In 1912, Thomas G. Moses and
his wife Ella stopped in Chattanooga on their way to Asheville, North Carolina.
Moses was headed south on vacation to sketch and check in on some projects. In
Chattanooga, he dropped off a panorama for the Chattanooga Manufacturer’s
Association.
1906 postcard depicting Chattanooga.
The painting was for a permanent display at the new Chattanooga
Manufacturer’s Association. “The Chattanooga News” described his contribution
on Jan. 1, 1913, in the article “Manufacturers Receiving in Their Commodious
Home” (page 12). Of Moses’ artwork, the
article reported, “The panorama of Chattanooga and the miniature replica of the
Cincinnati Southern railway attracted the greatest interest upon the top floor,
crowds of amazed spectators standing around these exhibits throughout the
morning and afternoon.”
On New Year’s Day, 1913, more than 15,000 people visited
the permanent exhibit of the Chattanooga Manufacturer’s Association, far
exceeding the expectation of the exhibit committee. From 10:00 a.m. until 10:00
p.m., a steady stream of visitors poured into the building. The new home of the
Chattanooga Manufacturers’ association home was a three-story building on Broad
Street, where the products of various manufacturing plants of the city were
permanently displayed.
Chattanooga had more than 300 manufacturing plants
turning out 700 different products of common use by 1913 (“The Chattanooga
News,” 12 March 1913, page 5). The annual value of manufactured exceeded
$65,000,000. Today’s equivalent of that purchasing power is $1,685,791,414.14.
That fall “The Chattanooga News” included an article
about Moses’ visit to Chattanooga, mentioning his panorama work and role in the
Palette & Chisel Club (Nov. 5, 1913,
page 2). Moses was 57 years old at the time, well-respected as a fine artist,
and in his artistic prime. Here is the article in its entirety:
“ARTISTS MAY CAMP HERE NEXT SUMMER.
Thomas F. [sic.] Moses Has Interested Palette and Chisel Club of Chicago in Chattanooga –
The genius of Thomas G. Moses, the artists who painted
the panorama of Chattanooga, now at the Chattanooga Manufacturer’s association
exhibit building, is at present being officially recognized in Chicago by the
Palette and Chisel Club there, one of the most exclusive art clubs in America.
Nov. 2 to 14, the paintings of Mr. Moses are on display
at the club apartments. This opportunity is an honor afforded only to the most
prominent members. Invitations have been sent out to the most able of America’s
painters. In the invitation the Palette and Chisel club says of this artist:
‘There is not one of our members of whom we are more
proud. There is probably not another painter in Chicago who has sought out and
painted so many of the beauty spots of our own country. From a thousand
sketches and paintings sixty have been selected, and are hung in our club to
give our members and their friends an opportunity of seeing a representative
collection of the works of Thomas G. Moses.
It is customary for sketching parties of the Palette and Chisel Club to make excursions to locations of exceptional beauty over the continent of America. When in Chattanooga to deliver his painting of this city to the Manufacturer’s association Mr. Moses expressed his admiration for the scenic beauty of this section and stated that he hoped to bring a party of artists from Chicago art circles to establish a summer painting camp in this locality.”
In 1913 the art works of Thomas G. Moses were featured in a Palette &
Chisel Club exhibition.
The Palette & Chisel Club invitation, 1913.
An invitation to Club members noted,
“There is not one of our members of whom we are more proud. There is
probably not another painter in Chicago who has sought out and painted so many
of the beauty spots of our country. From a thousand sketches and paintings
sixty have been selected and are hung in our Club to give our members an
opportunity of seeing a representative collection of the works of Thomas G.
Moses. The exhibition will be open on weekdays from 10 to 7, and on Monday,
Wednesday & Saturday evenings until 9.”
The Palette & Chisel Club invitation, 1913.
This is quite a statement. Moses had been a member of the Club since 1906.
In addition to joining the Palette & Chisel Club, Moses was a member of the
Laguna Beach Art Association and the Salmagundi Club in New York City. He
sketched alongside those associated with other art movements, such prominent individuals
who established art colonies in Taos and the Pacific Northwest.
Thomas G. Moses painting in Oakland, California.Painting by Thomas G. Moses, still owned by his descendants.Painting by Thomas G. Moses, still owned by his descendants.
In addition to being recognized in fine art circles, his skill as a
scenic artist was also recognized by some of the greatest American stage
personalities in the 19th and 20th centuries, including
Joe Jefferson, Al Ringling, Buffalo Bill Cody, Frederick Thompson, Edwin Booth,
Sarah Bernhardt, Julia Marlowe, Katherine Clemmons, Helena Modjeska, William
Haworth, and the list goes on. Many of
Moses’ theater drops still remain, scattered across the United States in
various theaters. However, there are precious
few scenery collections that were ever primarily painted by Moses; a studio
setting prohibited this characteristic. Many of Moses’ premiere collections
were created after the initial liquidation of Sosman & Moses. From the mid
to late 1920s, Moses again found himself producing entire collections with one
assistant, often on site. One example was for the Scottish Rite Theater in Fort
Scott, Kansas, a scenery collection eventually purchased by the Minnesota
Masonic Heritage Center during 2015.
After I supervised the removal and transportation of the entire Fort
Scott Scottish Rite scenery collection to a storage facility in Minnesota, the
CEO of Minnesota Masonic Charities selected a team of individuals who were
unfamiliar with the appropriate handling of historic backdrops. They were hired
to restore the entire scenery collection in a compressed timeline, just about
the same time I was my position as Curatorial Director for the Minnesota
Masonic Heritage Center was eliminated. Sadly, hot melt glue was used to attach
new netting to the historic cut drops, irreparably damaging each piece. Original
battens were removed, and leg drops cut apart. The quality of the restoration
speaks for itself and I have written much in the past about the appropriate
handling and repair of historic scenery.
