Scenic Studio – Page 10 – Drypigment.net

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: The Richmond Scottish Rite Theatre Scenery Collection

Scene designed and painted by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri, for the Richmond Scottish Rite.

*Painted detail. Toomey & Volland scenic studio.*

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: The Richmond Scottish Rite Theatre Scenery Collection

Here is a backdrop designed and painted by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri, ca. 1920. Last month I visited the Richmond Scottish Rite and documented the historic scenery collection, dating from 1900-1920.

*Landscape drop by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri*

*Landscape drop by Toomey & Volland on the stage of the Richmond Scottish Rite Theatre*

Here is a link to my past post about my visit to the Richmond Scottish Rite this fall:

https://drypigment.net2020/10/26/travels-of-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-the-richmond-scottish-rite-october-24-26-2020/?fbclid=IwAR18iqXfhc-REFMElYe3BBn-4ZXygKuig9zr9Chw8YVg-xG3pUcZIqT-wgg

*Scenery by Toomey & Volland for the Richmond Scottish Rite*

*Painted detail. Landscape drop by Toomey & Volland*

Richard Finkelstein also made a lovely video of this scene with changing light:

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: The Richmond Scottish Rite Theatre Scenery Collection

https://drypigment.net2020/10/26/travels-of-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-the-richmond-scottish-rite-october-24-26-2020/?fbclid=IwAR37c4KGBw4bIkkiH4i6RlHqreCLW9xxqMbPi_ElzIWZtJLDPe4lbLmV2VQ

*Backdrop by Toomey & Volland for the Richmond Scottish Rite Theatre*

*Painted detail. Backdrop by Toomey & Volland for the Richmond Scottish Rite Theatre*.

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: The Richmond Scottish Rite Theatre Scenery Collection

A cathedral setting designed and painted by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri, ca. 1920. Last month I visited the Richmond Scottish Rite and documented the historic scenery collection, dating from 1900-1920. Here is a link to my past post:

https://drypigment.net2020/10/26/travels-of-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-the-richmond-scottish-rite-october-24-26-2020/?fbclid=IwAR2euDAn-lNGbjUPAVvzvZ7yEglrG3bHNxfGfG6RgSJpPONqolDtSNaB42o

While on site, I was assisted by Michael Powers and Richard Finkelstein to set and light each scene during the cataloguing process. Here are a few images that I took of the scene:

*Cathedral scene by Toomey & Volland scenic studio for the Richmond Scottish Rite, c. 1920*

*Translucent sections. Cathedral scene by Toomey & Volland scenic studio for the Richmond Scottish Rite, c. 1920*

*Translucent section. Cathedral scene by Toomey & Volland scenic studio for the Richmond Scottish Rite, c. 1920*

*Note the charcoal drawing beneath the paint. Cathedral scene by Toomey & Volland scenic studio for the Richmond Scottish Rite, c. 1920*

Travels of A Scenic Artist and Scholar: The Cox Scenery Collection at the Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado.

In America, many nineteenth-century opera houses repeatedly purchased stage scenery, updating and expanding their existing stock. Scenic artists and their stage work drew crowds, just like popular stage personalities. The names of scenic artists were prominently displayed in many advertisements. Articles described their work and the scenic art process in detail, placing their contribution to a production on par with the leading performers.

Last February, I led a group of volunteers to document all of the scenery on stage at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado. It was the first phase of the project, with the second phase occurring in September. The second phase focused on a much older scenery collection stored in the attic, placed there after the stage was renovated by the Elks in 1902. There were several pieces painted by Tignal Frank Cox in both locations. The first piece that we discovered was a tree profile, constructed of roughhewn lumber and coarse cotton fabric. On the backside of the tree was a charcoal sketch; a cartoon depicting a scenic artist in coveralls. Above the scenic artist was the caption: “Frank Cox, Scenic Artist Jan. 30 ‘88.” Cox also painted his initials on the front of the tree. They appear to be carved into the trunk, alongside other initials.

