Category: Scenic Artists

Sosman & Landis: Shaping the Landscape of American Theatre. Employee No. 5–Lemuel L. Graham

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1883, Thomas G. Moses and Lemuel L. Graham were painting together as Graham & Moses. That year, they both returned to work for Sosman & Landis.

Lemuel Laken Graham was born on July 4, 1846, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was the son of the Rev. Daniel McBride Graham and Ursula Graham. Rev. Rev. Graham who purportedly placed Lemuel in a scenic art apprenticeship as a young age, yet Graham first appears in newspapers as a performer. Regardless of Graham’s introduction to the theatre, by 1870, L. L. Graham was touring with J. A. Lord’s Chicago Dramatic Co. Graham and playing the role of Sir Charles Marlowe in “She Stoop’s to Conquer.” By the fall of that year, Graham was performing in “Frou-Frou,” On November 22, 1870, the “Leavenworth Times” reported that Mary Graham was also part of the company. Elizabeth Martha “Mary” was Lem’s first wife. The two enjoyed a brief marriage and were divorced later that year.

On February 4, 1871, the “Junction City Weekly Union” mentioned Mr. L. L. Graham as personifying “Jem Dalton, the tiger.” The newspaper article reported that Graham “did it well,” adding, “He is a young man of talent, and we believe a true artiste.” On January 12, 1872, the “Daily Commonwealth” noted that Graham again appeared with Louie Lord’s Dramatic Company in their production of “Our American Cousin,” as well as a touring with the production “Buffalo Bill,” the production and not the performer. During the early 1870s that Graham transitioned from a performer to a scenic artist and worked at McVicker’s’ Theater in Chicago.

After Chicago, Graham traveled quite a bit, working in San Francisco, Cleveland, Memphis and New Orleans.

On May 14, 1875, the Van Wert Weekly in Ohio, reported “Mr. L. L. Graham, a scenic artist, is painting a number of scenes for Gilliland’s Opera House, and, also, a new drop curtain. The Union School building will be the central figure on the drop curtain, around which will appear the advertisements of a number of leading firms” (page 3).

On September 17, 1875, New Orleans’s “Times-Picayune” reported, “The Academy of Music, always first to open and last to close, has been entirely renovated, a new proscenium and ceiling put up, which is being decorated by Mr. L. L. Graham, the Academy’s scenic artist, who, by-the-by, showed us some fine specimens of his art during the last season, repainted all over, new carpets, and other modern improvements.”

On October 16, 1875, the “New Orleans Republican” reported that L. L. Graham painted the drop curtain for Bidwell’s Academy of Music, “representing Tasso at the Court of Ferrara. Graham’s new drop was to be “unrolled for the first time.” By December 26, 1875, the “New Orleans Republican” mentioned Graham again in connection with the Academy of Music’s scenic attributes: “The truly sublime piece of scenery in the transformation scene is the handiwork of Mr. L. L. Graham, the skillful artist, who gets up some very grand effects, and it riveted the gaze of the spellbound audience.”

On Jan 20, 1876, the “Times-Picayune” credited Graham with painting the scenery for “Dead to the World” at the Academy of Music, reporting “The play will be ornamented with new scenery from the brush of Mr. L. L. Graham, whose handiwork has ere now received its need of popular applause.” Graham remained associated with the Academy of Music until the late 1870s when he returned to Chicago and worked with Henry C. Tryon. In 1876 Graham also partnered with Tryon to deliver a new drop curtain and stock scenery to an opera house in South Bend, Indiana. An article in the “South Bend Tribune” on August 9, 1876, reported, “L. L. Graham of the Academy of Music in New Orleans, La., and Henry C. Tryon, of McVicker’s Theater of Chicago, scenic artists, are engaged at the opera house in painting a new drop curtain, a wooded landscape, a place scene, a parlor scene and others.” This seems to be a turning point for Graham as he becomes increasingly connected with the Chicago theatre scene.

By 1881, Graham was working at the Academy of Music in Chicago. It is at the Academy that Moses secures a part-time position painting with Graham. This is in addition to Moses’ working on staff at Sosman & Moses. In fact, Moses is the first employee that Joseph Sosman hires and the two go on the road, completing one project after another contracted by Perry Landis. Upon each return to Chicago, Moses seeks additional employment, including that with Graham at the Academy of Music. There are two other things to consider at this time. The first is that Moses likely met Graham at McVicker’s, as each worked for Lou Malmsha by the late 1870s. The second thing to consider is that Moses’ younger sister was part of the stock company at the Academy of Music when Graham was painting there in 1881.

By 1882 Graham was also known as the scenic artist for Chicago’s Standard Theatre. Moses worked for Graham at both locations. That same year, the two partnered and establish the scenic studio of Graham & Moses. Of the partnership, Moses wrote, “We got together and I quit the firm after refusing a big salary – that is, for me. Our first contract was at Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Academy of Music. We worked night and day. I did all the foliage and I was astonished on seeing my stuff set, to see how I improved.” Kalamazoo’s Academy of Music was a 1250-seat opera house located on South Rose Street. After Kalamazoo, Moses and Graham completed a project in Grand Rapids, Michigan for Redmond’s Opera House, also built in 1882 and later known as the Grand Opera House.

While in town, Moses wrote that Graham fell in love with the head waitress at his boarding house. The two were married two years later on November 20, 1884. The Kalamazoo waitress was Elizabeth “Lizzie” West (b. 1860). Of Graham’s new wife, Moses wrote, “she proved to be a good wife and good mother.” The Grahams celebrated the birth of three children, Rachel (b. 1884), Ethel (b. 1892) and Revard Parker (b. 1895). Lizzie was actually Graham’s third wife. His first marriage to the actress Mary Graham ended in divorce by 1870. The original divorce decree was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire, prompting that another be reissued before Graham’s marriage to Lizzie. On April 17, 1884, the “Inter Ocean” reported, “Martha Elizabeth Graham of Cumberland, Maine, filed a petition in the Circuit Court yesterday for the restoration of a decree of divorce. The decree was rendered against her on November 30, 1870, in the Circuit Court of Cook Country in favor of Lemuel L. Graham and was destroyed by the great Chicago fire.” On April 17, 1884, the Inter Ocean announced new suits in the circuit court reporting, “48.111 – Lemuel L. Graham vs. Elizabeth Graham. Bill to restore decree of divorce.” Confirmation of Graham’s divorce from his first wife was necessary as Graham planned his fall marriage to Lizzie. What’s interesting is that Graham also divorced his second wife just before his third marriage too. In 1884 Lemuel L. Graham severed marital ties with his second wife, Nellie H. Graham. The divorce was reported in the San Francisco Examiner. On October 28, 1884, the announcement stated, “Judge Maguire has granted Nellie H. Graham a divorce from Lemuel L. Graham, willful neglect and desertion.”

From 1882 to 1883, Moses & Graham completed several projects throughout the Midwest. In 1882, they journeyed to Elgin, Illinois, after completing scenery for the Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids opera houses. In Elgin, scenic artist John H. Young joined the pair to paint. Moses had previously worked with Young as a decorative painter on several Michigan projects. Young later settled in New York and became one of the top Broadway designers during the first two decades of the twentieth century. The next 1882 project for Moses, Graham and Young was located in Racine, Wisconsin. They painted stock scenery for the Black Opera House. By this point, Moses wrote, “Graham and I were doing much better now, and we had two good jobs at the same time. He was a regular Shylock, a good fellow and a hard worker, but altogether too close to please me.”

As the workload increased for Moses & Graham, the two founders focused on separate jobs, with Moses remaining in Racine while Graham and Young departed for Hannibal, Missouri. Graham and Young were painting at the Opera House in Decatur, Illinois by the summer of 1883. On July 28, 1883, The Saturday Herald reported, “L. L. Graham, the scenic artist, has been engaged in this work for three weeks. He has been assisted by John H. Young, of Chicago. Mr. Graham has had 17 years of experience in this line of painting. He and his assistant left last night for Chicago, whence they go to do the same kind of work at Boyd’s Opera House in Omaha, and finally the New Gillis Opera house in Kansas City.”In 1883, Moses ventured to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Both Moses & Graham and Sosman & Landis were also competing for the same project. Moses wrote, “I met Mr. Landis there. I got the contract. We rode to Chicago together and met Mr. Sosman on our arrival. We were offered $45.00 a week. I wired Graham at Burlington. He answered $50.00 and extras. We closed for that. I had Oshkosh to finish, which I did and May 1st found Graham, Young and myself back on Clark Street at the Sosman and Landis Studio.” Graham only remained at Sosman & Landis for a year. In 1884 he left to partner with William P. Davis in Kansas City, Missouri. Davis was also a former Sosman & Landis employee, having worked as Moses’ assistant.