The point of today’s post is to consider the extant works of Thomas G.
Moses, both his fine art and scenic art. Internationally renowned artists held
Moses in high regard. He was not merely a tradesman, producing picturesque
backgrounds for the theater, but an artist who exhibited at some of the most
respected art schools across the United States. His scenic work cannot be
dismissed and devalued based on its exhibition space in an entertainment venue.
Painting by Thomas G. Moses gifted to the Scottish Rite in Pasadena, California.
Fortunately, Lance Brockman, Larry Hill and Rhett Bryson documented many
of these collections during the 1980s and 1990s, so we at least know what was
lost. The Scottish Rite scenery in McAlester, Oklahoma, seems to be the sole
survivor that is still owned by the Fraternity.
Painting by Thomas G. Moses, part of the Waszut-Barrett Theatre Collection.
In 1912, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Ella and I
started on our vacation November 9th to Cincinnati and Asheville, N.
Car., which is all written up in detail elsewhere. Arrived home from our vacation December 8th.
Four good weeks. Had a fine trip.
Christmas day was a good one. We had
Frank with us, which made a big family reunion.
At the close of this year’s business, I have no kick to make. I only regret not being able to do more
sketching, as I found it too cold in North Carolina. I am sorry that we did not go away down south
to the Gulf. I think we would have found
it at least warm, if nothing else.”
View of Chattanooga, photograph by Alan Cressler.Postcard of Chattanooga.
One stop on his trip was in
Chattanooga, Tennessee. Of his visit to the city, the “Chattanooga News”
reported, “Chattanooga Catches the Eye of the Artist. Vice-President Moses, of
Sosman & Landis Scenic Studios, delighted.”(15 Nov. 1912, page 2).
The article headline included “LIKES
THE LOCAL SCENERY. Chooses Chattanooga Vicinity as a ‘Promised Land’ for
Artists to Revel In.” The article continued:
“Thomas G. Moses, vice-president of the Sosman
& Landis scenic studios of Chicago, and one of America’s most distinguished
artists, has spent several days in Chattanooga and the vicinity, with a view to
establishing a post for the Palette and Chisel Art Club of Chicago. He has been
sent out by the club in search of new fields, Sketch grounds all over Europe
and America are discovered in this way. One or two men are sent out in advance,
and they find ‘the promised land’ they herald the good tidings to the eager
artists in waiting.
Mr. Moses is enthusiastic over
the natural scenery of Chattanooga and its surroundings, and has made
preliminary arrangements for the post.
In time of peace and plenty the
greatest steps in art and science have been made. Midsummer Chattanooga, in all
its glory, will be painted by American celebrities. The pictures will be done
by the greatest artists, will be exhibited in the famous galleries, and will
bring great prices.
So Palette and Chisel Club of
Chicago will flock to Chattanooga and form a little colony. Artists are like
gold-seekers; let one find a small pocket, and there will be a stampede.
The well-known Palette and
Chisel club has furnished the art world many bright lights. They have secured
the “Prix de Rom” plum, which carries with it three years in Rome and $3,000.
The east winner was Mr. Savage, with E. Martin Hennings a close second.
Mr. Moses agrees that this is a
‘garden spot of America.’ He says:
‘We have painted much in the
Rockies, but they are too large and the air is too clear. What we want is mist
and a little smoke. They will be great factors in producing the poetical
sketches we find here. The delicate opalescent coloring of the distant
mountains is greatly enhanced by the drifting mists that float about your
valleys.’
A magnificent view of
Chattanooga 14×28, done by Moses, can be seen at the manufactures’ association
headquarters on Market Street. It was taken from North tower on Missionary
ridge, and has been presented to the association by Mr. Riffe.
Mr. Moses left Chattanooga
Thursday morning on an early train for Asheville, where he may establish a
second post. By his side is his charming and companionable wife, who is
interested in all movements of art. In his baggage were many sketches of this
location; in his mind were dreams of burnt sienna clay and opalescent coloring.
The sketches will be reproduced
on large canvas and will be exhibited next spring to the Salmagundi Club, of
New York City, of which Thomas Moses is a member. They consist largely of
rustic scenes, rugged mountains, dense forests, falling waters and babbling
brooks. These are the delightful avenues through which Mr. Moses walked to
renown.
The exhibition of these scenes
will be made with a view of inducing the members of the Salmagundi club to this
‘garden spot of America’ that is unlimited for the artist in scope and variety.
The Salmagundi Club is one of
the most conservative in all Europe and America. No man enters uninvited; no
man is invited under the age of fifty years. Some of the well-known artists are
Charles Warren Eaton, R. M. Shurtleff, J. Francis Murphy, H. A. Vincent, George
Innis, Jr., and Walter C. Hartson.
If this club, too, accepts the
challenge next summer, Chattanooga, in all its glory, will indeed be painted.”
A lovely photo by Jake Wheeler of the scenery near Chattanooga.
A year
after Thomas G. Moses was invited to a stage party hosted by the Palette &
Chisel Club, his son Rupert was invited to an informal stag. In 1913, Rupert
Moses received an invitation to an informal stag party, sponsored by the Pallet
& Chisel Club. The letter was sent
to Moses at the Sosman & Landis main studio address on 417 Clinton Street
in Chicago. I encountered the invitation in the John H. Rothgeb papers at the
Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin. It was part of the contents
in an unlabeled file in an unprocessed collection.