*Set piece painted by T. Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House in 1888.*

*Cartoon on the backside of a set piece painted by T. Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House in 1888.*

*Initials painted by T. Frank Cox on a set piece for the Tabor Opera House in 1888.*

Keep in mind that it is extremely rare to find a piece of stock scene signed and dated by the artist. Some pieces carried a studio mark, but seldom an individual artist’s name. Occasionally, individual artists and studios marked the corner of the central composition on a drop curtain (painted front curtain). Until my trip to Leadville, I had not encountered a signed and dated piece of nineteenth-century stock scenery.

*Signature on the back of a cut shutter at Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, 1888.*

Beginning in 1881, the Tabor Opera House was managed by J. H. Cragg. Cragg secured the painting services of Cox near the end of 1887. Cox completed his work for Cragg at the end of January 1888, and then headed to DeRemer’s Opera House in Pueblo. Cox painted a forest scene for both DeRemer’s Opera House and the Tabor Opera House.

To date, I have identified three extant settings painted by Cox for the Tabor Opera House. This “Cox Scenery Collection” includes a forest scene, a street scene and a Rocky Pass. The forest setting consists of two full shutters, two cut shutters and a tree profile. Both the street scene and the Rocky Pass scene are composed of only two shutters.

*Two wood shutters painted by Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, 1888.*

*Two street scene shutters painted by Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, 1888.*

*Two rocky pass shutters painted by Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, 1888.*

Cox’s painting project for the Tabor was part of a much larger vision that involved the 1888 establishment of the Silver Circuit. In 1881, J. H. Cragg became manager of the Tabor Opera House in Leadville; the same year that H. A. W. Tabor built the Tabor Grand Opera House in Denver. By 1884, Peter McCourt (Baby Doe’s brother) became the manager at the Tabor Grand, and was responsible for booking both the Tabor Grand and Tabor Opera House productions. McCourt soon expanded his bookings to other venues, establishing a Colorado Circuit, also known as the Tabor Circuit. Stops in the circuit included opera houses throughout Colorado, Utah and southern Wyoming. By March 1888, McCourt announced the official formation of a “Silver Circuit,” targeting the wealth associated with mining areas. Keep in mind that McCourt announced the establishment of a Silver Circuit only two months after Cragg hired Cox to paint the new scenes. The “official inauguration” of the Silver circuit, however, did not occur until July 1889. In the end, it included thirteen stops: Denver, Leadville, Aspen, Salida, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Trinidad in Colorado; Salt Lake City, Provo, Ogden and Park City in Utah; and Evanston and Rawlins in Wyoming.

*The Tabor Grand Opera House in Denver, Colorado*

On January 14, 1888, the “Leadville Evening Chronicle” reported, “Frank Cox, a New York artist, is engaged painting several new scenes at the opera house. Manager Cragg has engaged him for a short time, and his productions are something unusual in the scene painting line. Mr. Cox painted the scenes that were so much admired in acts III and IV of Ingomar” (page 4). Act III of “Ingomar” was set in a mountain camp, likely using Cox’s recently painted rocky pass shutters. Act IV was set on the edge of a forest that possibly used Cox’s new forest setting. Lillian Olcott was featured in the touring production of “Ingomar” during 1887 and the beginning of 1888. She and her company performed both “Ingomar” and “Theodora” in Leadville at the beginning of January. The Tabor Opera House was one of her last stops on tour before she passed away in March. Newspapers across the country reported that Olcott grew ill after surviving a blizzard and died in a hotel.

*Advertisement for Ingomar and Theodora at the Tabor Opera House.*

Then, as now, travel throughout the mountains in winter was unpredictable and often treacherous, but this did not prevent people from completing a theatrical tour or traveling to nearby venues. Cox completed his work at the Table Opera House by the end of January. On February 1, 1888, the “Leadville Evening Chronicle” announced, “A handsome new ‘set’ house and a new wood ‘flat’ has been added to the scenic properties of the Tabor, this city. Both were painted by Mr. Frank Cox, of New York, and are excellent examples of the scenic art” (page 4).