The new firm of Graham & Davis became an affiliate of the Sosman & Landis Studio, effectively managing a regional branch for the Chicago firm, referred to as the Kansas City Scenic Co. The regional branch for Sosman & Landis in Kansas City did not require any listing in the Kansas City newspaper, or any regional advertisements. To do so would have placed them in competition with Graham and Davis’ firm. Sosman & Landis simply needed an address and potential studio space for the increasing project load associated with the western region. The larger firm relied on western subcontractors and scenic contracts that were completed in studios other than their main Chicago space. Even in Chicago, Sosman & Landis managed several annex spaces to complete an ever-increasing project load.

In Kansas City, Graham & Davis lasted for less than two years, when Davis withdrew and returned to Chicago. Although business was booming in Kansas City, projects were more lucrative in large metropolitan areas. This is why Graham would also leave Kansas City and venture east a few years after Davis. In 1887, Davis was listed in the Chicago Directory, living at 850 W. Madison and working as a scenic artist, associated with the Auditorium Theatre and Grand Opera House. Davis later moved to Minneapolis where he became one of three founders of the Twin City Scenic Co. Graham maintained his relationship with Sosman & Landis, representing the Chicago firm in 1887 when they subcontracted Graham to deliver scenery to the opera house in Winfield, Kansas.

On October 19, 1887, the “Daily Tribune” reported, “There were several firms competing for the work, but the contract was let to Sosman & Landis of Chicago, New York and Kansas City. Their representative Mr. L. L. Graham who is in charge of the Kansas City branch had a miniature stage in which he showed the various scenes and explained in detail of the workings of the scenes.” Graham also represented Sosman & Landis for their work at the Bonham Opera House in Clay Center, Kansas, that year. On April 21, 1887, “The Times” of Clay Center reported, “The scenery was painted by Sosman & Landis, of Chicago. The same firm that fitted the Gillis Opera House, Kansas City, and the Grand at Topeka. Mr. Hagan is their western machinist, and also does the same work for L. L. Graham of Kansas City.”

There were three main scenic studios in the Midwest by the turn of the twentieth century – the Twin Cities Scenic Co. (Minnesota), Sosman & Landis (Illinois), and The Kansas City Scenic Co. (Missouri). The three formed a triumvirate with agreed jurisdictions, allowing each to quickly dominate a region. They frequently shared artists and subcontracted projects to one another Sosman & Landis also established a regional office in New York by 1887. Scenic art relationships established a network of studios and their affiliates, preventing smaller firms and outsiders to get a foothold in the region during the late-nineteenth century and early-twentieth century. A network of affiliates allowed studios to offer services and products at a rate that few single competitors could match. In 1887, Graham was again listed as a scenic artist in the Kansas City Directory. Graham’s studio was listed 525 Main, with Graham rooming at 517 E. Missouri Ave. by 1888, Moses visited Graham in Kansas City, writing, “He was doing well.” Indeed, Graham was doing very well and maintaining close connections with Sosman & Landis in Chicago.

The 1888 Kansas City Directory included a few of Graham’s employees, artists associated with the firm of “Lemuel L. Graham.” Benjamin F. Dunn was listed as a scenic artist, employed by Graham that year. Graham’s business was thriving. His studio was included in the 1888 publication, “Industries of Kansas City: Historical, Descriptive, and Statistical.”Here is Graham’s listing:“L. L. Graham. Scenic Artist, Contractor for Stage Equipment, Theatre Hardware,Frame Work, Canvas, Traps, Bridges and Every Necessary Equipment of First Class Theatres, 525 & 527 Main Street.Mr. L. L. Graham is a prominent representative of the scenic art in Kansas City, having established this business here four years ago in conjunction with Mr. Davis, who withdrew from the firm some two years since. Mr. Graham is an adept in this line, having followed the business upwards of twenty-five years. His first experience in the school of art was had at McVicker’s’ Theater, Chicago, Ill. and subsequent training in San Francisco, Cleveland, Memphis and New Orleans. His establishment here is eligibly located at 525-527 Main Street, and consists of a studio and shops fitted up with every essential appliance and convenience for the correct and expeditious execution of the work, which comprises high art stage scenery and equipment, rich and elegant stage curtains, stage properties of every description, theatrical hardware, framework, canvas, traps, bridges, etc. One special feature of Mr. Graham’s industry is his advertising drop curtain, which is richly draped on the top and sides with royal crimson and heavy bullion fringes and pendants gracefully falling on steps painted at bottom of curtain. In the center is a large and artistically painted picture in stucco frame, which is surrounded by a border of deep Prussian blue, divided into spaces for the insertion of business cards. The cards may be lettered in a becoming and artistic style in bright gold, the whole having a brilliant and pleasing effect. There are usually from eighteen to twenty of these spaces of varying sizes to suit the advertiser as to the amount he desires to pay. Full particulars concerning this feature will be furnished by mail, upon application, to theatre managers, hall proprietors and others interested as well as any other information appertaining to stage equipment and carpentry. Mr. Graham has executed stage work for some fifty or sixty houses in Nebraska, notably at Omaha and Lincoln, etc., and for forty-five different houses in Kansas, including Winfield, Wichita and Anthony, and in St. Joe, Hannibal, Springfield and many others in Missouri. As many as thirty-six men in his employ upon an average weekly pay roll of $500.00, Mr. Graham giving his personal attention to every detail of this most intricate work. Contracts were made for Priests of Pallas and trades displays and pageants in Kansas.”

Thirty-six men in Graham’s scenic studio is comparable to that of Sosman & Landis in Chicago at the same time. However, Graham did not remain in Kansas, heading east.“Industries of Kansas City: Historical, Descriptive, and Statistical” also included an interesting comment about scenic studios during this period, noting “Such industries as the one under special notice [L. L. Graham], are among the necessary concomitants of a rapidly developing metropolitan community, indicating that spirit of enterprise that caters to refined taste and social enjoyment.” In other words, a town transitions into a metropolitan area when it can support not only a theatre, but also theatrical manufacturers. This says a lot about the size and scope of scenic concerns in the 1880s, as well as their reflection on the performing arts. Graham soon moved east and partnered with L. J. Couch (1838 – 1909) by 1896. Little is known of their partnership, but it ended badly. On January 9, 1896, Graham and Couch were listed in the Boston Globe under the heading “Business Troubles.” Of their failing scenic studio, the newspaper announced, “L. J. Couch and Lemuel L. Graham, doing business at 384 West 1st St, South Boston, under the firm of Levi Couch & Co., scenic painters, have been petitioned into insolvency by Edmund G. Pond, creditor.” Before Graham, L. J. Couch & Co. was operated by Couch and David Richards. Richards remained with the firm from 1893 to 1895. Graham was likely Richard’s replacement near the end. As with Graham’s firm in Kansas City, L. J. Couch & Co. offered a wide range of theatrical goods, ranging from painted scenery and theatrical hardware, to general stage appliances.

After L. J. Couch & Company was dissolved, Graham partnered with P. Dodd Ackerman, another well-known scenic artist and designer who made quite a name for himself. Graham and Ackerman’s studio was initially located in Brooklyn’s Broadway Theater. On August 13, 1902, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that Graham and P. D. Ackerman took a mortgage with John C. Sceneck at Bushwick Ave. for $3900.” Their new address was now 1576-1580 Bushwick Ave. Unfortunately for Graham, this partnership also failed. In the end, Graham partnered with his son Revard and founded L. L. Graham and Son, also known as Graham & Son. Their firm was located at Crosby Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Graham remained in Brooklyn, New York, until his passing in 1914.

There remains one extant drop credited to L. L. Graham & Son. It is located at the Grange Hall in Denmark, Maine.Graham passed away after a brief illness on Sunday, December 27, 1914. He was only 68 years old when he died at his home.

L. L. Graham’s obituary in 1914

On December 29, 1914, the Brooklyn Daily Times published Graham’s obituary: Lemuel Laken Graham, died Sunday from heart failure after a long illness at his home. 3 Miller avenue, on the border line of Queens Borough, near Highland Park. Mr. Graham had a studio building on Crosby avenue, near his home, for ten years, funeral services will be held to-night with internment in Evergreens cemetery. Mr. Graham was known from coast to coast among theatrical men and had traveled in every State in the Union in his time. His work was known in most of the principal cities. He was born in Ann Harbor, Mich., July 4, sixty-eight years ago, the son of the Rev. Daniel McBride Graham, a Baptiste [sic.] clergyman and the president of Hillsdale College, Mich., and Ursula Graham. His father apprenticed him to the scene painting business in his youth and he early achieved fame in his chose calling. He was associated with Sosman and Landis of Chicago, for some years and painted the curtain for the Chicago Auditorium. Later he was a partner of L. J. Couch, of Boston, and in his studio, there turned out some of the best known to stageland. While at Kansas City for a number of years, Mr. Graham was in charge of the great annual event there, the priest of Pallas parade, and created all of the floats and scenes used in the carnival. Mr. Graham and P. Dodd Ackerman did the decorations for the Broadway Theatre here, and he painted several curtains and numerous elaborate settings for Manhattan theatres. Mr. Graham taught scene painting for years and some of the most skillful scenic artists in the country were his pupils. Of late years he confined his work to the creation of smaller scenes and he had a reputation for clever organizations. He leaves his wife, Elizabeth West Graham; a son Revard Parker Graham, a scenic artist, and a daughter, Mrs. Fermin Ferrer, of Laurelton, L. I.”LikeCommentShare

Sosman & Landis: Shaping the Landscape of American Theatre. Employees No. 4, 5, 6 and 7– Adding Thomas G. Moses, Lemuel L. Graham, John H. Young and Edward Loitz in 1883.