Informal stag invitation addressed to Rupert Moses, 1913Informal stag invitation addressed to Rupert Moses, 1913Informal stag invitation addressed to Rupert Moses, 1913
The informal stag invitation
announced, “Your presence is requested at the debut of Little Wayoff Saturday
Eve, December Six Nineteen Thirteen” from “Gita Wayoff and husband.” The
invitation included a ticket to admit “R. Moses” to “Little Wayoff” Palette
& Chisel Club, 59 East Van Buren Street, Saturday, Dec. 6, 8:15 P.M.
“Little Wayoff” was billed as
“an Eugenic Prodigy with Futuristic Tendencies,” sponsored by Gordon St.
Clair. The production was “dressed by
Gustave Baumann & William Watkins” with “orchestra muffled by Carl Krafft,
Properties and plumbing by R. McClure and reception by Theodore Gladhand Lely.”
The cast for the production
included:
Hesa Wayoff – an husband – Glen
Scheffer
Gita Wayoff – his wife
interested in the vote – Alex Kleboa
Little Wayoff – their only child
aged six – A. J. Anderson
An Ice Bandidt – Mr. Wayoff’s
half brother – R. V. Brown
The Art Wife – R. J. Davieson
Promise Wood Shavings – R.
McClure
Prof. Glow-Worm – Art Instructor
– R. V. Brown
Young Lady Sketcherines – Violet
(John E. Phillips), Fay (De Alton Valentine), Gladys (R. J. Davison), Pearl (J.
Jeffrey Grant), and Maude (D. Gut Biggs).
Hanging Committee – Hi Kroma
(John E. Phillips), Siam Blooey (J. J. Grant), Harrison Wredo (D. Guy Biggs),
Strontian Pale (Glen Scheffer), Paris Green (D. Valentine) and Hugh Newtral (R.
J. Davison).
Lem – a janitor – W. C. Yoemans
and Genevieve.
The “s’nopsis” for the first
picture was Mrs. Wayoff’s husband’s kitchen not far from the Palette Chisel Club shortly after the great suffrage
parade in the spring of 1913. The second picture was the sketch pasture of
Prof. Glow-Worm’s class near the club’s summer camp at Fox Lake. The third
picture was the hanging committee at play.
In 1908, newspapers reported
that Ibsen’s Little Eyolf was sometimes referred to as “Little Way-off” (Star
Tribune 26 Jan. 1908, page 19). However, “Little Wayoff” was also a parody of
Ibsen’s work, included in “The Vassar Miscellany” (Vol. 24, 1894, page 227).
Noted as “Life’s admirable paraody, wickedly entitled ‘Little Wayoff’ the book
review commented the criticism was unjust. On June 17, 1895, the Baltimore Sun”
mentioned “Little Wayoff” in the book review “Criticism – With Sugar” (page 8). The article reported, “ ‘Suppressed
Chapter and Other Bookishness.” By Robert Bridges, author of ‘Overheard in Arcady.’
New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, Cushing & Co. It is not necessary to be
dull to be wise, nor is long wind one of the requirements of a critic. A glance
is pleasant if the eye sparkles, and a touch and away may leave an impress,
while a heavier stroke would induce the wearied reader to exercise that wise
discretion which is known as skipping. Those who have read ‘Drock’ in
‘Overheard in Arcady’ will need no introduction to the ‘Suppressed Chapters,’
from the ‘Dolly Dialogues,’ will appreciate the belated ‘Trilby’s criticism of
Trilby,” and the absurd parody on Ibsen, of “Little Wayoff,” or the happiness
of title and contents of ‘Literary Partition of Scotland.” On March 28, 1896,
the “Courier-Journal” mentioned “Little Way-Off, a variation of Little Eyolf,
is a clever addition to the work of the Norwegian Dramatist” (Louisville,
Kentucky, page 9).
Stage party invitation to Thomas G. Moses 1912.Stag party invitation to Thomas G. Moses, 1912.
In 1912,
Thomas G. Moses received an invitation to a stag party, sponsored by the Pallet
& Chisel Club. I encountered the
bright orange envelope in the John H. Rothgeb papers at the Harry Ransom Center,
University of Texas, Austin. It was part of the contents in an unlabeled file
in an unprocessed collection.
The back of
Moses’ invitation noted, “Informal Stage. 8 p.m. This card admitting one only,
must be present at the door.” It was a party hosted by the Palette & Chisel
Club of Chicago. By 1911, the Palette & Chisel Club had one hundred members;
we have no idea how many were invited to the party.
The Palette
& Chisel Club was known for its remarkable parties. On June 5, 1921, the “Chicago Tribune”
reported, “Some of the original entertainments of the club, given during the
past years, are amusing to recall. “Il Janitore,” by George Ade, afterward became
known as “The Sultan of Sulu.” At the time when newspapers were bringing
influence to bear upon the Illinois Central to get them to electrify the roads
into Chicago, the club produced a burlesque, ‘The Hog in Chicago’s Front Yard.”
It might well be given again now. The electrification of the road is as much
needed today as ever. ‘Carmine,” a take-off of the opera ‘Carmen,” was a
marvelous production. ‘The Shredded Vast” was a huge comedy success. “Le
Cabaret du Howard Pourii’ was another famous bit of humor and sarcasm” (page
79).