On a secondary note, the mention that Cox’s new scenery was used in “Ingomar” is also of interest, as Olcott’s shows purportedly toured with their own “special scenery.” Advertisements for both “Ingomar” and “Theodora” promised, “all the wealth of scenery and appointments that characterized their production in London and Paris” (The Courier, Lincoln, NE, 20 Dec 1887, page 6). However, after “Theodora” played at the Tabor Opera House in January, one Leadville critic commented, “The company’s ‘special scenery’ was mainly conspicuous by its absence, but some very good stage settings were arranged, none the less.”

After completing his work in Leadville, Cox secured work in Pueblo, Colorado. In Pueblo, he not only worked as a scenic artist for DeRemer’s Opera House, but also performed as a “Lightning Artist.” Prior to his performance and work for DeRemer’s Cox flooded local newspapers with announcements, advertisements and articles about his art.

On Feb. 12, 1888, the “Colorado Daily Chieftain” included an article entitled “The Tramp Painter.” It read:

“The following has been handed us for publication, which explains itself.

PUEBLO, COLO, February 8, 1888.

Mr. Frank Cox,

Desiring to witness an exhibition of your rapid landscape painting and character sketching in charcoal, accompanied by your famous talk, “The Tramp Painter,” or “The Sketch Artist En Tour,” we respectfully request you to favor Pueblo with an early date most convenient yourself.

Jos. Hitchins, T.G. McCarthy, O. E. Pettis, L. B. Strait, Rev. W. C. Madison, Geo. M. Haight, W. W. Strait, A. B. Patton, and many others.

___

Messrs. Haight, Hitchins and others,

GENTLEMEN – In reply to the above request, I will state that I will be pleased to respond, and will appoint Friday evening, February 17, as the date, and DeRemer opera house as the place of entertainment, at which time I will paint four landscapes in oil 4×6 feet, each in ten minutes besides numerous charcoal sketches of the same size in much less time.

Yours Truly,

Frank Cox.

In addition to this announcement, Cox daily advertised in the “Colorado Daily Chieftain.” From Feb. 14 to Feb. 17 the newspaper included mentions of his act. For example, on Feb. 15, 1888, the “Colorado Daily Chieftain” reported, “Mr. Frank Cox, the lighting landscape painter who will appear at DeRemer’s opera house on the evening of the 17th instant, will amuse and instruct all who attend, and we trust that he will be greeted by a large audience.”

The announcement was accompanied by a nearby advertisement:

Advertisements for Frank Cox were placed in the “Colorado Daily Chieftain” from Feb. 14-17, 1888.

Cox also posted short reminders in the “Colorado Daily Chieftain” – “Don’t miss seeing Frank Cox, the artist at DeRemer’s” (“Colorado Daily Chieftain”, Feb 17, 1888, page 4).

The day before his performance, Cox submitted another article entitled “A Fire at Sea.” It described, “The event of the season will be the appearance of Mr. Frank Cox, the lightning artist at DeRemer’s Friday evening, February 17. On this occasion Mr. Cox will paint his wonderful ‘Fire at Sea,’ in which he first paints a moonlight ocean, then a ship, then sets it on fire (with color), then brings another ship to the rescue, which also burns and the picture is left a calm, open sea, with no vessel in sight, and even the smoke is cleared away. You will probably never have an opportunity of witnessing such a grand spectacle and should not fail to attend. Tickets 25 and 50 cents.”

*Sketch by Frank Cox on the back of a cut shutter at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado*

On the day of the performance, Cox was featured in the “Amusements” section. Under the heading “The Tramp Painter,” the article noted:

“To-night is the date of the most extraordinary and wonderful entertainment ever seen in Pueblo, on which occasion Mr. Frank Cox, the lighting artist, delivers his famous talk “The Tramp Painter” at DeRemer, illustrating it as he proceeds with numerus black and white sketches and four large oil paintings, all executed on the stage before your eyes. Fifty sketches will be made during the evening, and a more enjoyable affair has probably never been offered to the people of Pueblo. All lovers of the beautiful in art should attend and witness this performance. The price of admission is 15 and 50 cents, within the reach of all, and we hope to see the DeRemer crowded.”

