Lee Lash (1864-1935) was a friend and colleague of Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934). They worked together when Moses was working in New York City and living in Mount Vernon, New York. Moses & Hamilton Studio operated in the area from 1900 to 1904. There is even a newspaper clipping that shows Moses painting in the Lee Lash studios, possibly next to his partner William F. Hamilton. Moses pasted this clipping in his scrapbook. Lash is quite an interesting artist and studio owner, especially in light of his exploits as told by William Chambliss in 1895 (see post 578).
Lash was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, during 1864. Isador Lash moved his family to San Francisco in the following year. There, Lee and his brother Sam attended public schools before focusing on art. In his early teens Lash was a pupil of artists Juan B. Wandesforde and Domenico Tojetti. He then journeyed to Europe for further artistic instruction. He traveled to Paris where he studied with artists Jules J. Lefebvre(1836-1911) and Gustave Boulanger (1824-1888) at the Académie Julian. Lash received a positive reception at the Paris Salons. After eight years of study from 1881 to 1889 in Europe, he returned to the United States.
Jules J. Lefebvre (1836-1911) was one of Académie Julian professors who Lee Lash studied with while in Paris.
An 1889 newspaper article reported, “Lee Lash, a San Franciscan whose work in France and abroad, and whose picture in the last Salon was praised by the French critics, has returned to this city. Eight years Mr. Lash spent in Europe. He brought with him many pictures of great merit, through which the terms of his apprenticeship and mastery may be noted” (San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Oct. 1889, page 12). Upon his return, Lash established a studio in San Francisco and taught at the School of Design from 1891-1893. It was during this time that he had the altercation with William H. Chabliss and “borrowed” Charles D. Smith’s idea for the development of American advertising curtains.
Design for an advertising curtain. From the Twin City Scenic Co. Collection at the Performing Art Archives, University of MinnesotaDesign for an advertising curtain. From the Twin City Scenic Co. Collection at the Performing Art Archives, University of Minnesota
Lee Lash Studios opened in San Francisco during 1892, founded by himself and his brother, Samuel Lash. In 1893, the brothers moved their theatrical curtain company to Philadelphia, and a few years later established a second studio in New York City. By 1895 Lash’s two curtain advertising enterprises were continuing as successful endeavors. There is some debate as to when the New York Studio was establish; some records note 1895 and others 1898. At first their New York studio was located at Thirtieth Street and Broadway, but moved several times over the next decade. By 1910, Lash built a studio in Mount Vernon, N.Y. By now, the firm was doing much more than ad drops and drop curtains. They were also building scenery for shows designed by others, often featuring well-known scenic artists as “staff supervisors” for premiere productions. Lee Lash’s studio became heralded as one of the best in the country, a very large outfit that could produce up to thirty curtains at one time.
Postcard of Lee Lash Studio in Mount Vernon, New YorkLee Lash Studio in Mount Vernon, New York
Lash was reported as having advertising curtains in 1700 American theatres that brought in more than $250,000 during the hey day of vaudeville (Star-Gazette, 4 March, 1973, page 7). One of Lash’s employees was Paul V. McTighe was tasked with visiting every playhouse on the Subway Circuit twice each month to make sure that the Lee Lash curtains were being displayed according to contract. McTighe also worked as a bell-captain at the Flanders Hotel.
Most of Lash’s curtains carried their own ad block:
The 1922 publication of American Elite and Sociologist Bluebook reported Lash to be “Business President and Director, of 1476 Broadway, New York City; and a member of various clubs and societies. He is president of the Lee Lash Studio of Mount Vernon, N. Y. He is chairman of the board of directors of the Hugo Gedro Studios; and the president of the Lee Lash Company, and of the Lee Lash Company, Incorporated. He resides at Mount Vernon, N.Y.” (page 319).
Harry J. Kuckuck, who had joined Lee Lash in 1892, eventually purchased the company by 1926. At that point, the studio name was changed to H. J. Kuckkuck’s Lee Lash Studio. It remained in operation for another twenty years, until the time of his death in 1945. A sign with that name was once attached to the Hershey Theatre fire curtain’s controlling mechanism and is now part of the Hershey Story Museum on Chocolate Avenue (Here is the link to the artifact: https://hersheystory.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/06263EA9-4F35-41C2-A565-438659853932).