In 1906,
the Palette & Chisel Club hosted Bohemian Night for Alphonse Mucha on the
seventh floor of the Athenaeum Building Athenaeum
Building. Before moving to their later quarters at 1012 N. Dearborn
Ave., the club rented studio space in the Anthenaeum building on Van Buren
between Michigan and Wabash Ave.
The May 18, 1912 event was at the new location – 59 E. Van
Buren St. “The Shredded Vast” was
designated “an operatic neoteric.” Musical selections by Offenbach, Bizet,
Gounod, Donizetti, Planquette and Flowtow accompanied the book by Gordon St.
Clair. The “Palette & Chisel Club
Augmented Symphony Orchestra” included Emil Biorn, director, and Martin Baer,
F. Tollakson, Max Gundlach, R. F. Ingerle, Max Boldt, Watkins Williams, Willie
Marsh, W. J. McBride, and W. C. Kintz.
Scenery for the production was designed by Gus Baumann and
executed by Watkins Williams, Gus Baumann and E. R. Burggraf. The costumes were
designed by Baumann and “executed by wives & sweethearts.” Production notes
included “Shoes by McBride. Beer by the gallon.”
The Synopsis of Scenes described “Scene 1 – sunset in wood
in kingdom of Glum-Glum,” “Scene 2 –
Twilight in studio of Artneo Teric. Elapse of one month,” and “Scene 3 –
Throne-room of King Rum- Dum. Next day.”
The cast of characters included:
Rum-Dum [King of Glum-Glum] – R. F. Ingerle
Princess Palala [his daughter] – Holger W. Jensen
Artneo Teric [a futurist painter] – Ernest P. Thurn
Lord Beno [Vice reformer to the king] – Theo Lely
Chorus [woodsmen, soldiers, ballet, lords and ladies of the
Court] – J. E. Phillips, George Ruckstaetter, B. A. Kleboe, Theo Lely, J. J.
Grant
A final note stated, “Post-Ursine Vibrations by Fred S.
Bersch and Glen C. Sheffer.”
Recognizing many of the artists, when I look at the list of names
I am astounded at the room full of talent.
In 1912, Thomas G. Moses wrote,
“The Palette and Chisel Club honored me by giving me a big dinner and named me
‘Uncle Tom’ of the Club.” I have explored Moses’ Palette & Chisel Club activities
in the past, but will recap today. The next few posts will examine club events and
some members.
Founded in 1895, the Palette & Chisel Club was an
association of artists and craftsmen for the purpose of work and study. The
organization’s members were reported to be “all wage-workers, busy during the
week with pencil, brush or chisel, doing work to please other people” (Inland
Printer, 1896). But on Sunday mornings, they assembled for five hours to paint
for themselves.
In 1906, Thomas G. Moses joined
the Palette and Chisel Club in Chicago. Moses wrote, “I don’t know why, as I
had so little time to give to pictures, but I live in hopes of doing something
some day, that is what I have lived on for years, Hope, and how little we
realize from our dreams of hope.” That same year, the Palette & Chisel Club
sponsored “Bohemian Night” in honor of Alphonse Mucha, as Mucha was in town teaching at the Art
Institute of Chicago that fall. The group was a tightknit community of strong
personalities boasting incredible artistic talents.
In 1905, members of the Palette
and Chisel Club established a primitive camp at Fox Lake, Illinois. The Palette
and Chisel Club camp drew a variety of artists during the summer months,
including Moses by 1906. This scenic
retreat was formed along the shores of Fox Lake, providing a haven far away
from the bustle of studio work in Chicago. There were many Sosman & Landis
employees who also became members of the Palette & Chisel Club, strengthening
the bonds of friendship during off hours.
In the beginning, the camp was quite rustic. Of the primitive
camping experience, Moses wrote, “June 1st, I made my first trip to
the Palette and Chisel Club camp at Fox Lake, Ill. Helped to put up the tent. A new experience for me, but I enjoyed it. I slept well on a cot. Made a few sketches. A very interesting place. I don’t like the cooking in the tent and
there should be a floor in the tent. I
saw a great many improvements that could be made in the outfit and I started
something very soon.” Moses soon fixed most of these issues, donating a “portable
house” to the camp two years later. In 1908, Moses wrote, “I bought the
portable house that we built years ago and at that time we received $300.00 for
it. I finally got it for $50.00, some
bargain. It cost $25.00 to remove it and
we will put it up at Fox Lake in the spring.
It has been used in Forest Park all summer to show ‘The Day in the
Alps.’ The next year Moses wrote, “As we had put up the portable house in Fox
Lake, I was better contented to go up. I
gave the camp a portable kitchen and it was some class. I felt sure I would manage to get a camp
outfit worth while and the boys all fell in line with me.”
His statement, “…and the boys all fell in line with me” is
something to note. It was a common occurrence both in and out of the paint
studio for Moses to lead the pack. His
charisma, charm and personality facilitated not only business dealings, but
also other social activities, Fox Lake being one of the instances where Moses
took charge of an artistic group. In 1910, Moses wrote, “Fox Lake appealed to
me all summer. I went up as much as possible
and made good use of my time. How I
wished in vain for time and money to spend all summer sketching. I know I could do something worthwhile.”
Regardless of his own opinion, Moses continued to make progress in the eyes of
Palette & Chisel Club members.