*Sketch by Frank Cox on the back of a shutter at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado*

In addition to performing, Cox also painted scenery for DeRemer’s Opera House. On February 19, the “Colorado Daily Chieftain” announced, “Frank Cox, the artist is at work on a new scene at the DeRemer opera house. It is what is known as a ‘cut wood’ scene, the first one yet made there. It shows large trees, with foliage overhead, while the canvas is cut away from around the trunks of the trees, making a very forest like appearance (page 4). This is exactly what Cox also painted for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville.

*Two wood cut shutters painted by Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, 1888.*

After Pueblo, Cox traveled to Trinidad, Colorado. On March 4, 1888, the “Colorado Daily Chieftain” announced, “Frank Cox, the artist, is lecturing at Trinidad” (page 4).

To be continued…

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: The Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado. Cut Shutters Painted by T. Frank Cox, 1888.

The predecessor to cut drops were cut shutters. I had never encountered any until my trip to the Tabor Opera House last month. As an added bonus, the back of each piece was covered with cartoons by scenic artist and architect Tignal Frank Cox.

*Cut shutters at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.*

*Cut shutter on floor before it was raised up.*

*Painted detail. Cut shutter painted by Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado.*

Leadville’s Tabor Opera House was built by H. A W. Tabor in 1879. Two years later, he opened the Tabor Grand Opera House in Denver, Colorado. The renowned Silver King fell on hard times and lost both of these priced possessions. In Leadville, his opera house changed hands a few times during the 1890s.

The Tabor Opera House was renamed the Elks Opera House when the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (B.P.O.E.) purchased the building in 1901. Immediately after the purchase, the building was renovated. Part of the stage renovation included adding a fly loft, so that new scenery could be raised out of sight. Previously, the Tabor Opera House used wings, shutters, roll drops and borders.

Similar renovations were occurring all across the United States as this time. For example, in 1903, the “Idaho Springs News” reported a similar project: “The opera house will have a new stage and new scenery with which to greet the public at the opening performance. The stage will be enlarged, to be 40 feet high by 40 feet wide by 26 feet deep, which will enable the management to present all scenery carried by the companies. By the increased height the scenery will not roll but slide up. This mean larger shows for the public. The work is now under way” (4 Sept 1903). Two decades earlier, in 1883, the same renovation occurred to the Salt Lake Theatre. Henry C. Tryon, scenic artist for the Tabor Grand Opera House, ventured south and led the stage and scenery renovation. For more information about Tryon and the Salt Lake Theatre’s renovation, see today’s post (https://drypigment.net2020/11/02/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-part-1101-henry-c-tryon-and-the-salt-lake-theatre-renovation-1883/)

In 1902, new scenery was purchased from the Kansas City Scenic Co. for the Elks Opera House in Leadville. Fred Megan, a future business partner of Thomas G. Moses, represented the Kansas City Scenic Co. and secured the contract for new scenery. Kansas City Scenic Co. then subcontracted some of the project to Sosman & Landis in Chicago. The scenery delivered to the Elks Opera House was a massive collection; a substantial investment for the Elks’ new theater. During February 2020 I documented the Kansas City Co. and Sosman & Landis Co. scenery purchased for the renovated stage. This was the first phase of my project. I was hired to complete a condition report, historical analysis, and replacement appraisal for each scenic piece, as well as writing a collections care and management program for the collection.

When the new scenery was installed at the Elks Opera House, all of the older scenery was tucked away in the attic where it would remain for the next century. Occasionally, a piece or two would make its way to the stage floor, but it was not an easy task. Larger pieces needed to be lowered through a small attic door, forty feet above the stage.

*Cut shutter on stage after it was lowered from the attic.*

Several pieces were painted by the well-known theatre architect T. Frank Cox. Cox began his career as a scenic artist and spent over a year in Colorado. In January 1888, Cox painted several scenes for the Tabor Opera House, including these two cut shutters. What is wonderful about these pieces is that they carry his signature and several cartoons. In 1889, Cox traveled throughout Colorado and also marketed himself as a “lightning artist,” producing a series of rapid sketches on the stage.

