ made possible the one employed in ‘Ben Hur,’ so this new lighting contrivance controlled exclusively by Al G. Filed, promises a revolution along lighting lines. This is true because it enables the projectment [sic.] of separate colors. The invention is the work of Herr Kliegl. Prior to his endeavor, little had been done in trying to produce artificially the color sheen of the Aurora Borealis. The most conspicuous experiment was that of German savant Kr Birkland. [Dr. Kr Birkland was from Christiana, Norway, and he wrote about the division of terrestrial magnetism, publishing his findings in 1911]. His apparatus consisted of a vacuum vessel containing a magnetic atmosphere. A partial Aurora Borealis effect was secured by sending electric currents through the glass vessel to the magnetic sphere. With this elemental knowledge Herr Kliegl evolved the present successful device. The Aurora Borealis is presented in the number, “The Land of the Midnight Sun,” which shows the Arctic North, with its sweep of ice and snow, indescribably brilliant from the reflection of sun, moon and stars. This spectacle is only one of four, which the unrivaled minstrel program of The Al G. Minstrels offers this season. The production is at the Academy of Music tonight and seats are now selling at Woodall & Sheppard’s” (28 Sept. 1914, page 6).

Other than one advertisement, I have been unsuccessful in locating an image of the spectacle. However, the Kliegl Bros. electrical effects called the “Aurora Borealis” in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide, 1912-1913 (page 38).

Note the “Aurora Borealis” effect offered in the ad.
A year later, Kliegl designed an “Aurora Borealis” effect for Al G. Field’s Minstrel spectacle “The Land of the Midnight Sun.” Universal Electric Stage Lighting Co. advertisement in Cahn-Leighton’s Official Theatrical Guide, 1912-1913.

As for Field, he passed away in 1921, a victim of Bright’s disease. He bequeathed his show and a substantial estate to brother Joseph E. Hatfield and relative Edward Conrad. Field was a member of the Elks. Tomorrow I look at Kliegl’s Masonic affiliations.

To be continued…

Category: Kliegl Bros.

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 887 – Anton T. Kliegl and Freemasonry

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 886 – Al G. Field, Herr Kliegl, and “The Land of the Midnight Sun,” 1914