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Thomas G. Moses was the first scenic artist hired by Sosman & Landis in 1880.

That year, Sosman & Landis were the only firm listed in the “Artists (scenic)” of the Chicago City Directory. There were many others listed under the section “Artists”, but none that specified “scenic art;” this set Sosman & Landis apart from any other competitor in 1880, especially for smaller communities who looked toward the larger cities for goods and services. Their individual listing presented a great marketing opportunity for the young firm.

1880 Chicago Directory

Moses left Sosman & Landis for the first time two years later, He wrote “1882 found me just as restless to do something big, and I drifted along with the regular work, until about May.” When the theatre season closed in 1882, Moses partnered with Lemuel L. Graham (1845-1914). At the time, Graham was working as the scenic artist at the Standard Theatre in Chicago. Graham & Moses’ projects included the Academy of Music in Kalamazoo, Michigan; Redmond’s Opera House in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Blake Opera House and Belle City Opera House in Racine, Wisconsin; the Opera House in Marengo, Illinois; and the Grand Opera House in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Moses and Graham soon added John H. Young to their force, and they were able to work at multiple locations simultaneously. Sosman & Landis recognized that they were landing enough projects to form a threat, especially as Moses understood his former employer’s approach and bidding process.  They soon found themselves bidding on the same project in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

In 1883, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “I went to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, after a contract.  I met Mr. Landis there.  I got the contract.  We rode to Chicago together and met Mr. Sosman on our arrival.  We were offered $45.00 a week.  I wired Graham at Burlington.  He answered $50.00 and extras.  We closed for that.”

This caused a bit of trouble in Oshkosh. On April 4, 1883, the “Oshkosh Northwestern” published an article entitled, “The Opera House Scenery Contract.” It reported, “Graham & Moses who were awarded the contract for furnishing curtains, scenery and stage settings for the Opera House have notified that they withdrew their bid and decline the contract. On receipt of this also comes a notification from Sosman & Landis, also bids on the job to the effect that they have employed Graham & Moses in their establishment and asking that the contract be awarded them in accordance with their bod. It appears that there were only two bide in for the work, that of Graham & Moses and one from Sosman & Lands. The latter’s bid was about $700 larger than that of Graham & Moses, and, now it would seem the two firms have fixed it up so as to try and have the contract awarded at a greater amount. The directors are now talking of giving the contract to other parties entirely and not letting either of those firms get a finger in it” (page 4).

Moses completed the project in Oshkosh and then headed back to the Sosman & Landis studio in Chicago. Of the transition wrote, “I had Oshkosh to finish, which I did and May 1st found Graham, Young and myself back on Clark Street at the Sosman and Landis Studio.  I averaged $70.00 per week, as we had a lot of night work, mostly piece work.  We had to do all the road work which I didn’t like.  Ed Loitz joined the force this year.” This meant that Sosman was painting in the main studio, and the six artists were sent out on the road. By the spring of 1883, Soman & Landis employed a scenic art force of six scenic artists: Henry C. Burrow, Harry J. Buhler, Thomas G. Moses, Lemuel L. Graham, John H. Young and Edward Loitz.  Of the six, Loitz likely entered as an apprentice, and would remain Moses’ right-hand-man for the next few decades.

Of scenic art salaries in the early 1880s, they varied greatly. Initially, Moses’ salary increased from $18.00 to $20.00 per week during the spring of 1881. Keep in mind that between the summer of 1881 and 1882, the firm delivered scenery to seventy-four venues to nineteen states and three territories. Moses left to make more money. When Sosman asked Moses to return, he more than doubled his salary. In the end, Moses’ salary at Sosman & Landis increased from $18.00/week in 1881 to $50.00/week in 1883. Profits were so great in the early 1880s that Sosman & Landis were able to build a $50,000 studio by 1886. That is the today’s equivalent of a $1,400,000 structure. $50,000 was much more than many towns were spending to build an opera house in 1886.

To be continued…

Sosman & Landis: Shaping the Landscape of American Theatre. Employee No. 3 – H. C. Barrows, scenic artist.

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

H. C. Barrows was a scenic artist, salesman and architect.  He worked for the Sosman & Landis Company from 1883-1886. Projects that Barrows completed for Sosman & Landis included Scheurman’s Opera House in Griffin, Georgia; the Taylor Opera House in Jefferson,Texas;  Ghio’s Opera Hall in Texarkana, Texas; the Capital Opera House in Little Rock, Arkansas; Pine Bluff Opera House in Pine Bluff, Arkansas;  the Fort Smith Academy of Music in Fort Smith Amrkansas; the Van Buren Theater in Arkansas, a School Hall stage in Salem, Illinois; a City Hall stage in Frederick, Maryland; Springer Opera House in Columbus, Georgia and the Opera House in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

I have located precious little information about Barrow beyond newspaper notifications that announced his arrival in town and stage work.  Fortunately, one article provided a first name – Henry. Unfortunately, there were quite a few Henry C. Barrows over the course of a century. 

The H. C. Barrow that I am tracking often cited his permanent residence as Chicago, yet he is not listed in the city directories. This is puzzling for me, as I am frequently able to find scenic artists and architects in at least one directory.  I also found it interesting that by 1884, Burrows becomes identified as a “scenic agent.” This is the first time I have encountered the term “scenic agent,” although it makes sense for someone selling stage scenery. It was not a common nineteenth-century term.

The earliest mention of Burrows in any newspaper that I have located is from 1881. This is before he began representing Sosman & Landis in 1883. On Dec. 2, 1881, H. C. Barrow was working with J. G. Reynolds at the Opera House in Americus, Georgia.  The “Americus Weekly Sumter Republican” reported, “Work is progressing rapidly in this edifice. The ceiling overhead is being raised some ten to fifteen feet so as to perfect acoustics. Messrs. J. G. Reynolds and H. C. Barrow of Chicago, have the job for painting the scenery, curtains, &c., and are now in the city and at work. Mr. Reynolds, the artist, uses his brushes and pencils with ease and rapidly and is producing some splendid work. He painted the scenery for De Give’s Atlanta, and many other Opera houses, and has the reputation of being the best scenic painter in the country. When his work is finished it will be a treat for the lovers of good pictures to look at it” (page 3). This phrasing of this article is common for the time when crediting a scenic artist and his assistant. In this case, Barrow is the assistant to Reynolds. By 1882, Barrows was on his own and credited as a scenic artist with experience.

On July 8, 1882, “The Times” in Thomasville, Georgia, reported, “We are to have a respectable stage, fixtures, scenery &c. in the City Hall. Mr. H. C. Barrows a scenic artist of large experience in matters of this kind, has been given the contract by the council. This will be most welcome news to every citizen in the town” (Page 5).

On October 11, 1882, The Atlanta Constitution announced, “Mr. H. C. Barrows, representing Sosman & Landis, scenic artists of Chicago, put in Scheurman’s opera house a new and beautiful advertising drop curtain. The work on this curtain is nicely executed and presents a fine appearance. In the centre is a very handsome southern landscape scene, and around the border is decorated with 14 nicely arranged business cards representing different firms in the city. This curtain does not interfere with the regular drop curtain, but can be used as a change at intervals during entertainment. Its cost is about one hundred and fifty or seventy-five dollars and may be classed strictly as both useful and ornamental” (p. 2).

By 1883 Barrow represented the firm of Sosman & Landis, This was the same year that Harry J. Buhler was also working as a scenic artist in the studio. By the end of the year, Moses returned and brought Lemuel L. Graham with him.

On March 6, 1883, the “Tri-Weekly Herald” in Marshall, Texas, reported, “Mr. H. C. Barrow with Sosman & Landis’s scenic studio, of Chicago, Ill., is here and will soon refit our opera house with a full set of scenery and a new drop curtain with the advertisements of our leading business firms painted thereon” (page 3). Two months later, the work was completed by Barrows and the town was thrilled with the quality of the scenery. On May 1, 1883, the “Tri-Weekly Herald” in Marshall, Texas, reported “Mr. H. C. Barrow, scenic artist from Chicago, has just completed for the Taylor Opera House, in Jefferson, one of the handsomest stages and stage scenery to be found in Texas. There are fifteen fitted scenes in all, embracing two beautiful curtains, ten regular scenes, and a garden wall, balustrades, &c. Mr. B. has also done some beautiful frescoing on the Proscenium front. In company with a number of Jefferson gentlemen we visited the Taylor hall yesterday morning, all of whom were delighted with the work. It cannot be excelled in artistic finish, completeness, and excellence of prospective, equaling the best scenery in the large cities. Mr. Barrow has just completed Ghio’s Opera Hall, at Texarkana, and is likely to capture every place he goes to where stage scenery is required. We repeat: there has been nothing like it in  Texas before Mr. B’s advent” (page  2). It was reprinted in the Marshall Messenger on May 1.