*Signature by Frank Cox on the back of the cut shutter.*

*Cartoon by Frank Cox on the back of a cut shutter at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, CO.*

Cox’s cut shutters were placed mid stage at the Tabor Opera House; down stage of two exterior shutters. Shutters rolled together, a perfect solution for theaters that did not have room to raise backdrops out of sight. Wings and shutters slid on and off the stage in grooves to form scenic illusion on nineteenth and twentieth century stages across the United States.

*Two exterior shutter also painted by Frank Cox. These were the backing for the cut shutters.*

*Front view. Flat sheaves were placed on the bottom of shutters to help them effortlessly slide in top grooves during scene changes.*

Back view. *Flat sheaves were placed on the bottom of shutters to help them effortlessly slide in top grooves during scene changes.*

For more information about the historic scenery collection at the Tabor Opera House, visit www.drypigment.net and keyword search “Tabor Opera House.”

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar – The Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado. Painted Shutters by T. Frank Cox, 1888.

The Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, was renamed the Elks Opera House when the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (B.P.O.E.) purchased the building in 1901. Immediately after the purchase, the building was renovated. Part of the stage renovation included adding a fly loft, so that new scenery could be raised out of sight. Previously, the Tabor Opera House used wings, shutters, roll drops and borders.

*Shutters painted by T. Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House in 1888.*

Similar renovations were occurring all across the United States at this time. For example, in 1903, the “Idaho Springs News” reported a similar project: “The opera house will have a new stage and new scenery with which to greet the public at the opening performance. The stage will be enlarged, to be 40 feet high by 40 feet wide by 26 feet deep, which will enable the management to present all scenery carried by the companies. By the increased height the scenery will not roll but slide up. This mean larger shows for the public. The work is now under way” (4 Sept 1903).

*Front curtain for the Tabor Opera House by scenic artists at the Kansas City Scenic Co., 1902*

*One of the interior sets produced for the Elks Opera House by Sosman & Landis, 1902.*

*A shutter that has been wrapped in plastic and prepared for lowering to the stage floor. Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado.*

*Lowering a shutter from the attic to the stage floor at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.*

From September 21-27, 2020, I led a group of local volunteers for the second phase of the project, documenting the historic stage settings in the attic of the Tabor Opera House. Each piece was lowered to the stage floor and photographed. The most challenging pieces to lower were shutters, measuring 10’-0”w by 16’-0”h. Several pieces were painted by the well-known theatre architect T. Frank Cox. Cox began his career as a scenic artist and spent over a year in Colorado. In January 1888, Cox painted several scenes for the Tabor Opera House, including these two country shutters.

*Two shutters painted by Frank Cox that were lowered to the stage floor at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado*, *Sept. 2020.*

These shutters formed the backing for the stage setting. Rolled together, shutters were a perfect solution for theaters that did not have room to raise backdrops out of sight. Wings and shutters slid on and off the stage in grooves to form scenic illusion on nineteenth and twentieth century stages across the United States.

*Flat sheaves were attached to the bottoms of shutters.*

*Painted detail. Shutter by Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, 1888.*

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: The Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado. Painted Shutters by T. Frank Cox, 1888.

From September 21-27, 2020, Dr. Wendy Waszut-Barrett led a group of local volunteers to document historic stage settings in the attic of the Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado. These stage artifacts should be considered much more than “old scenery.”

Much of the historic scenery collection is comprised of large-scale artworks painted by nationally recognized artists.

Below are two shutters painted by scenic artist and theatre architect Tignal Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House in 1888. These shutters formed a backing for the stage picture. Rolled together, shutters were a perfect solution for theaters that did not have room to raise backdrops out of sight. Wings and shutters slid on and off the stage in grooves to form scenic illusion on nineteenth and twentieth century stages across the United States.

*Painted detail. Shutter by T. Frank Cox, 1888.*

*Painted detail. Shutter by T. Frank Cox, 1888*. *Notice the two flat sheaves at the bottom that allow the unit to effortlessly roll.*

*Flat sheaves allowed shutters and wings to roll.*

The two shutters are also double-painted, with a rocky mountain scene on the back. Here is a link to the backside composition: https://drypigment.net…/travels-of-a-scenic-artist-and…/

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1095 – “Birds of Passage,” Tryon & Graham, 1876-1877

Henry C. Tryon and Lemuel L. Graham formed a scenic art partnership that lasted from the summer of 1876 to the spring of 1877. Although short-lived, their partnership fills in one more missing piece to the nineteenth-century scenic art puzzle.