Although late to the game, he
was their beloved leader. Therefore, I have to consider Moses’ earning the
designation of “Uncle Tom” in the Palette & Chisel Club in 1912. Was it
intended as a compliment or a slight? Was
it simply an endearing term given by a bunch of white men who didn’t really
understand what “Uncle Tom” signified? Were they simply thinking of Moses as
the self-sacrificing figure who put others before himself? By 1913, Moses
wrote, “The Palette and Chisel Club boys wanted me to give an exhibit at the
club. I always refused, claiming that I
am not in the picture game, and paint pictures for pleasure only. September 3rd, a committee came to
the house and insisted on going to the studio, I had over three hundred
pictures in the studio; some very good but the other 275 were not as good, but
the boys seemed to think I had at least 250 good ones, which was quite
flattering.” He was in good company, with many members becoming nationally
recognized artists over the years. These successful artists maintained close
ties, suggesting that they admired and respected him.
Now in regard to the title of
“Uncle Tom” for Moses…
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was still
playing theaters throughout the United States in 1912. On April 26, 1912, there
was such great interest in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s work and the subsequent
theatrical interpretations that the “Quad City Times” included an article entitled,
“The Writing of Uncle Tom,” going into depth about the author (page 4). On
October 9, 1912, the “Muncie Evening Press” interviewed the “Educated Drug
Clerk” about the play (page 8). This individual seems to have offered his view
on various topics of the day. The article quoted the Educated Drug Clerk as
saying, “It wouldn’t seem right for a theatrical season to go around without
one or two ‘Uncle Tom’ shows visiting every town in the circuit…I suppose it is
too early yet to say whether or not ‘Uncle Tom’ is to become a classic. The era
of slavery has gone and seems far away to some of us. Yet there are thousands
of people who remember the dark days. Another century, perhaps, will determine
Uncle Tom’s real place in literature. Now I gather from critics that the true
work is shown when it has the faculty of living and playing on emotions of men
long after the period which produced it has passed. In other words, the classic
does not owe its power to the thought of any particular epoch, but must be
filled with teachings of real truth which will not change as the centuries roll
on.” Of the novel’s characters, the article noted that Uncle Tom was
“representative of down trodden humanity.” This again made me ponder the
Palette & Chisel Club’s designation of Moses as their “Uncle Tom.”
A scene from “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
I cannot read Moses’ entry about
his new title without cringing. To look at the group of artists using the term
makes it offensive. I cannot think of a single artist in the Palette &
Chisel Club at the time that wasn’t white. I cannot think of a single scenic
artist mentioned by Moses in his memoirs who wasn’t white, all of which causes
me great unease; the same that I felt when I first saw an image of white people
in black face makeup. My relatives arrived on the shores of America long after
the Civil War ended, yet some of them were racist; some of them still are – and
that is a horrifying truth to admit. It was a controversial topic that we
discussed in my youth, one that was addressed after many family gatherings. I
did not fully understand the extent of racism in my family until during and
after the 2016 election. My parents had disagreed with many of the extended
family’s views regarding people of color and fought back in various ways over
the decades. I was taught that all people are equal. Period. No discussion. I
greatly admire my parent s for that, especially my mother, the history teacher,
who was very clear about America’s history with slavery and Jim Crowe laws.
Regardless, I am the product of
white privilege in the United States and am horrified to witness the current, continued
and blatant racial discrimination by our president and some leaders. I am ashamed
to realize how many of my family, in-laws, friends, and colleagues continue to discriminate
against others based on the color of their skin.
In regard to Harriet Beecher
Stowe’s 1851 novel, which humanized the suffering of slavery, a cruel master
beat Tom to death because he refused to betray the whereabouts of other escaped
slaves. The novel and subsequent stage productions have been repeatedly
analyzed over the decades, with varying nuances in each interpretation.
However, I have to wonder how the title was intended when gifted to Thomas G.
Moses in 1912. Today, Wikipedia notes, “the term ‘Uncle Tom’ was also used as a
derogatory epithet for an exceedingly subservient person, particularly when
that person is aware of their own lower-class status based on race. The use of
the epithet is the result of later works derived from the original novel.”
Was the title “Uncle Tom” intended
as a compliment or slight for Tom Moses in 1912? We will never know.
In 1911, Thomas G. Moses wrote,
“As a member of the Chicago Society of Artists, I had a water color with a
Society Exhibition, and sold it for a good price.” The fifteenth annual exhibition
for the Chicago Society of Artists opened on January 31, 1911 (Chicago Tribune
31 January 1911, page 5).
The Chicago Society of Artists Logo
Founded in 1887 and incorporated
in 1889, the Chicago Society of Artists had two primary objectives: to advance
art in the Chicago area, as well as cultivating the production of art and
displaying artworks by its members.
The organization is noted as the
oldest continuing association of artists in the United States, with membership
including painters, print makers, graphic artists, photographers, sculptors,
art critics and art educators. Here is a link to the Chicago Society of Artists
website: http://chicagosocietyofartists.org/
Here is the current membership
application process for the Chicago Society of Artists:
“The Board of Directors has developed a juried process for
the selection of new members that insures maintenance and vitality of
high professional standards. Applications are accepted at any time during the
year from local, national,
or international prospective members.
Please submit the following items for membership consideration:
Five (5) images of personal work via slides and/or digital
prints for each medium in which the applicant works. If personal work
is in a single medium, ten (10) slides/prints need to be submitted. Works
may be submitted on a CD.
A biographical résumé (complete contact
information, art training, educational background, etc.).
An art résumé (exhibitions, group shows, juried shows,
awards, publications,
other art related activities, professional affiliations, etc.).