By Aug. 12, 1883, Little Rock’s “Daily Arkansas Gazette” reported, “The Capital Opera House is to have a new drop curtain immediately. The scene represented upon it is that grand old conception of the Roman chariot race, and when completed will be one of the finest in the state. H. C. Barrow, representing Sosman & Landis, of Chicago, at whose studio the work is being done, is in the city, and states that he also has orders for the curtain for the Pine Bluff Opera House, the Fort Smith Academy of Music, the Van Buren theater and Ghio’s at Texarkana.” For context, Hyde’s Capital Opera House in Little Rock began as Torrey’s Opera House, changing its name that May. The building underwent renovation throughout the month of June and opened in July, hence the need for new scenery.

By 1880, Barrow transitioned from solely working as a scenic artist and installer to scenic agent and architect.

On May 19, 1884, the “Fort Worth Daily Gazette” reported, “Messrs. Henry C. Barrow, opera house architect and contractor, of Dallas and B. A. Aldrich, stage agent of the Rock Island Plow company, of the same city, were in the Fort last night and paid the GAZETTE a pleasant visit” (page 8). On June 3, 1884, the “Galveston Daily News” announced, “H. C. Barrow, scenic agent of Chicago, is in the city, and gave THE NEWS a call yesterday. He comes to put in a bid for refitting the opera house.” On August 20, 1884, the “Dallas Herald” announced, “Henry C. Barrow, scenic agent and opera-house architect and contractor, is in the city” (page 4).

Barrows was still representing Sosman & Landis, but possibly as a regional affiliate with his own studio.  In 1884, Lem L. Graham became the regional representative in Kansas City, Missouri and another regional branch was opened in New York.  Having a third regional branch would have been brilliant.

On July 10, 1884, “The Vicksburg Herald” in Mississippi, reported, “Mr. Henry C. Barrow, scenic artist, representing the big scenery house of Sosman & Landis, of Cincinnati, arrived here yesterday, to contract with Messrs. Piazza & Botto, proprietors of the opera-house, for a new set of scenery for that building. That year the Dallas City Directory listed Barrow as a scenic agent, residing at 845 San Jacinto cor Leonard. On Dec. 11, 1885, the “Salem Herald-Advocate” reported, “H. C. Barrow, with Sosman & Landis, scenic artist, Chicago, was in our city Tuesday and Wednesday, looking at School Hall stage and making plans for improvements…The Chicago House will send a man here to put up the scenery up, and it will be completed by Jan.  1st. the scenery bought is very elegant, costing $300.00”

By 1886, Barrows was back in Chicago. This was the last years, that I would find anything about Barrows in the newspaper. On Aug. 11, 1886, “The News” of Frederick, Maryland, reported, “Aldermanic – Mr. H. C. Barrows of Chicago, scenic artist, will arrive in this city this evening to confer with Aldermanic committee on scenery and building in reference to the contemplated improvements at City Hall.” (page 3). Barrow stayed at the Carlin House while in town (The News, Frederick, Maryland, Aug. 11, 1886).

As I narrowed my research and looked at the various Henry C. Barrows. One caught my attention. Born in 1849, he was working as an architect in 1910. Although his parents were born in Maryland, Barrow was born in England. His return to England may explain his sudden disappearance form US newspapers.

To be continued…

Sosman & Landis: Shaping the Landscape of American Theatre. Employee No. 2 – Harry J. Buhler, scenic artist.

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Harry J. Buhler was a scenic artist who worked at Sosman & Landis during the nineteenth-century, c. 1883 – 1891. The first mention that I have located of Buhler representing the firm was from 1883. That year he painted and installed scenery at the Myers Opera House in Janesville, Wisconsin.

Buhler arrived in Janesville in October, with the “Janesville Daily Gazette” announcing “New Scenery at Myers Opera House.”  On October 23, 1883, the newspaper reported, “Mr. H. J. Buhler, of Sosman & Landis scenic studio, Chicago, arrived in the city yesterday afternoon to begin the work of painting the scenery for Myers Opera House…There has been great improvement made of late in stage decorations, and standing at the front of artists in this line are Sosman & Landis. They have within the past year or so painted scenery for many of the largest theaters in the west” (page 4). Of the Sosman & Landis scenic artist, the article continued,” Mr. Buhler, who has been commissioned to do the work, is an artist of rare skill in the line. The decorations in many of the principal opera houses in the west are by his brush. He thoroughly understands the tendency of modern art as applied to the scenic department and will do some excellent work. It will take him about two weeks to complete the work and will be engaged both day and night.”

A page from a nineteenth-century Sosman & Landis catalogue.

On Nov. 12, 1883, the “Janesville Daily Gazette” described his work in detail, reporting,

“Mr. H. J. Buhler, from the scenic studio of Sosman & Landis, Chicago, who has been engaged in painting new scenery for Myers opera house for more than two weeks past, will finish the work on Wednesday of this week. To-morrow evening Mr. Buhler will arrange different stage settings which will show the general characters of the work done by him. This will be done for the accommodation of the press of the city.

“Among the pieces executed by Mr. Buhler are two tormentor doors and two tormentor wings, and a grand drapery border 12 feet wide and 25 feet long. The scenes include a kitchen set, a plain chamber set, a prison set, and a handsome box parlor set of modern Eastlake ebony comprising two pairs of flats and four wings, and borders to match. It is one of the finest sets to be found in any theater or opera house in this state, and is beautifully decorated with bric-a-brac armor, plaques, and so on. There is also a Louis 14th gothic set which is also very beautiful. The landscape paintings embrace a country landscape; a dark wood scene; a rocky pass taken from the Yellowstone park; a garden set, including a garden backing, a set house, vases, and balustrade. There is also an ancient scene taken from Strasburg, and is, in all respects, a very effective scene. One of the finest scenes among the large collection which ornaments the stage of the opera house, is an ocean set, which is a splendid piece of marine painting.

“Very many of these sets and scenes will be used for the first time on Thursday night when Miss Anna Dickinson will produce Anne Boleyn. Mr. Buhler has kindly consented to remain here that night and arrange the scenery for the play. A new drop curtain, a very elegant one, costing not less than $200, has been ordered by Mr. Myers, and will be painted in Chicago. There is now four times more scenery in Myers opera house than ever before, and aside from the quantity, in artistic merit it is not excelled by that of any other opera house in Wisconsin. New gas-burner lights have also been put in above the stage, and also new rope which will greatly facilitate the changing of the scenery during the presentation of the play.

“Messrs. Sosman & Landis have a wide reputation as scenic painters, and have decorated many of the leading theaters and opera houses in the west; and they have served Mr. Myers well and have done the public a good service, by sending Mr. Buhler here to furnish the opera house with new scenery. He is a thorough artist, and having made scenery a specialty for years, he was in every particular fully competent for the task. He is a rapid workman and a genius in his line. The public will be surprised on Thursday evening to learn the great quantity of fine scenery he has turned out in so short a time. Every single piece is a credit to the artist, and a great advantage to the open house” (page 4).

On November 14, 1883, the “Janesville Daily Gazette” included another lengthy article describing each of the scene painted by Buhler.  Of the scenic artist the article praised,

“Mr. Buhler has added considerable to his already wide reputation as an artist by the excellent work he has done for Mr. Myers. Messrs. Sosman & Landis are to be thanked for delegating Mr. Buhler to do the work, and the theatregoers of Janesville are under deep obligations to Mr. Myers for his enterprise in having the work done. We wish to state in connection with this notice of the new scenery that Mr. Buhler prepared the stage settings for Anna Dickinson’s first performance of Hamlet in New York, and for his skill and taste in doing the work he was highly complimented by that distinguished lady.”

Buhler’s first name varies in newspaper articles and other historical records over the years. Buhler was identified as H. J. Buhler, J. Harry Buhler, Harry Buhler and Henry Buhler; they were all the same individual.

Buhler was born in 1853, the second child of recently-arrived German immigrants Wilhelm Bühler (1818- ?)and Carolina Lorey (1830-1907). His parents were married in Speyer, Bayern, Germany, on August 28, 1845, and emigrated separately to the United States between, 1848 and 1849. Wilhelm arrived in Feb. 5, 1848 in New York Harbor, with Carolina and their daughter Anna F. (b. 1847) following in 1849.

Harry was born in New York City before the family continued on west.  As the country expanded westward, new construction provided ample opportunity for employment. Little is known of Buhler’s early training, or exactly how he was introduced to the theatre trade. However, in 1870, the Federal Census places Henry J. Buhler in Little Rock, Arkansas. At eighteen years old, he had already painting a variety of projects in the area,  living with another artist, Arthur W. Drewry, at a boarding house. Like most itinerant artists at the time, he completed a variety of painting projects that included sign painting, carriage painting and easel art exhibits. He soon partnered with another scenic artist named “Akin” to paint an advertisement drop for Little Rock’s theater hall. The two placed an advertisement in the “Arkansas Daily Gazette” on Nov. 4,  1870: “MERCHANTS TAKE NOTICE – That there are only a few card spaces left on the curtain painted for the theatre hall. All wishing a card should apply, signed Buhler & Akin” (, page 4).