Sign noting curtain installation by Kuckuck’s Lee Lash Studios. This once hung in the Hershey Theatre
Lee Lash retired after the stock market crash in 1929, but he continued to do fine art pieces. In 1935 he exhibited his paintings for a one-man show in New York. There are many Lee Lash artifacts, dating from 1912-1941, in the New York Public Library Archives & Manuscripts.http://archives.nypl.org/the/22147
Here is the overview for the NYPL Lee Lash Studio Designs collection: 11 boxes (ca. 381 drawings); 2 boxes (ca. 180 photographs). The collection is held in the Billy Rose Theatre Division and contains original designs for curtains, drops, olio curtains, nightclubs, set designs, parts of set models, and photographs of designs by Lee Lash Studios. Most designs are color on paper or board and are unidentified, although many are numbered. Identified set designs include the play “Bet Your Life” by Fritz Blocki and Willie Howard (John Golden Theatre, 1937), and designs for the motion picture “Everybody’s Girl” (ca. 1918).
Part 578: The Tale of Lee Lash and the Tivoli Advertising Curtain
For the next few posts, I will look at the life of Lee Lash and the origin of the advertising curtain. It is being included at this point in Thomas G. Moses’ story because in 1908 and 1909 some areas of the country were calling for the removal of advertising curtains. The origin of the American advertising curtain is an interesting tale, often crediting Lee Lash with the idea. This story even is included in the Cambridge Guide to American Theatre.
Here a brief summary of the tale: When Lee Lash was a young painter and working on an olio curtain in San Francisco, he conceived of the idea of incorporating the names of advertisers in natural places within a street scene (rather than the customary practice of painting the names in “patchwork style”). His idea worked so well that he founded Lee Lash Studios, soon expanding its operations to serve theaters across the country. Now, much could be said about the actual composition of Lee Lash’s curtain versus the supposed “patchwork quilt” one too. First of all, advertising curtains were around long before Lash.
There is a second version of the story, however; one that is told by William H. Chambliss in his memoirs. Chambliss blames Lash for stealing the advertising curtains idea from Charles D. Smith. I am starting with Chambliss’ version of events as they are a “first hand” account, and it is a far more entertaining tale. This is a novel length post today, but certainly worth it!
Chambliss’ story was part of “Chambliss’ Diary: Or, Society As It Really Is, 1895.” His account was fully illustrated with over fifty copper-plate half-tones and photo engravings, including twenty-five society pictures by Laura E. Foster. His account is available online as part of “California as I Saw It: First-Person Narratives of California’s Early Years, 1849-1900.”
Although it is very long, here is Chambliss’ account. It is really worth reading:
“I undertook to start a new line of advertising here, and made arrangements with the late Mr. Kreling to put an advertising curtain in the Tivoli Opera House; but a bum artist named Lee Lash, a member of the Bohemian Club, and a supposed friend, whom I employed to make a sample sketch of the Tivoli drop curtain to show the merchants how the signs were to be placed on it, appropriated the contract and the idea, together with sixty dollars in cash.
With the assistance of his father, and his brother Sam, and their attorney, Edward Lande of 405 California Street, Lee Lash developed the curtain scheme on the stolen idea. He made a good deal of money out of it, so I am told.
“I employed “Lawyer” W. M. Cannon to enjoin the Lashes from using the ideas, and have Lee arrested for obtaining money under false pretenses; but the shyster compromised with the knaves for the sixty dollars which Lee got from me. The shyster then charged me half of the amount for giving Lash a 336 receipt that left him in undisputable possession of the business.
This lesson taught me to steer clear of the society of sheenies and shysters. Creations like the Lashes, claiming to be Jews, are well calculated to get honest Jews a bad name.
“The chapter of the Lash history with which I am personally acquainted affords such a true picture of the real character of the particular class to which he belongs that it would be an injustice to my readers to omit a brief mention of it. I see no reason in the world why I should not give it to my readers; I certainly paid for it, and paid dearly, too.