A check for $35.00 made payable to the Chicago Society of
Artists, Inc. This check covers the cost of $30.00 for annual dues and a $5.00
initiation fee. If the applicant is not accepted by the jury, the $35.00 will
be refunded.
You will be notified by mail regarding the action of the
jury.
Thank you for you for your interest in joining the Chicago
Society of Artists.”
In 1892, Moses was one of the
guests invited by members of the Chicago Society of Artists to a Bohemian
party, complete with “music, dancing, red-hots, beer and smoke” (Chicago
Tribune 12 Nov. 1892, page 6). At the
time, the society was five years old and membership continued to increase. At
the time, many of his close friends were the host so the party; a party
specifically aimed to honor both members of the press and professional men.
By 1906, Moses wrote, “I joined the Palette and Chisel Club
at the Chicago Society of Artists. I
don’t know why, as I had so little time to give to pictures, but I live in
hopes of doing something some day, that is what I have lived on for years,
Hope, and how little we realize from our dreams of hope. As the years roll by, I think one’s whole
life is one continuous dream, unless we are wonderfully gifted and fame drops
on us while we sleep.”
In addition to Moses, there were many scenic artists who
became members of the Chicago Society of Artists and its Palette & Chisel
Club in the early twentieth century. Their ranks included many of Moses’ close
friends and colleagues, such as A J. Rupert, Walter C. Hartson, Walter
Burridge, Hardesty Maratta, Victor Higgins, Ernest Albert, Oliver D. Grover,
Harry Vincent and Frank C. Peyraud.
During the spring of 1911, Wilson H. Irvine was chosen as
the president of the Chicago Society of Artists (Chicago Tribune 5 April 1911,
page 11). Other officers included Frank Phoenix as vice-president, George F.
Schultz as secretary and Rudolph F. Ingerle as treasurer. Trustees were listed
as H. Leon Roecker, Joseph Elliott Colburn, Lucie Hartrath, Charles Edward
Boutwood, Water Marshall Clute, John F. Stacey, Frank C. Peyraud, Leonard Crunelle
and Alfred Juergens.
In 1910, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Fox Lake appealed to me all summer. I went up as much as possible and made good use of my time. How I wished in vain for time and money to spend all summer sketching. I know I could do something worthwhile.” The Palette & Chisel Club kept an artists retreat at Fox Lake. Numerous Sosman & Landis artists travelled to the camp during their time off each summer, including Moses.
Palette and Chisel clubhouse at Fox Lake, donated by Thomas G. Moses
Moses continued, “Mr. Ralph
Terwilliger was at Fox Lake – I hardly knew him. He was President of a city bank. He was with Burridge, Moses and Louderback as
a paint boy for $4.00 per week. He had
prospered. With his wife and two daughters
he enjoys a cottage near our camp.”
R. J. Terwilliger, from the “Liberal News,” 27 April 1911, page 11
Moses pasted a picture of R. J.
Terwilliger in his scrapbook years later.
It noted that Terwillger was the founder and first president of the
North-West Side Commercial Association. On the clipping, Moses wrote, “Paint boy
for Burridge, Moses and Louderbeck during the years of 1887 and 1888.”
Clipping pasted in The scrapbook fo Thoms G. Moses.
Burridge, Moses & Louderback only laster from 1887 to 1888.
The company’s offices were located at 22 Chamber of Commerce in Chicago,
Illinois, on the corner of Clark and Division Streets. Burridge, Moses & Louderback used the paint
frames at the Columbia Theatre. Located at the corner of Dearborn and Projects
completed by Burridge, Moses & Louderback included “Gypsy Baron” for the
Conried and Hermann Opera Company, 2 panoramas for Joe Murphy’s “Donah,” and 2
complete productions of “Kerry Gow.” The firm painted the scenery for the Duff
Co.’s production of “Dorothea” at the Standard Theatre in New York, as well as Steele
MacKaye’s “A Noble Rogue” at the Chicago Grand Opera. During these two busy
years, Burridge, Moses & Louderback stocked six theatres with all of the
necessary scenery, including the Grand Opera House in Columbus, Ohio, and
Foster’s Opera House in Des Moines, Iowa.
Burridge, Mosess & Louderback letter, from the Waszut-Barrett collection.
Moses and Burridge were two successful and well-known
artists when they partnered in 1887. Advertisements listed Louderback as the
firm’s business manager. He was and established and well-respected owner of an
auction house and fine art galleries. In November of 1888, Burridge pulled out
of the studio because he and Louderback couldn’t agree on the running of the
business. Louderback came from a “managing art” background while Burridge came
from a “creating art” background.
Burridge, Moses, and Louderback’s paint boy Terwilliger eventually
left the theatre profession, finding success in the banking industry after
moving to Kansas. The year after Moses reunited with Terwilliger in Fox Lake,
the “Liberal News” pictured R. J. Terwilliger as president of T-W Land and
Mortgage Co. (April 27, 1911, the (page 11).
The article noted the firm was “one of the oldest and one of the most
active real estate concerns of the city of Liberal.” T-W Land and Mortgage Co.,
was described as “the first and last [business] encountered from the Rock
Island depot on South Kansas Avenue.” Terwilliger was President, while C. M.
Cole was Vice-President and M. F. Eidson, Secretary and Treasurer; Eidson was
his son-in-law. The article continued, “The firm is the oldest and largest
concern of its kind in Liberal. They do a general real estate business in farm,
ranch and city property, and handle real estate loans of all kinds. Every
member is a substantial business man of the town and all are well and favorably
known to its citizens as men who are reliable in every way.”