By 1872, Buhler moved to Memphis, Tennessee. That spring he became the stage manager for the newly formed Memphis Amateur Dramatic Company. This meant that he was responsible for all of the backstage duties and all scenic contributions for various productions.  By the fall he was painting at both the Memphis Theatre and Olympic Theatre in Memphis. At the Olympic Theatre, he was listed as “H. J. Buhler, Esq.” Buhler’s transformation scenes for “The Black Crook” received favorable reviews in the “Public Ledger” on October 17, 1872 (page 2). He also worked at the Memphis Theatre, first touched up the well-known drop curtain entitled the “Voyage of Life.” He was then engaged as an assistant to scenic artist Adam Walthew. Walthew became a well-known artist in both New York and Detroit, who passed away in 1886.

In 1879, Buhler was still painting the Memphis Theatre and was credited for providing the new drop curtain, replacing the one he previously touched up. On April 18, 1879, he “Memphis Evening Herald” reported, “New and elegant drop-curtain by Buhler. Magnificent new scenery and appointments, properties, flags, etc., etc., painted expressly for this opera [H. M. S. Pinafore] by Buhler” (18 April 1879, page 4).

Although, Buhler was living in Memphis, he was still traveling as an itinerant scenic artist and completing projects across the country. Work brought him to Illinois by 1878. That year Buhler was working at the opera house in Paxton, Illinois, and was credited with nursing the Flack family back to health after a disastrous incident. At the time, he was identified as “the scenic painter at the theatre” (The Weekly Standard, Paxton, Illinois, 5 Oct. 1878, page 3).

At the same time that Sosman & Landis were starting up their scenic studio in Chicago, Buhler got married. On July 12, 1879, “The Memphis Herald” announced “Last night Mr. Henry J. Buhler, the well-known scenic artist was married to Miss Alice C. Garrett, daughter of S. S. Garrett. The wedding took place at the residence of Capt. Garrett. 382 Vance street, and the ceremony was performed by  Rev. S. Landrum.” The 1880 census records that Harry and Carry were living with the in-laws – Sirus and Sarah Garrett. At the time, Buhler was listed as an artist and Garrett at a boat inspector. The couple soon moved and were living in Chicago by the early 1880s, living at 295 Wabash. In 1885, Buhler was also listed in the Scene Painters Show (see past post 13: https://drypigment.net2017/06/29/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-acquiring-the-fort-scott-scenery-collection-for-the-minnesota-masonic-heritage-center-part-131/). This was an event that solidified the network of many Midwestern scenic artists, particularly those working for Sosman & Landis.

In 1887, Buhler joined the Order of Chosen Friend (a fraternal benefit order), and was active as a trustee for the Apollo Council No. 29 in Chicago. In 1888, Buhler was also listed in the “Minneapolis Directory” working at the Pence Opera House and boarding at 224 Hennepin Ave.

His permanent residence was in Chicago at this time,  where he and Carrie began a family, celebrating the birth of two children in: Blanch W. Buhler (b. Sept 1888) and Edgar Garrett Buhler (b. Sept. 1, 1892).  

By the 1890s, Buhler continued to filter in and out of the Sosman & Landis studio, working on a variety of projects for them throughout the region. Thomas G. Moses later mentioned working with Buhler on the Temple Theatre in Duluth, Minnesota, for Sosman & Landis in 1891. Moses, Buhler and Joe Hart were  credited for their scenic contributions in the “Duluth Evening Herald” on July 11, 1891. In 1892, Buhler was mention in the “Chicago Sunday Tribune” article “Paint Mimic Scenes, Men Who Have Found Fame in the Wing and Drop Curtains” – “H. J. Buhler is another artist whose interiors are excellent examples of careful drawing, in which projection and shadow are most skillfully handled.”(Dec 18, 1892, page 41). Like other Sosman & Landis artists, he sporadically left to form a partnership; work was quite plentiful.

In 1897, Buhler was working with A. L. Lamphear at Havlin’s Theatre. However, he was  also painting with artist Henry Asper, Buhler and Asper delivered ceremonial scenery for the Knights of Khorassan at the Al Hathim Masonic Temple (Inter Ocean, 24 Oct. 1897, page 16). Everything was going quite well when tragedy struck.

            At the end of 1898 Buhler lost all of his business supplies in a fire at the Lincoln Theatre on North Clark Street. Previously known as the Windsor, it was renamed the Lincoln after it was partially destroyed by another fire and rebuilt a decade earlier. On Dec. 6, 1898. The “Chicago Tribune” reported, “H. J. Buhler, the scene painter, had his collection of models and a library destroyed, with no insurance.”  This suggests that Buhler ‘s own scenic studio was at the Lincoln Theatre. Interestingly, the 1898 Chicago City Directory listed the Buhler family as residing at 636 North Clark Street in Chicago in 1898; they were still residing there at the time in 1900.

The 1900 Federal Census listed the Buhler household as  including Harry, his wife and two children as well as his Mother, Caroline Buhler (1830-1907), and sister, Annie Chapman. Hermania Atwood, aged 33 yrs. old, was also living there and listed as a “daughter” – his sister though. I have yet to find anything about the passing of his father beyond the fact that he mother and Anna previously resided in Portland, Oregon.

Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide of 1899 listed Buhler as the scenic artist who delivered stock scenery to Chicago’s Alhambra Theatre, New Lincoln Theatre and New Lyric Theatre. In addition to working for other studios, Buhler established at least three partnerships throughout the duration of his career: Buhler & Mann with William Fletcher Mann (1851-1926); Buhler & Peltz with Herman Peltz, Sr. (1869-1908); and Buhler, Peltz & Carsen with Robert Carsen (1876-1958).

By the turn of the twentieth century, Buhler partnered with William Fletcher Mann with the two delivering scenery for several productions between 1904 and 1907. In 1906, however, Buhler was identified as a scenic artist at the Criterion Theatre in Chicago. At the Criterion he worked directly for scenic designer Lincoln J. Carter. Carter’s models translated to the stage by master machinist Herman Peltz and scenic artist Buhler. Buhler continues to work with both Peltz and Mann for the next few years, but struggles with his health. He moved south to Arizona for health reasons in 1907.

By 1909, Buhler and Peltz begin to work with Robert P. Carsen, establishing the Buhler, Peltz and Carsen Studio in Chicago. They continued to work with Mann, although Mann transitioned to a producer.

In 1910, the Buhlers are still living in Chicago, and then them seem to disappear.  For whatever reason, I can find no mention of Harry, Carry or their son after 1910.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1168 – Herbert Barnard, Scenic Artist

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1923, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Left El Dorado for Tulsa, Oklahoma, spent a day with Barnard and saw the city.  Enjoyed it immensely.” The next year Moses wrote, “I spent several days with my old friend Herbert Barnard.  We had quite a good showing at his studio.” Moses was talking about fellow scenic artist, Herbert Barnard (1880-1949).

Herbert Barnard in 1923

By 1923, Barnard had gained  quite a reputation throughout the south. On July 22, 1923, the “Tulsa Tribune” reported, “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.”

Herbert Barnard was born on August 20, 1880 in Chicago, Illinois. He changed his last name from Bernard to Barnard by 1918 when he registered for the draft in San Antonio. His draft registration listed his physical appearance as medium height and  medium build, with dark hair and brown eyes. Herbert’s extended family was quite large. His grandparents, Martin and Elizabeth Bernhard, emigrated from Germany two years apart; Elizabeth arriving in 1849 with the first of their two children.  The couple settled in Chicago, where their family expanded to thirteen children. They eventually moved to New Canada, Minnesota, after all but four children became adults. When Martin passed away in 1886, Elizabeth moved back to Chicago and began living with her children.  In 1900, she was living with Phillip – Herbert’s father; the census, however, listed her as “head” of the family.

In regard to Philip Bernhard, he dropped the “h,” going Phillip Bernard. Herbert would further alter the name to Barnard (replacing the “e” with and “a”). In Chicago, Phillip Bernhard worked as designer, although I have to locate any firm or specifics. Regardless, Phillip encouraged his son’s artistic abilities, with Herbert entering the scenic art trade.

It is very likely that Herbert first met Thomas Moses in Chicago at the Sosman & Landis shops, staying with the firm until he moved south. By 1911, Herbert moved to San Antonio Texas, with his young wife Katherine. In 1913, the couple was boarding at 418 S. Press with Herbert’s brother Jacob.  The City Directory listed Herbert as working at a studio located on Soledad St. Jacob was working for the architectural firm of Harvey L. Page Co. In 1918, he was still listed as an artist, now running his own business, and living at 610 St. Mary’s in San Antonio, Texas. The couple moved around in San Antonio during the 1920s, going from 310 W. Grammency Place in 1924, to rooming at 1508 Main Ave. in 1926, and finally settling on W. Woodlawn in 1927.