“I met Mr. Lee Lash through some mutual acquaintances in January, 1891. I shall not give the names of those mutual acquaintances, for I esteem them very highly. They have expressed to me their regrets for ever having known Mr. Lash at all. At the time of my first chance meeting with Lash, I was an officer of the City of Peking, and Mr. Lash was introduced to me as the “talented young artist.” He had a studio in the back yard of his father’s house upon Post Street, but subsequently he moved out and set up in “business” in a little cottage at 2309 Bush Street, near Steiner, and right close to a big Catholic church.
“In April, 1892, while I was confined to my room at the Palace Hotel from the effects of a bullet of lead which Dr. McNutt had extracted from my right leg, some lady friends of mine called upon me one day, bringing Lee Lash along to carry some flowers which they had picked for me. Mr. Lash, in the kindness of his heart, called again. About this time, while waiting for my wounded leg to get well, Mr. Charles Duryea Smith of New York called in to talk over the proposition of going into business in San Francisco, mentioning the advertising business.
“Mr. Smith proposed to put advertisements on theater drop curtains, a scheme which was well known to everybody in New York and Paris. Mr. Smith said that if I would go into business with him he would secure a contract with Mr. Kreling to advertise on the Tivoli drop curtain. He went off and made arrangements with Kreling to that effect, and, while I was not enthused with his wild ideas of vast wealth to be made in that line, I agreed to go in with him as soon as I got well enough to walk out. The young man seemed highly pleased with the prospects, and left me on the evening of April 19 in high spirits.
“That night there was a violent earthquake which shook San Francisco from cellar to garret. The shocks kept coming at intervals for three days, and I think they shook my poor friend Smith’s mind all to pieces, for he came in to see me on the morning after the first shock, looking like a ghost. “My God, William,” said the poor boy, “do you have those things very often? If so, I will—” He did not finish his sentence, for just then a rumbling sound, like an approaching freight train, caught his ear. “Great Heavens, it’s another earthquake!” said he. In a second the giant caravansary began to rock and groan; windows rattled, doors flew open, and it looked for a few seconds as if we were going into the bowels of the earth. General T. B. Bunting of Santa Cruz and Mr. M. G. Coward, now of the Chicago Times-Herald, were in my room at the time, and they will remember this circumstance: “Good-by, gentlemen,” said Mr. Smith, “I am going to leave this rocky, shaky city.” So saying, he left the room, and hurried away to his own apartments.
The next day the bell boy handed me a note reading as follows:
PALACE HOTEL, Thursday, April 21, 1892.
MY DEAR WILLIAM: I am going home to-night. Would have gone last night, but could not secure a sleeper. Will drop in later to tell you good-by. If you wish to develop the curtain scheme go ahead and do so; I must get out of San Francisco. Sincerely yours, (Signed) CHAS. D. SMITH.
“I waited in hopes of seeing Mr. Smith before he left. I expected him to call, but he never came. The next day, Friday, April 22, my young friend William O. Warnock, a nephew of Mrs. Adam Forepaugh, of circus fame, called at the Palace and took me out for a drive, to give me a little fresh air. We drove down toward San Bruno and called on some young lady friends of ours living out in the country, the Misses Nellie and Kate Dowling. Miss Nellie ran down to the front gate to meet us.
“Just then a boy came along crying out: “Extra Report, all about the suicide!” Miss Nellie got a copy of the Report, and read: “Suicide at the Palace Hotel. Charles D. Smith ends his earthly troubles. Failing to hear from New York relatives, and becoming completely stranded, he puts a bullet in his heart.” The Report went on to explain that the poor fellow was dunned for a week’s board bill by Cashier Charles Clark of the hotel, and that having not the necessary funds with which to pay, had ended his life rather than ask anyone to help him out. Had he known Mr. Clark as well as I do, he would not have bothered his head about the propriety of asking that gentleman for a little time, or even a small loan. Mr. Clark is a very obliging cashier. I have had favors from him myself, which I am happy to mention in order to clear this good man of the awful charge of having driven a guest of his hotel to suicide.