Part 722: The Palette & Chisel Club Camp at Fox Lake, 1909
Like theatrical managers, scenic artists also sought to escape the tranquility of the country, escaping the hard work of the studio and the noise of the city. Thomas G. Moses wrote of summer sketching trips to Fox Lake, Illinois, throughout the early twentieth century, especially in 1909.
In 1905 the Palette & Chisel Club at the Chicago Society of Artists formed an artistic community along in Fox Lake. The club was founded in 1895 and consisted of a variety of artists and craftsmen for the purpose of work and study. The members were “all wage-workers, busy during the week with pencil, brush or chisel, doing work to please other people” (Inland Printer, 1896). On Sunday mornings, they gathered for five hours to paint just for themselves.
Fox Lake provided haven far away from the hustle and bustle of Chicago. Many Sosman & Landis artists journeyed to Fox Lake whenever they could escape the studio for a few days, including Moses. In the beginning, the site was quite rustic with tents and cots. In 1906, one year after the group formed the camp, Moses joined the Palette and Chisel Club. At the time, the group consisted of approximately sixty local painters, illustrators, and sculptors. Of Moses’s first trip to their seasonal camp, he wrote, “June 1st, I made my first trip to the Palette and Chisel Club camp at Fox Lake, Ill. Helped to put up the tent. A new experience for me, but I enjoyed it. I slept well on a cot. Made a few sketches. A very interesting place. I don’t like the cooking in the tent and there should be a floor in the tent. I saw a great many improvements that could be made in the outfit and I started something very soon.”
The Palette & Chisel Club camp tent at Fox Lake. Photograph taken by Stuart Fullerton.
The portable house purchased by Thomas G. Moses for the Palette & Chisel Club camp.
By 1908, Moses wrote, “I bought the portable house that we built years ago and at that time we received $300.00 for it. I finally got it for $50.00, some bargain. It cost $25.00 to remove it and we will put it up at Fox Lake in the Spring.” The house had been used in Forest Park that summer to show the attraction, “The Day in the Alps.”
The next summer, Moses wrote, “As we had put up the portable house in Fox Lake, I was better contented to go up. I gave the camp a portable kitchen and it was some class. I felt sure I would manage to get a camp outfit worth while and the boys all fell in line with me.” In 1909, he also wrote, “I also enjoyed sketching at the Lake. That is one thing I don’t think I could ever get enough of. But our business has to be taken care of before too much pleasure.”
There were two significant events over the course of the last five years that placed Fox Lake in more of a personal context for me. The first occurred in Minnesota, and the second occurred in Maui. In 2014, I discovered a map to Fox Lake drawn on the backside of a Scottish Rite drop destined for Winona, Minnesota, in 1909. This was the same year that Moses wrote, ““As we had put up the portable house in Fox Lake, I was better contented to go up.” Located near the top batten on the stage right side, I discovered the pencil sketch while placing the Winona scenery collection into temporary storage for the City of Winona. The backdrop was later sold in an online auction with many others from the scenery collection. It is now somewhere in storage at the Des Moines Scottish Rite, likely not to be seen for years.
Map on the back of Fox Lake drawn in the back of a scene painted for the Scottish Rite in Winona, Minnesota, 1909
The second event occurred in 2017. That fall, three very small paintings by Thomas G. Moses came into my possession from Moses. One of his great grandchildren sold these and a few others to me. Our friendship began, after he responded to a 1996 letter that I sent out in 2016. Three of the paintings from his collection were of the same size and vintage, with one titled “Fox Lake, 1909.” The other two depicted a distant lake and the Palette & Chisel Club’s portable house at Fox Lake. These three scenes painted on hardboard had remained with the family for decades; they meant something special to Moses.
Painting of the Fox Lake cabin of the Palette & Chisel Club camp by Thomas G. Moses, 1909
A view of Fix Lake painted by Thomas G. Moses, 1909
A view of Fix Lake painted by Thomas G. Moses, 1909
It was Moses’ view of Fox Lake that prompted my entire journey to the Hawaiian Islands.
They each remain a lovely reminder to me – take time for yourself. We all need to enjoy some form of scenic retreat, a respite from the daily grind. That is one of the reasons that I decided to start offering Scenic Art Retreats last year, hosted by Historic Stage Services. They are held at a stagecoach stop along a picturesque river in central Minnesota. Here is the link: http://www.historicstageservices.com/training.html
Part 544: Alphonse Mucha Receives Tribute of Chicago Artists, 1906
Alphonse Mucha in 1906
In 1906, Thomas G. Moses recorded joining the Palette and Chisel Club in Chicago. Of his decision, Moses wrote, “I don’t know why, as I had so little time to give to pictures, but I live in hopes of doing something some day, that is what I have lived on for years, Hope, and how little we realize from our dreams of hope.” The year that he joined, the Palette & Chisel Club, the group sponsored “Bohemian Night” in honor of Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939). Mucha was in town teaching at the Art Institute of Chicago that Fall.
Mucha is one of my favorite artists and a well-known representative of the Art Nouveau style. A Czech painter, sculptor and illustrator, prints of his work have always adorned the walls of either my home or studio. To place Mucha in context with Thomas G. Moses (1856-1943); he was just four years younger than Moses. The two artists’ paths crossed in Chicago during 1906 at the abovementioned Palette and Chisel Club event. At the age of 19, Mucha worked as a scenic art apprentice for Kautsky-Brioschi-Burghardt, a Viennese theatre design company. This employment was short-lived, however, as his position was eliminated by 1881. He and several staff members were all dismissed after Kautsky-Brioschi-Berghardt suffered a financial loss; a major fire destroyed the theater of a significant client – Vienna’s Ring Theatre. Years later, Mucha would paint the front curtain for the newly renovated German Theatre in New York.