By 1929, the San Antonio City Directory listed Barnard as an art director at Walter J. Daly Studios. Walter J. Studios was responsible for the stage scenery and equipment  for a reinforced concrete and stone open-air theater  in the Lone Star Garden in San Antonio. I have not found out much more about that scenic studio yet.

The 1930 US Federal Census lists Barnard as an artist and decorator, living with his wife Katherine (42 yrs. old) and son Phillip (19 yrs. old).  I have uncovered very little about his work in the 1930s to date. Barnard’s  WWII Draft registration card listed  a new employer  – the WPA Engineering Department, specifically, “Mr. Steinfeldt at Randolph Field in San Antonio, 2036 Addison, Houston, Texas”.

On May 12, 1949, the “Abilene Reporter-News” reported “Texas Artist Dies. Houston, May 11 – Herbert Bernard, 68, San Antonio, died of a heart attack Tuesday night as the home of his son here.” (page 11).

The “Lubbock Morning Avalanche” published a longer obituary, noting “He came to Texas from Chicago in 1911, and since had been associated with the major festivals and parades in the Southwest, including the Battle of Flowers in San Antonio, the Tulsa Oil exposition, and the Mardi Gras celebration in Galveston. He exhibited many paintings of the Texas state flower, the Bluebonnet, and designed and decorated floats for numerous parades throughout the state.”

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1167 – Herbert Barnard and the International Petroleum Exposition of Congress, 1923

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

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.”

From the “Tulsa Tribune,” 7 Oct 1923, page 54.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1144 – Jim Slipper of J. Slipper & Co., 1922

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1922 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Did two pictures for Jim Slipper at Los Angeles to be used in his projecting room; both are transparent.” In 1922, Slipper was running a motion picture supply company. The “1922-1923 Film Book” listed J. Slipper & Co. as a California supply dealer, located at 728 Olive St. Los Angeles.

Moses had known Slipper for quite some time, as Slipper also started out as a scenic artist in Chicago, another Sosman & Landis employee.
James “Jim” Slipper was born in 1864, the eldest of four children to John (b. 1830) and Louisa Slipper (b. 1845). Both John and Louisa were born in England and emigrated to the United States in 1832 and 1845, respectively. They married, moved north, and began raising a family in Canada, with John working as shoemaker. The Slippers celebrated the birth of four children: Levi “Guy” (b. 1872), Isadore (b. 1867) and Ida (b. 1868) and James (b. 1864). The Slipper family briefly moved to the United States and were included in the 1870 US Federal Census. That year they were living in Corry, Pennsylvania. It remains unclear when the family returned to Canada, or where Jim Slipper began his career as a scenic artist. His younger brother Guy emigrated from Canada to the United States in between 1889 and 1891; conflicting census reports. However, by 1889 Jim Slipper was living in Chicago, publicly listed as a subscriber to the Chicago World’s Fair (Inter Ocean, 28 Dec. 1889, page 9). By 1900, all of the Slippers were living in Chicago. The 1900 Census listed John and Louisa Slipper living at 178 N. Clark St. with their son Guy, daughter-in-law Minnie, grandson Fred, and daughter Ida. Although Guy initially found employment as a barber and carpenter, he would eventually enter the film industry in California by 1913, working as motion picture operator, salesman, and assistant manager before taking the reins J. Slipper & Co.

In regard to Jim Slipper’s personal life, he married to Nellie M. Curren (b. 1876) in Chicago on Oct. 26, 1898. Unfortunately, their marriage did not last, with the couple divorcing in 1913.Jim’s younger brother Guy was also married to a woman named “Nellie” – Nellie Tuohy Their marriage announcement was listed in the Chicago Chronicle, on Jul. 14, 1896, (page 10). Guy would eventually work with his brother in the motion picture industry, so here is a little context for Jim’s younger brother. Guy’s first marriage did not last long. It was tumultuous start, with the couple appearing in court twice within the first six weeks of their marriage. The first time Mrs. Nellie Slipper charged her husband with assault and battery. Two weeks later, and Mr. Slipper charged his wife with making threats and smashing wedding presents during a honeymoon quarrel (Chicago Chronicle, 2 Sept. 1896, page 9). The marriage soon ended in divorce. By 1899, Guy married his second wife, Minnie. By 1900, Guy, Minnie, and Minnie’s 14-yrs. old son were living with John and Louisa Slipper in a very full house. That marriage was also not destined to last. Buy married for a third time, wedding Florence C. Brown in 1909. The two celebrated the birth of one son, Glenn, and moved to California where Guy began working in the motion picture industry.

Back to Guy’s older brother Jim. In the late 1890s Jim Slipper was working as a scenic artist, likely at Sosman & Landis. It was his move to Detroit and continued work as a scenic artist there that signals a connection to the prominent Chicago scenic studio. In Detroit, Michigan, Slipper became the scenic artist for the Pike Theatre Co. The Pike Theatre Co. was managed by one-time Sosman & Landis secretary and treasurer David H. Hunt. Sosman & Landis initially invested both capital and labor in the endeavor, establishing the theatrical management firm of Sosman, Landis & Hunt. The business endeavor did not last, and eventually Hunt solely managed the Pike Theatre Co.In 1901 the Pike Theatre Co. toured the country under the management of Hunt, including stops in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Washington, Baltimore, and New York. On July 1, 1901, the Minneapolis “Star Tribune” reported that the company traveled with “three carloads of scenery, specially designed and gotten up for the plays to be presented during the summer season in Minneapolis and St. Paul.”

At the time, the company’s scenic artist was Jim Slipper. Slipper was interviewed on July 14, 1901 by the Minneapolis “Star Tribune” (page 4). In his interview Slipper explained the importance of painted scenery. He stated, “People are just commencing to realize that good plays are frequently as dependent upon good scenery as good actors, and it is certainly true that a play without the advantage of scenery would be a burlesque upon the modern methods of management. We are told that Shakespeare’s plays were first produced without scenery, but we are not informed they were great success except as lectures or monologues of rare literary merit. The success of the drama depends upon the illusion it creates; acting is an illusion – that, is, it excites the auditor to tears over a situation which does not exist, or moves to mirth with an incident that is purely imaginary. So, too, is scenery an illusion. We show you a landscape in a production at the Metropolitan which seems to the spectator in front to stretch away for miles, whereas it is but a few rods distance from the eye, and, perhaps, no more than three feet away from the house, or the shrubbery, or the forest which seems so near you. Thus, if the actor deceives your ear with a cry which seems to have it in tones all the attributes of heart-felt sorrow and tragedy, the artist deceives the eye by producing an impression simply by a few touches of the brush and the proper combination of colors something akin to that produced by the omnipotent hand of nature herself as revealed in the far stretching landscape, or as is shown in the more artificial work of the man as applied to the architecture and the furnishing of apartments.” It is no surprise that he would be drawn to the motion picture industry a decade later.

In 1901, Nellie Slipper was also mentioned in the Minneapolis news. The “Star Tribune” reported, “Mrs. James Slipper, who has been visiting her sister, Mrs. O. C. Wood, left for Chicago yesterday en route to Detroit, where she will join her husband, who is with the Pike Theatre company there” (31 August 1901, page 4). The Slipper’s remained in Detroit until at least 1908, with Slipper continuing to work as a scenic artist. The 1908 Detroit Directory listed Slipper as a Detroit artist living at 168 Columbia East.
Sometime between 1909 and 1910, the Slippers moved to California. In 1910, Slipper was the owner and manager of San Bernardino’s Temple Theatre, located at 618-620 3rd Ave. The 1910 US Federal Census also listed Slipper as a Theatre owner, living with his wife and a young boarder, a 30-yrs. old theatre musician named Frank Durlise. All three were living at 619 Rex Alley. The Slipper’s marriage lasted only three years after that. Keep in mind that there was a twelve-year age difference between Jim and Nellie. There was only a three-year age difference between Nellie and their musical boarder. I have to wonder if the young musician had anything to do with the Slipper’s divorce. Although I have yet to locate any other information about Nellie after 1913. In 1913, the “San Bernardino News” reported on divorce proceedings between James and Nellie (20 Oct. 1913, page 6).


Regardless, the period between 1910 to 1913 was tumultuous for the couple as Slipper rapidly changed professions. By 1913, his younger brother Guy was also living in San Bernardino, working as a motion picture operator.
Jim Slipper was mentioned in the “San Bernardino News” in 1914:“James A. Slipper to Aid Class Play of School. Through the kindness of James Slipper, formerly manager of the Temple Theatre, the high school will have a specially painted set of scenery donated by Mr. Slipper for the class play which will be given next week. Mr. Slipper will paint the scenery to be used in the play and will donate it to the school. For years Mr. Slipper was one of the lading scenic painters of the country and has painted special scenery for all of Chicago’s big theaters. The high school students are delighted at the generosity of Mr. Slipper and also to have scenery in keeping with the play” (30 April 1914, page 5). That year Slipper was also on the committee for the 5th annual orange show in San Bernardino (San Bernardino, 16 July 1914, page 10).