Illustration of Charles D. Smith and his tragic suicide.Article on the Charles D. Smith’s suicide from the “San Francisco Examiner,” 23 April 1892, page 3
“Subsequently I learned something more about poor Smith. He was the son of a wealthy New Yorker, who, like a great many other unjust fathers, as well as would-be adopted fathers,—like Captain R. R. Searle,—threw barriers in the way of the young man’s matrimonial inclinations. This sad case of young Smith, and other similar cases, justify the assertion that I made in the New York Herald, March 17, 1895: The parent or guardian who prevents a grown son or daughter from marrying is a worse enemy to society than a murderer, for he murders the spirit of the Goddess of Love, the highest redeeming spirit in mankind.
“It was on the next morning after the news of Smith’s suicide that Lee Lash called. During the discussion of the unfortunate affair I called Lash’s attention to the fact that it was strange that Smith should have considered himself hopelessly stranded when he had such a good money-making scheme under way. I also mentioned to Mr. Lash the fact that I intended to let Smith have some money with which to develop his scheme. At the same time I handed Lash Mr. Smith’s letter. Lash read the letter and then asked me all about the scheme. I told him the facts. In a minute Lash forgot all about the pathetic side of the story,—the suicide of the promoter of the scheme,—and began talking about my going ahead with it where Smith “left off.”
“Why! see here, my dear friend, Smith has willed you his scheme,” said Lash. “I am an artist,” continued Mr. Lash, “and I can paint the signs on the curtain; but you must remember that I am in a position which I cannot risk by going into trade. Sign painting is trade, you know, and I am an artist. But, since you are a friend of mine, I will do this work for you.” Mr. Lash seemed so enthusiastic, and was so persistent, that finally I told him to go ahead and make me a sketch of the Tivoli drop curtain, so that I could show it to the merchants. I gave Lash an idea of how many signs there should be, and also how big the sketch should be. “Good,” said Mr. Lash, “I will have it ready for you in twenty-four hours.” So saying he took his departure, after having explained to me that he was “hard up,” and did not propose to let his pride drive him to suicide, as in Smith’s case. “Would you let a man kill himself for a few paltry dollars?” asked Mr. Lash. “All that I want is ten dollars.” He got him the ten, and went his way rejoicing.*
*I did not know at the time that Lee Lash was the same “artist” who begged permission to paint a picture of the “Old People’s Home,” and subsequently tried to make that charitable institution pay two thousand dollars for his worthless daub.
“Mr. Lash did not complete the sketch in twenty-four hours, nor in a week. He kept running down to the Palace to tell me about some cigar signs or soap advertisements that he had seen on curtains in the demi-monde resorts of Paris where he had studied high art. I humored him in his nonsense, and told him to get me some sort of sketch finished, and improve it later. William Warnock asked me one day what Lash was doing around my room so much, and why he was in such a confidential mood with me all the time. I told Mr. Warnock the circumstances, and was somewhat surprised at his saying that he would bet me a French dinner that Lash was playing me some trick or other. I took the bet, and subsequently paid for the dinner.
“While keeping me waiting for the sketch, Mr. Lash went quietly to Mr. Kreling and, representing himself as the rightful owner of the scheme, secured a new contract with that man on his own behalf. The Mr. Lash wrote to his father, who was in some fake wine business in New Whatcom, Washington State, to hurry down to San Francisco and bring Sam Lash, the younger brother, with him.
“On the 10th of May Lee Lash made a demand on me to pay him $50 for the sketch, which was still unfinished. (An honest sign painter would have made the sketch in a few hours for $2.50, frame and all.) Mr. Lash then came right out and told me that if I did not wish to pay so much for the sketch, I could let him have a half interest in the enterprise. The talented artist subsequently assured me that if I did not care to accept either proposition, he would start an opposition business. Seeing that I had confided my “inherited” ideas to a false friend, having investigated the scheme and having found that there was money in it, I paid “the talented artist” $50 more, making $60 in all, and took the sketch, still only half finished.