On August 9, 1876, the “South Bend Tribune” credited Henry C. Tryon and Lemuel L. Graham with new scenery for the South Bend opera house. Fifty years later, the small note was republished: “South Bend.-L.L. Graham, of the academy of music of 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.” (“South Bend Tribune,” 9 Aug 1926, page 6).

Henry C. Tryon and Lemuel L. Graham were called “birds of passage” in scenic art advertisement during 1876. What a charming term for itinerant scenic artists. Tryon and Graham posted several ads in the “New York Clipper” for a two-year period while working together.

On December 23, 1876, the “New York Clipper” published their advertisement:

“HENRY C. TRYON from McVicker’s Theatre, Chicago, and L. L. GRAHAM from the Academy of Music, New Orleans, La. are prepared to paint, in first-class metropolitan style, scenery for theatres and public halls. Address, for the present, HENRY C. TRYON, care of Tootle’s Opera-house, St. Joseph, Missouri, and L. L. Graham, New Opera-house. Findlay, Ohio. Permanent address, care of McVicker’s Theatre, Chicago. As we are “birds of passage” due notice of change of address will be given. Respectfully, TRYON & GRAHAM.”

Advertisement for Tryon & Graham in the “New York Clipper,” 1876.

The advertisement provides some insight into Tryon and Graham’s projects that year; at the end of 1876, Tryon was painting at Tootle’s Opera House in St. Joseph, Missouri and Graham was still working at the Davis Opera House in Findlay, Ohio. Tryon and Graham had just completed a significant amount of stock scenery for the opera house in Findlay during 1876.

On January 6, 1877, the “New York Clipper” included an advertisement for the new opera house:

“DAVIS OPERA-HOUSE. FINDLAY, OHIO.

It has just been completed, and seats eight hundred; it has 350 iron opera-chairs in dress circle; good front and stage entrances; lighted by gas; stage 33 feet by 45 feet; proscenium opening, 23 feet; foot and border lights; elegant drop and act curtains, and nine complete sets of scenery by Chicago scenic artists TRYON & GRAHAM. Findlay is an excellent show town about six thousand inhabitants and will support a good show a week. For terms and dates apply to Davis, Detwiler & Co., Findlay, O.”

The two were working in multiple states that included Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. On January 6, 1877, the “New York Clipper” reported, “Hascall’s Hall, Goshen, Ind. has recently been fitted up with a new drop-curtain and six complete sets of scenery, painted by Chicago Scenic Artists MESSRS. TRYON & GRAHAM. Goshen is a fine town of about 5,000 inhabitants, on the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern R.R., about halfway between Chicago and Detroit. A good show can play three nights to good business. For terms apply to Chas. B. Alderman, Goshen, Ind.” The Hascall Hall was part of the Hascall Block, a massive building erected by Chauncey Smith Hascall in Goshen. Located at Main Street and Lincoln Avenue, the structure was raised in 1922 to make way for City National Bank.

On March 31, 1877, the “New York Clipper” credited the pair with painting scenery at another opera house in Troy, Ohio. The notice stated, “NEW YOU CITY OPERA-HOUSE, Troy, O., recently completed, is described as having a seating capacity of 600, a stage 56 x 40 feet, ten changes of scenery, painted by Tryon & Graham, and all the accommodations of a first-class house.”

Lemuel Laken Graham formed several partnerships throughout the duration of his career; each was fairly short lived, suggesting that Graham may have been a difficult partner. Five years after ending his partnership with Tryon, Graham partnered with Thomas G. Moses. Their partnership only lasted from 1882 to 1883, and then both Moses and Graham returned to the Sosman & Landis Studio in Chicago. By 1884, Graham left the Chicago offices to establish another partnership in Kansas City with William Davis. The new studio was known as Graham & Davis; another partnership that lasted for less than two years. Soon Graham was solely working under his own studio name in Kansas City– Lemuel L. Graham. As an interestingly aside, it was Tryon who was Graham’s replacement when he left Sosman & Landis in 1884. Keep in mind that in the 1880s, regional branches for major scenic studios did not necessarily use the main studio’s name, but a new, and often local, identity.