Between 1914 and 1916, Slipper entered the motion picture industry. In 1916, the “San Bernardino News” reported, “James Slipper former owner of the Temple Theatre, was in the city yesterday and today visiting the orange show, Slipper is now secretary and treasurer of an establishment in Los Angeles which deals in picture machines and films” (23 Feb 1916, page 2). He soon established J. Slipper & Co, the Slipper Moving Picture Supply House.

1917 Advertisement for J. Slipper & Co. From “Motion Picture and Studio Directory and Trade Annual.


In 1917, “The Moving Picture World,” reported, “James C. Slipper, the head of J. Slipper & Company, motion picture supplies, reports business booming all along the line. Mr. Slipper has recently sold Douglas Jarmuth, manager of the Colonial Theater, 54th and Vermont, two Simplex machines, one G. E. generator, and a Minusa screen; also a Baird machine to J. O. Grant, manager and owner of the Beaumont theater, California. The local Orpheum theater has enrolled itself as a customer of Mr. Slipper with the purchase of a new Powers machine” (The Moving Picture World, Feb. 10, 1917, page 856).


In 1918, the “San Bernardino Country Sun” reported “James Slipper of Los Angeles, formerly manager of the Temple theater and hail-fellow-well-met along the amusement rialto, was in town yesterday. He is now dealing in accessories for moving picture theaters and looks prosperous as always” (28 July 1918, page 2). Slipper spent Thanksgiving that year at the Jewish Orphan Home. “The Los Angeles Times” reported, “James Slipper of the Slipper Moving Picture Supply House, showed in the dining room the fascinating film picture for children, ‘Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp’” (30 Nov. 1918, page 18).


By 1919 J. Slipper & Co. was listed as a Simplex Distributor in “Motion Picture News,” with selling agents in Southern California and Arizona (Motion Picture News, 1919, page 3646). Over the next few years, the location of his studio shifted from 728 S. Olive St. to 838 S. Olive St. and finally 922 S. Olive St. In 1921, Slipper was listed as a “jobber” in an advertisement for Lang-made Rewinders and Reels alongside New York’s United Projector and Film Co. (“Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers,” 1921).

1921 Advertisement listing J. Slipper & Co. as a jobber for Lang-Made Rewinders and Reels. From “Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers,” VI.

Slipper was listed in very few US Federal Census reports, and the last census report that provided any information was in 1920. The census that year listed James Slipper as a 56-yers.-old merchant in the Theatre Equipment industry. At the time, he was one of many lodgers living at 655 South Flower Street in Los Angeles. By the time Moses worked for Slipper in 1922, Slipper was residing at 5333 Santa Monica Blvd.From 1924-1928, J. Slipper & Co. continued to operate at S. Olive St., with the address shifting from 838 to 922. I am unsure whether this signified an expansion of operations or not. By 1930, the name changed to J & Co. Slipper Motion Picture Studio and Theatre Supplies. Although still listed at 922 S. Olive, the firm was now managed by Guy Slipper.

I have yet to locate any information about Slipper after the 1920s, so his story ends here.

You have to give Slipper credit with his insight and timing, shifting from a scenic artist to theatre owner and then motion picture supplier. There are those that eagerly embrace new technology and trends, ever adapting their skills to current trends. Then there are others who stubbornly cling to the familiar, wherever they have invested the majority of their energy. 1914 to 1924 was a turning point for many scenic artists. It must have been very difficult at this time for anyone to contemplate a side-step in the entertainment industry, especially for those who had already spent decades perfecting their skills in one particular trade. Slipper, unlike Moses, jumped into the growing film industry, and seemed to never looked back. At this same time, Moses was hoping for a revival of painted illusion; a return of the scenic art that he worked so hard to perfect his entire life. In the twilight of his years, he should have been sitting at the top of the scenic art industry. However, he was still trudging along in the Midwest; his heart was firmly situated in the past. Although Sosman & Landis was still landing contracts in 1922, the majority of the business was theatrical draperies; a topic that I will address tomorrow.


To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1141 – Henry E. Sieker, 1922

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1922 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Henry Sieker passed away on the 7th, all very sudden.  My 66th birthday came and went and I don’t know as I had many bad effects from the day.”

Henry Sieker was a Chicago painter and one-time Sosman & Landis employee. This is one of those instances where Moses brought to light an individual who otherwise may have remained unknown, a individual lost to time and theatre history.  Not everyone makes a name for themselves in the theater. Sieker is an example of a painter who came and went without any fanfare.

Henry Ernest Sieker was born on Feb. 10, 1886, in Cleveland, Ohio. His parents were Frank (Franz) Sieker (1849-1890) and Catherine Kemper (1853-1901). The couple celebrated the birth of seven children, with four growing to adulthood.  The 1880 Census listed that Henry was living at home with his three siblings – Fred (1876), August (1882), and Martin (1885). By 1900, their father passed away and all four boys were living with their mother at 29 Lufkin Street in Cleveland, Ohio. At the time Henry was working as a messenger boy. Henry and Martin remained close throughout the duration of their lives, eventually moving to Chicago and living together.

Henry married Nattley C. Buselski (b. 1886), the daughter of Mathias and Johanna Buselski.

Henry and Nattley celebrated the birth of their only daughter in 1909, Irene Florence. The 1910 US Federal Census listed Siecker as a scenic artist in the scenic studio profession. At the time, he was still living with his brother, Martin who worked as a candy maker in a candy factory.

Sieker’s draft registration card provides a little information about his physical appearance. He was tall, medium build with blue eyes and blond hair. The registration also listed him as living at 4016 W. 21st Chicago and working as a sign painter at Sosman & Landis.

Eight years later, the 1920 census still listed Sieker as a sign painter, working in the Factory industry and living at 4016 West 21st Street. He was still living with his brother, wife and daughter.

Sieker passed at the age of 36 on July 7, 1922. At the time, he was living at 4023 W 21 St., just up the street from where he lived in 1920; an unknown change of circumstances perhaps. Sieker was buried on July 10, 1922 at Elmwood Cemetery and Mausoleum in River Grove, Illinois. I not yet located any details or cause of death.

Postcard showing a busy day in Chicago

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1140 – P. T. Blackburn and the Fabric Studio of Chicago

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1922 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Started on a bunch of Masonic models, and it will take some time to do them.  Went to Joplin, Mo., after a good contract.  Was too high.” A similar thing would  happen only a few months later, with Moses writing, “Made several trips to Davenport in hopes of getting the big contract of about $16,000.00, but we were too high. 

Stage at the Joplin Scottish Rite
Stencil for the Fabric Studios for the Joplin Scottish Rite
Scenery by the Fabric Studios for the Joplin Scottish Rite
Painted detail. Scenery by the Fabric Studios for the Joplin Scottish Rite

Sosman & Landis was nearing the end of its existence at the same time many other studios were getting their start.  Sosman & Landis lost the Joplin job to another Chicago firm – The Fabric  Studio. The Fabric Studio appeared on the scene as abruptly as it disappeared a few years later. However, between 1922 and 1923 the studio showed much promise. The same year that they landed the Joplin Scottish Rite project, they delivered some very impressive scenery to the Orpheum Theatre in Wichita, Kansas. Interestingly, by 1923, Thomas G. Moses and Fred R. Megan rented the Fabric Studios’ space as they waited to purchase the Sosman & Landis name; waiting for the firm to liquidate all their assets.

The Fabric Studio scenery painted for the Joplin Scottish Rite is colorful, impressive, and indicative of a changing aesthetic. I had an opportunity to visit the Joplin Scottish Rite and document the historic scenery collection during the summer of 2018 and document the scenery painted at the Fabric Studios. Here is link to my post about that visit: https://drypigment.net2018/07/03/travels-of-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-the-joplin-scottish-rite-july-2/

There was a studio stamp on many drops that included the address 117 N. State, 4th floor, Chicago, Illinois. At this time, there were three main individuals running The Fabric Studio, artistic director P T. Blackburn and stage carpenter J. A. Bannon. As most young studios, the men continued to work independently while getting the studio up and running. In the end, the Joplin Scottish Rite may be the only artistic legacy left of this short-lived studio.

The earliest mention of the Fabric Studio that I have located to date is from the summer of 1921. The company placed a want ad in the “Chicago Tribune,” advertising for girls to help in their sewing room (“Chicago Tribune,” 27 August 1921, page 14). The earliest work credited to the new form was for Princess Minstrel Misses. Advertisements placed in “The Richmond Item” announced, “Seven young ladies in ‘a Fanfare of Joy, Song and Dance and Music’ with Cecil Jefferson. A miniature minstrel production offered exclusively by seven talented girls with an elaborate stage setting. Hear these clever girls in the latest songs and jokes. Costumes by Hazel Rene, Chicago. Scenery by The Fabric Studio, Chicago. 20 minutes of Real Entertainment”  (8 Dec 1921, page 5).