To place Mucha’s time in Chicago within the context of his career, he had previously worked in the United States from 1904 to 1905. During 1906, he returned to Prague to marry Marie Chytilová, “Maruška,” on June 10.
Alphonse Mucha and Marie Chytilová on their wedding day in 1906
The couple honeymooned in the small village of Pec in the highlands of South Bohemia, before traveling to America. Their time spent in Chicago was at the beginning of the couple’s four-year visit in the United States; Mucha accepted a one-term teaching position at the Art Institute. After completing this job in Chicago, the couple lived in New York City and Mucha completed a variety of artistic commissions, including decorating the newly renovated interior of the German Theater in New York. He painted five decorative panels, the stage curtain and painted ornamentation throughout the building. His central panel was known as “Quest for Beauty” and was flanked by to vertical compositions – Tragedy and Comedy. Unfortunately, the theatre was demolished in 1929 and the only surviving works are Mucha’s prelimary drawings for the theatre. In 1909, Mucha was working with the well-known actress Maude Adams and depiction of her in the of Joan of Arc; her portrait was used for the theatre poster.
Poster by Alphonse Mucha of Maude Adams in her role as Joan of Arc
Mucha became a father in America too, when their daughter Jaroslava was born in New York City during 1909.
The birth of Jaroslava Mucha, 1909
While in Chicago during 1906 there were two receptions held in Mucha’s honor. The first was a reception was sponsored by the Art Institute of Chicago to honor their visiting instructor. “The Inter Ocean” reported, “Five hundred students and invited guests of the Art Institute assembled in the upper galleries of that building at 8 o’clock last evening, and for three hours paid social tribute to Alphonse Mucha, admittedly the greatest living exponent of the poster school of art. The artist came to the city from Paris three weeks ago to give a brief course of instruction to the most advanced class in the institute. He leaves next week for New York, where he expects to make his home. Mr. Mucha is widely known both in this country and abroad as an illustrator and poster artist. Several of his works, the most noted of which are La Plume calendar posters, and those representing Sarah Bernhardt in her various roles, have won places at the exhibition in the Salon, at Paris. The walls of the room in which he received his admirers last night were hung with more that a hundred of the best posters and sketches. Owing to an unexpected delay in his arrival in Chicago last month, Mr. Mucha missed the reception which the art students annually hold in honor of all the exhibitors in the institute. His regret in having missed that function resulted in the planning of last night’s reception, which was held solely in his honor” (4 Nov. 1906, page 5).
On November 17, the Palette and Chisel Club sent out invitations for another event honoring Mucha – “The Bohemian Night.” It was held in the Athenaeum Building at 26 Van Buren Street.
Bohemian Night program, hosted by the Palette and Chisel, 1906
Guest book for Bohemian Night, hosted by the Palette and Chisel, 1906. Thomas G. Moses’ signature is second up from the bottom, under Wm. W. Riddell.
Bohemian Night in honor of Alphonse Mucha, hosted by the Palette and Chisel, 1906
On November 21, a social column in the “Inter Ocean” described Mucha’s adventures in Chicago (Inter Ocean, 21 Nov. 1906, page 6): “What does Alphonse Mucha think of Bohemian Chicago. The students over at the Art institute, who are getting the curve theory of composition into their “block” filled systems from Monsieur Mucha’s daily lectures, have had a mad revel or two, under the fatherly eye of Charles Francis Brown or Lorado Taft or some other of the “grads” among the artists; and last Saturday night Monsieur Mucha witnessed a really wild carouse at the Palette and Chisel clubrooms, where members decked themselves out as ladies – the members are men- and simply tore up the earth with burlesque and beer. According to all reports things were just too bohemian for anything – but a Parisian schooled artist. Therefore Monsieur Mucha was able to attend to his Monday afternoon lecture, with only thirty-six hours in which to recover.
It is rumored strongly that Monsieur Mucha is here on his honeymoon trip. And if that is the case we must all pray that the artist and his bride may not leave Chicago for the Mucha studio in New York, which is all ready and waiting on West Twenty-Second street, until after Thanksgiving day. For what would it mean to a real bohemian like Monsieur Mucha to miss the annual orgy of Little Roomers – our real bohemian club – who hold their frantic feasts on the tenth floor of the Fine Arts building, and serve the seductive baked bean canned, which is not a baked bean but a boiled bean; the alluring sardine in his little lake of oil; the stuffed mango pickle, which biteth like an adder, and very sour lemonade, which stingeth like the deuce. At the revels of the Little Roomers, lest Monsieur Mucha throw up his beautiful hands in horror at the thought of Mme. Mucha witnessing such bacchanalian sights, let us hasten to say wives freely take their own husbands, and husbands their own wives. In fact, the idea of a gentleman genius taking his friend’s wife, without written permit, or a lady genius her friend’s husband, without equally definite permission, would be frowned down and out. Wherefore the lemonade. But of the Thanksgiving feast more anon.”
The Muchas returned to Prague in 1910 where Mucha continued to work on a variety of projects. Their second child, Jirí was born in 1915. By 1939, Mucha was one of the first people arrested by the Gestapo when German troops marched into Czecholslavakia that spring. During the lengthy period that he was interrogated, Mucha fell ill with pneumonia. Although he was later released, the illness took its toll on the artist and he died from a lung infection later that year.