“In the meantime old Isador Lash and Sam had arrived in the city. I took the $2.50 sketch, which had cost me $60, to Taber, the photographer, to have a copy made of it to send to Washington to have copyrighted. But the three Lashes, old man Isador, Lee, and Sam, got their heads together at the office of Edward Lande, an “attorney” of the Lash tribe, and together they went up to Mr. Taber and raised such a piteous howl about my having the sketch photographed, telling Mr. Taber that it was theirs, that the gullible old photographer gave the sketch to the little petty larceny Shylocks, who proceeded immediately to develop the business with the money that old Lash had made out of several well planned “failures” in trade. *
* New York, June 6, 1895. The subjects of the above biography are carrying on the drop curtain advertising enterprise in this city. Their office is at No. 25 West 30th Street. They have an office in Diamond Street, Philadelphia, also. They call it the “Lee Lash Company,” or the “Lee Lash Studios,” or some such Oscar Wilde name. I can recommend the “firm” from personal knowledge.
“After Sam Lash had secured some orders for advertisements, he and the old man and Lee opened up business in the old Merchants’ Exchange building, and called it the “Art Advertising Co.”
“The “talented young artist” abandoned his fastidious idea that an artist should not soil his artistic hands in vulgar trade, such as painting drop curtains. He of the artistic “tastes” (I don’t mean Oscar Wilde’s tastes) even got up on a scaffold to add some finishing touches to a bicycle “ad.”
“The artistic scaffold fell down and almost killed him. I am told that this accident crippled him in such a peculiar way as to constitute an impediment to matrimonial felicity. But of that I know nothing, never having studied surgery of that kind further than the lecture contained in Deuteronomy xxiii.
“The notoriety that I got through the papers over this affair brought me before the public in such a way that a great many other “business” men with schemes and ideas offered to let me go into partnership with them and invest various sums of money, which they assured me would “double in a little while.”
Giving credit to Chambliss’ account, the “San Francisco Examiner” reported that a letter was found in Smith’s belongings after his suicide stating, “Smith wrote that he had at last ‘found the road to fortune.’ But what the road was he failed to state” (23 April 1892. Page 3). It was the advertising curtain that Lee Lash would greatly benefit from. At one time, Lee Lash was reported as having advertising curtains in 1700 American theatres that brought him in more than $250,000 during the hey day of vaudeville – and that was just an annual curtain (Star-Gazette, 4 March, 1973, page 7). It really was the “road to fortune” that Charles D. Smith envisioned at the age of 32. Smith was from New York.
Part 577: Resources Pertaining to the M. Armbruster & Sons Studio
The Armbruster Scenic Studio Collection at Ohio State University
The Ohio State University is a great place to start when looking for information pertaining to the Armbruster studio and family. In July 1965, Allan S. Jackson studied and photographed a number of extant drops by the Armbruster Studio. His findings were published in “The Ohio State University Theatre Collection Bulletin” (Vol. 12, July 1965). Five years later, a doctoral dissertation was written about the history of the Armbruster Studio. Here is a little information about what is available to artists and historians when examining the scenery work of M. Armbruster & Sons.
There are two primary sources that provide quite a bit of information about the Armbruster family and studio. One is a lovely paper about Mathias Armbruster written by Leeann Faust and the other is a doctoral dissertation by Robert Suddards Joyce “The History of the Armbruster Studio” (Ohio State University, 1970). I have had a copy of Studdard’s dissertation for years, unfortunately it is more of a descriptive work on extant scenery that an insight into the working of the studio and familial dynamics. Here is the link to a digital copy of Joyce’s dissertation: https://etd.ohiolink.edu/!etd.send_file?accession=osu1486655760439351&disposition=inline
I was thrilled to finally find a digital copy available online. Unfortunately, the scanned images are very poor. I have yet to locate any recent publications about the collection, the historic scenery or the Armbruster Scenic Studio Collection.