Graham was included in the 1888 publication “Industries of Kansas City: Historical, Descriptive and Statistical:”

“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.” Here is the entire entry for Graham too:

“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 McVickers’ 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, frame work, 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.”

This publication also included an interesting commentary about scenic studios at the time: “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.”

For more information about Graham’s career, visit my post “Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: The Scenic Art Career of Lemuel L. Graham, 1884-1914.” Here is the link: https://drypigment.net2020/02/21/travels-of-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-the-scenic-art-career-of-lemuel-l-graham-1884-to-1914/

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1091 – “A Reform in Scenery” by Henry C. Tryon, 1884

Yesterday’s post included an article written by Henry C. Tryon and published in the “Chicago Tribune” on Dec. 28, 1884 (page 14). The headline was “SCENE-PAINTING. An Art Which Has Been Neglected and Allowed to Retrograde in Chicago.” On Dec. 19, 1884, Tyron wrote penned a response to a letter entitled “Violations of Taste in Scenery. His response was published on Dec. 21, 1884, the “Chicago Tribune” in the Amusements section (page 24). Enjoy.

AMUSEMENTS.

Why Scenery in Chicago Theatre is Shabby and in Bad Taste.

THE DRAMA.

A Reform in Scenery.

An article on the subject of scenery which was published in these columns last week protested chiefly against outraging the fundamental principle of dramatic art by mingling real with unreal conditions, and incidentally pointed out other violations of taste in matter of stage accessories. In this connection a local scenic artist writes an interesting letter wherein he supplements criticism by facts from the workshop and throws light upon the practical phases of an aesthetic question. From what he says it must be plain that artistic scenery is likely to be revived only with the stock system, and that many of the present abuses are to be attributed to the vulgar ambitions of mercenary motives of managers. Any idea that will occur to many after considering his statements is that the names of scenic artists should be put on the programs of the theatres. The letter, which in the opening sentences draws the inferences that are somewhat strained, is as follows:

“Chicago, Dec. 19.-[Editor of the Tribune]-

“As there was nothing in the dramatic line during the last week which calls for particular attention – no plays worth discussing and no acting of any consequence- the subject of scenery must be lightly touched upon.”

This is the introduction to an article in the amusement column of last Sunday’s Tribune, headed, “Violations of Taste in Scenery,” which reads as though the writer did not consider the matter of scenery to be of sufficient importance to be noticed on its merit, but simply as a means of filling his space, lacking other material.

It seems too bad that so important an element of theatrical representations should be considered to be so little of general interest, but it is a sign hopeful for scenic improvement that he has taken occasion to write on the subject whatever the cause of his doing so. He has evidently given it considerable thought, and in the right direction too. The points he makes are all true, but he possibly errs in his location of the responsibility for “violations of taste in scenery.”

He says that “since Mr. Irving’s tour through this country managers have awakened to the importance of providing the stage with suitable accessories,” and regrets “that so laudable an intention cannot be fully carried into execution.” Why not? Who is to blame? If the managers are desirous of mounting plays in an elegant manner, why don’t they do it? Because the public don’t appreciate it. And as managers conduct their business for profit, they are naturally not disposed to spend money in producing art work which will not be noticed by the public or by the press.

For eight years at one of the theatres in this city plays were mounted in a manner superior to that of any house in America and the painting was not excelled in the world. Yet it is doubtful whether 5 per cent of the play-going public of Chicago were aware of the fact – well known and universally conceded by the entire theatrical fraternity. Probably not 1 per cent of the patrons of that house knew the name of the artist or cared. The newspapers certainly took no great pains to direct attention to him or his work.