In 1922, The Fabric Studio of Chicago was competing with the Kansas City Scenic Co. for the contract to paint and install a new front curtain and scenery for the Memorial Auditorium in Wellington, Kansas. W. S. Mayer was the salesman for The Fabric Studio of Chicago (“Wellington Daily News,” 25 August 1922, page 1). That same year, The Fabric Studio also secured a substantial contract for Wichita’s Orpheum Theatre. The “Wichita Eagle” reported the Fabric Studio’s scenery included the original asbestos curtain depicting a gold gauze curtain with an exterior garden scene, a Spanish market scene; a silk velour for the valance; a grand drapery; a silver gauze tableaux curtain; a picture sheet; “two exterior oleos and drops;” a complete conservatory set; and a complete Gothic set (3 September 1922, page 48).

The Orpheum Theatre in Wichita, Kansas with scenery by the Fabric Studios of Chicago
P. T. Blackburn, from the “Daily Times,” Davenport, Iowa, 17 May 1922, page 10.

The chief scenic artist associated with the Fabric Studios at this time was P. T. Blackburn. He is quite an interesting individual. Blackburn was the head of the artistic staff for several stock companies over the years, including the Grand Players from Davenport, Iowa. Max Schroeder was another scenic artist who represented painted for the firm 1922, specializing in landscapes. Blackburn and Schroeder greatly contributed the studio’s colorful aesthetic. The firm’s head installation expert was J. A. Bannon, an older gentleman with extensive experience with stage machinery and the installation of stage systems.

Blackburn was credited as specializing in fine plushes, satins, and velours, such as the gold gauze front curtain and the silver gauze tableaux curtain for the Orpheum. Of the gold curtain delivered by the Fabric studio. The “Wichita Daily Eagle,” reported, “Scenery in the Orpheum theater ranks with that any vaudeville theater in the entire country, according to J. A. Bannon, who came to Wichita from Chicago, to install the scenery for the Fabric Studio, the makers. Bannon should be an authority since he is an old timer in the show business and has installed scenery in theaters in nearly every city in the United States. Bannon is very enthusiastic about the gold gauze curtain which he says is an unusually fine production. It portrays an exterior garden scene and was painted by Max Schroeder. A wonderful work has been accomplished in the floor perspective of the scene in the curtain. The perspective is only twenty-five inches in extent but gives the floor appearance of being twenty-five feet.” Of Bannon, the article reported, “Bannon started ‘trouping’ as a property man with Karafe’s Water Queen in the eighties. He soon became stage carpenter and traveled as such for years, visiting Wichita many times.”

In 1923, the “Quad City Times” include a portrait of Blackburn and reported, “Mr. Blackburn, scenery artist at the Grand theater is a star never seen by the audience. All of the scenery is painted by him. ‘It is an endless job – this business of being a  scenery painter of a stock company – but I like it anyway,’ opined Mr. Blackburn yesterday, He had been with the Grand company for more than a year” (18 March 1923, page 21). In 1923, Blackburn was also producing scenery for productions, such as “Nice People” in 1923 (The Daily Times, Davenport, Iowa, 27 Jan 1923, page 8). Blackburn was mentioned as a scenic artist when he married  in 1923 (The Daily Ties, 21 April 1923, page 7). The article announced, “Miss Erma Hermiston, youngest daughter of Mrs. Fred Hanson of DeWitt, was married to P. T. Blackburn, scenic artist for the Grand Players, now appearing at English’s Opera house, Indianapolis. Mr. Blackburn has for over a year and a half been artist for the company during the stay at the Grand in Davenport. Both he and his bride, who had made her home in this city, are very well known. The wedding took place at the First Presbyterian church, Rev. Milner officiating.” The couple was listed in the Colorado Divorce index on Sept 3, 1930.

By 1931, Blackburn was credited with the settings for Loew’s and Paramount’s “Lysistrata” ( “Los Angeles Record,” 28 Dec 1931, page 8). He also did the sets for “Shanghai Gesture” (Los Angeles Evening Express, 1 Sept 1931, page 10). In 1932 he was noted as a “well known Hollywood stage designer and artist,” associated with the comedy “Just Married”  (Honolulu Star 7 July 1932, page 8). By 1949, Blackburn was the head artist for Paramount Studios and a weekend resident of the San Jacinto mountain resort area (“The Desert Sun,” Palm Springs, California, 17 May 1949, page 4). In addition to scenic art, Blackburn and his department also developed new stage equipment and curtain tracks for scenery painted by Paramount artists.

To be continued…

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: James H. Cragg and Annie W. Cragg of Leadville, Colorado

Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett


For quite some time I have been exploring the life of James H. Cragg, manager of the Tabor Opera House from 1882-1894. He was a musician, theatrical manager, and scenic artist. During the 1890s he was also the assistant manager for the Silver Circuit, as well as an assistant manager at the Vendome Hotel. Tomorrow, I will post quite a lengthy article about this fascinating man.
Cragg oversaw two stage renovations at the Tabor Opera House and multiple scenery additions, yet little is known about his personal life. In 1875, he married Annie W. Parmele and the two moved to Leadville by 1882.

In 1887, Annie passed away and Cragg fell ill. For a time, he sought solace with his family in Louisville. When he returned to Leadville, a lovely memoriam was written by his childhood friend in Kentucky and published in both Louisville and Leadville. It says so much about the couple and their deep love for each other.


“In Memoriam.

Mrs. James H. Cragg, died on March 1, 1887.

“On November 10, 1875 , I witnessed the marriage of Mr. James H. Cragg to Miss Annie W . Parmele, in the Broadway M . E . church in this city. The good Rev. Dr. Schon, whom death has long since removed from our midst, performed the happy ceremony in the presence of a large crowd of relatives, friends and acquaintances. A happier pair were never made—
“Two souls but with a single thought, Two hearts that beat as one-“
and a fairer and more beautiful bride than Annie never blushed before the altar of hymen, as she stood beside the man she loved, and the venerable minister solemnly joined them together in the holy bonds of happy wedlock. Together they started out upon the broad road of life, hand in hand and heart in heart, to share each others joys and sorrows, to live to love and cling to one another with fond affection true, until they were separated by the relentless and cruel hand of death. The bright sunshine of peace, love and happiness smiled upon them, and their pathway had never been shadowed by clouds of adversity and sorrow. They seem to have been born for each other, to live for and love one another. He kind, generous, loving and true; she generous, faithful, patient, warm-hearted, and blessed by nature with all the Christian traits of human character, that constitutes a true woman and makes her lovely and beautiful in the sight of God and in the eyes of man. But, alas! Death is no respecter of persons, and loves a “shining mark.”
The cup of happiness has been suddenly snatched from their lips by the relentless and cruel hand of the destroying angel, and, with a sad and sorrowful heart, the friend of my boyhood stands holding fragments in his trembling hands as he laments the loss of her he loved with fond affection true.
On the evening of March 1, 1887, just when the bright eye of day was closing in the distant west, when time, with its nimble fingers, had commenced pinning up the curtains of the night with the beautiful stars across the cheerful face of day, the light of the lamp of a beautiful and useful life went out, and the soul of Annie put on its wings of immortality, and winged its flight to God and Heaven, to dwell forever and forever with the angels. She died as she had lived – a true Christian.
The remains were brought from Leadville where she died, to Louisville, where she had lived, and her form now rests in its newly made tenement of clay, over which loved ones shed tears of sorrow to the memory of one whom to know in life was to honor, respect and love. Like the bird who has lost its mate, and returned to its nest home to find it vacant, so, the bereaved husband has returned to his house in Leadville to mourn the loss and absence of his loved one. It was a sad and cruel blow to him, but the angels smiled to know that God had called a wanderer home to dwell in Heaven with the angels who stand before the Throne of Grace. And sound their harps with tuneful lays. Who smile upon our Savior’s face. And sing their songs of sweetest praise.
To the lonely and bereaved husband whom I have known from his boyhood, I tender my sincere and heartfelt sympathy, and extend to him the consoling thought that what has been his loss is her gain. She has left him to battle with life alone, but she has also left him that which is as dear to his heart as her memory is sacred – her love. And as the bark of his life goes drifting across the stormy sea of Time, let him fear not, but look Heavenward, use that sacred love that will live forever with him, for his compass, and God will see that he lands safely in the harbor of eternity, and meet his loved one again in the port of Heaven – where there is no sickness, sorrow, death of parting – nothing but everlasting life, love and happiness.
Oh May some bright and dazzling star, Be as a frame hung up in space by angels from the “gates ajar.” In which you will see sweet Annie’s face.Dear friend, look up and be content, And don’t forget her dying prayer,You try and go where she went, She loved you here, she’ll love you there.
-Will S. Hays,Louisville, April 8, 1887.

Marriage License and Certificate for James and Annie Cragg, 1875