The Armbruster Scenic Studio collection at Ohio State University consists of scenic design materials relating to Mathias Armbruster and his studio in Columbus, Ohio. It is at the Jermone Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute. It is part of the Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections. This collection includes set designs, paint stencils, minstrel shows, ad photographs of stage performances, as well as, inspirational source material clippings from illustrated journals, financial information, and other miscellaneous materials relating to the studio. The records, both in English and German. Some of the contents include designs for White Minstrels, Coburn’s Minstrels, Al G. Field Minstrels, Thurston the Magician, Masonic temples, Romeo and Juliet, King John, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the Merchant of Venice and many other unidentified productions. This collection is a treasure trove, especially when looking for primary resources referenced by the studio artists for backdrop compositions.
Subject folders include clippings from magazines, journals, and photographs that depict exotic locales, woods and trees, gardens, courtyards, mountains, caverns, landscapes, waterways, shores, ships, trains, military and battle scenes, winter scenes, churches, monasteries and altars, angels and cherubs, female nudes, public structures, furniture and moldings, ornamental designs and patterns, residential interiors and exteriors, Medieval and Renaissance, historical antiquities, contemporary and historical portraits, and mythology and statuary. This is one scenery collections that really should be online and available in a scenery collection database.
Finally, there are some wonderful images of designs by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio available online at Ohio Memory (http://www.ohiomemory.org/cdm/search/searchterm/armbruster/field/all/mode/all/conn/and). It is such a fantastic resource that goes far beyond theatre history. Ohio Memory’s mission is to help communities share, discover and connect to Ohio’s rich past through dynamic online resources. In terms of theatre history, there are some scans of M. Armbruster & Sons Studio scene designs. This may be cone of my favorite sites to explore.
Design by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio available online at Ohio MemoryDesign by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio available online at Ohio MemoryDesign by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio available online at Ohio MemoryDesign by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio available online at Ohio MemoryDesign by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio available online at Ohio MemoryDesign by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio available online at Ohio MemoryStage setting by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio available online at Ohio MemoryStage setting by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio available online at Ohio MemoryStage setting by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio available online at Ohio MemoryStage setting by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio available online at Ohio Memory
Ohio Memory was established in 2000; a collaborative statewide digital library program of the Ohio History Connection and the State Library of Ohio containing over 700,000 digital images. The images are from a variety of primary source image types that include photographs, maps, drawings, paintings, manuscripts, letters, diaries and journals, archaeological, natural history and historical objects, newspapers, books and e-publications, videos and more. On this free website, you can explore digital content from over 360 cultural heritage institutions representing all 88 of Ohio’s counties!
Part 576: C. B. Harmount’s production of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” with scenery by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio, 1915
Theatre collections are an extremely valuable resource, not only to theatre historians and practitioners, but also to the general public. Whether designs or backdrops, many holdings were associated with public entertainment and popular culture; much is now lost. Today’s installment continues with examining the scenery created by M. Armbruster & Sons scenic studio of Columbus, Ohio. This scenic studio created thousands of settings for touring shows, many painted with aniline dyes. Scenery for one of the touring productions with scenery produced by Armbruster Studio was for C. B. Harmount’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Here are a few:
Backdrop for C. B. Harmount’s production of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Harmount Collection, The Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University.Backdrop for C. B. Harmount’s production of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Harmount Collection, The Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University.Backdrop for C. B. Harmount’s production of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Harmount Collection, The Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University.Backdrop for C. B. Harmount’s production of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Harmount Collection, The Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University.Backdrop for C. B. Harmount’s production of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Harmount Collection, The Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University.Backdrop for C. B. Harmount’s production of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Harmount Collection, The Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University.Backdrop for C. B. Harmount’s production of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Harmount Collection, The Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University.Backdrop for C. B. Harmount’s production of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Harmount Collection, The Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University.
Twelve extant drops from the Harmount Company’s touring show are now part of the Harmount Collection at the Jermone Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute. It is part of the Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections.
This Harmount collection compliments the Armbruster Scenic Studio Collection, also part of the Jermone Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute. Very little is available online, however, but there is an extremely detailed description of the collection’s contents; each folder is described in detail. Little is available as high-resolution scans. Fortunately, some images from the Harmount and Armbruster collections have been posted to other websites, such as “Uncle Tom’s Cabin & American Culture” (http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/sitemap.html). I stumbled upon this particular site while researching M. Armbruster & Sons Studio. The Harmount collection even included a letter to C. B. Harmount from Emil Armbruster. This site was created by Stephen Railton, and somewhat associated with University of Virginia.