Every person in this country at all interested in theatre, whether he has ever been in New York, or not, from frequent newspaper repetition is familiar with the fact that plays are magnificently mounted at the Union Square Theatre. Here is a case where the newspapers and the public value genuine art work, and the management, finding that it is looked for an appreciated, is willing to spend the money necessary to produce it; and the artist at that house, with his three or four assistants (each a competent artist), has three months, and sometimes more, in which to get up the scenery of a piece. How is it in this city? Three or four days is the usual time left after the ‘scene plots’ are placed in the artist’s hands, and he considers himself lucky if he gets a full week.

But this is not the worst difficulty of the artist. Canvas and lumber are expensive, and the manager is not willing to provide them; consequently, the artist is obliged to use the old stuff. A general overhauling is made of the stacked-up scenery, and anything will do which is near the size of what is required – the shape doesn’t matter. It is put on the frame and it is the artist’s business to paint a row of tents on a square piece of stuff and get along the best he can. Of course, no artist can alter the form of the set piece to deceive the public. It is still obtrusively a square piece of framework and canvas. The same set pieces have done versatile duty in most of the theatres here for years.

Again, the traveling combinations get most of the money that comes into the house, and if they cannot draw on their own merits the manager feels that it is not justifiable business policy to increase his expenses when this will not add proportionately to his receipts. How can the public expect proper scenic mounting under such circumstances?

If the newspapers in this city would notice scenery in detail, giving proper credit to the artist, naming him when he does something well, and condemning him if he does something badly (if it is his fault, which the dramatic critics should take pains to ascertain) they would soon and that the public eye would be turned in the same direction, and managers would then be glad to do what your dramatic critic thinks they are now anxious to do, but which they are not.

As long as the public pass unobserved as artistic production and applaud a trick, managers whose business it is to cater to the public will give them what they want. Audiences will clap their hands with delight at a skillful mechanical change of scene or an illuminated boat crossing the stage on “set waters” with the wheels turning around; a locomotive running across the stage, or the moon passing behind the clouds with the flicker on the water – mechanical tricks which have nothing to do with art. They don’t care anything about art. They don’t know it when they see it. Was Malmsha appreciated here while he lived?

A boxed-in parlor, with a multiplicity of angles loaded with “properties” like a bric-à-brac shop, pleases the public, therefore pleases the manager, and consequently has to please the artist. It goes that way, anyhow, whether he likes it or not.

An artist may paint an arch ever so characteristic and beautiful. Nine time out of ten his manager or the manager of the visiting combination will insist upon hanging curtain in front of his architectural work. The draperies borrowed from some furniture store and the elegant brass rods which sustain them must be displayed to their best advantage, and the protests of the artist are unheard.

No matter how an interior may be painted, if it is literally covered with elegant borrowed furniture, covering all the character in the scene, the “set” delights all. No matter how elegant and artistic the scene may be, without this trumpery it attracts no attention from anybody, and this is the first time any newspaper in Chicago has noted this. The artists are glad of it, even though it has been made the occasion for an undeserved attack upon their taste.

In Europe and in the leading theatres in the East the scenic artist has entire charge of everything that makes up the stage picture, limited only by the requirements of the “business” of the play. This properly and naturally, should be the case in this city, but practically he is overruled just enough to call forth the objections of right-thinking and discerning critics. Your dramatic editor has got the correct idea, and he has only to note violations of taste and encourage managers and artists by also noting exhibitions of taste as they occur, and he will influence the theatre people to take such care as in the Eastern cities.

Could the managers be assured of the same recognition of true art work as the Union Square Theatre constantly received there is no doubt but they would be glad to make the same efforts here, and the public would then find that the artists are here, and have been all the time, and it is not their fault nor their lack of ability that has prevented the proper mounting of plays heretofore. If the artists now in Chicago could have the opportunity of producing anything like what we are capable of doing the discerning public would be astonished at their artistic ability, now practically latent.

It is undeniable that our people have made great strides in art culture in the last few years, and if their attention is properly directed in the matter there is no doubt but that they will soon become as appreciative of true art in stage pictures as they are now in home decorations.

-H. C. Tryon

On the same page of the “Chicago Tribune” article above, an announcement reported, “Apropos of the subject of scenery, The Haverly Theatre recently burned a large number of old “sets,” their destruction being the only guarantee that they would not at some time be pressed into service.” (21 Dec 1884, page 24).

To be continued…