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin & American Culture” site included a page that was labeled “Scenic Drops.” The page included photographs of twelve drops produced by M. Armbruster & Sons for C. B. Harmount’s touring production of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The date of creation was likely 1915. The post credits the twelve drops as belonging to Ohio State University. There is nothing quite like getting into a collection through the back door.
There were also some images posted of correspondence describing the sale of the Armbruster scenery for “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” One letter described the technical specifications of the show and scenic inventory. It was sent ahead to theatre managers in the towns that C. B. Harmount wanted to play. A letter dated May 3, 1915 notes, “I am carrying a company of 25 people, band and orchestra, colored quartette and drum corps, 22 special drops put up by the Armbruster Co. of Columbus, O., electrical snow and ice scenes, which not other Tom Show carries and which is a very essential feature to the correct production, also beautiful electrical transformation of allegorical scene, big street parade, and the finest pack of dogs with any UNCLE TOM’S CABIN SHOW – my cast is all select.”
Another 1915 letter from Emil Armbruster to C. B. Marmount discusses creating a second scenic outfit for another Uncle Tom’s Cabin production. The price of the first collection was included with the information in the letter; fourteen drops priced at $33.33 per drop. This amount was a “special price” due to the large order of fourteen drops, even though certain scenes were more expensive to produce at the time, ranging from $40 to $50 (July 1, 1915).
The “Uncle Tom’s Cabin & American Culture” website notes that the Armbruster scenic drops “provide a good sense of the look of a touring ‘Tom Show,’ especially the kind of effect aspired to at the conclusion, in what most companies referred to as ‘The Grand Allegorical Transformation Scene,’ during which Tom dies on stage and theater-goers are transported into the realm of the blessed, perhaps with the help of Eva dressed as an angel and suspended on wires from the flies.”
The 1901-1902 Columbus Directory lists that M. Armbruster & Sons studio was located at 247-253 South Front Street. Matthias, Otto H., Albert E. and Emil G. were all listed as part of the firm in the city directory. Interestingly, Otto H. was working in New York for Moses & Hamilton during this same time. The home address for each of the men was noted as 247 S. Front Street.
The main studio building included offices and a property storage room. Wooden sheds provided extensions that provided additional storage for larger scenic pieces. By 1904, a journalist for the “Columbus Sunday Dispatch” described the interior layout of Armbruster’s studio. The first floor housed the carpenter’s shop, sewing room and storage areas. There was also a paper maché workroom on this level. It was in this room that a variety of set pieces were manufactured, including mantels, statuary, ornaments, and stage food for dining scenes.
Lower level of Armbruster studio (section of the carpenter shop). Armbruster Scenic Studio Collection, The Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University.
The second floor of the building afforded the best light for the paint shop. This area was 64 feet long, 62 feet wide, and 58 feet high. The Sunday Dispatch article described, “The canvas is stretched on frames, the largest of which there are two in number, extends almost the entire length of the floor as to permit of their being lowered, to accommodate the artist… A feature of the movable frames is that they are sort of set out from the wall, a sufficient distance to permit working behind. This is necessary in painting stained glass windows, where colors must not be seen until thrown through the canvas form lights behind.” The article continued, “In the center of the room are two large stationary frames, close together, between which is a platform which may be elevated or lowered as desired.” Each large movable paint frame was approximately 40 feet by 50 feet. The standard paint frame used by Armbruster artists was only 30 feet by 50 feet. The gridiron in the studio accommodated two standard frames lashed together, allowing the final size to measured 60 feet in length.
Image of Armbruster paint frame and hand cut stencils. Armbruster Scenic Studio Collection, The Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University.
The painting process for the studio was also described in detail, “The palette, for use in mixing the paints, is a table about ten feet long that can be pushed wherever needed. It has a separate compartment for brushes and for a number of pails of paint…The colors are taken from the cans and mixed on the flat surface of the palette or table.”
Part 574: Mathias Armbruster of M. Armbruster & Sons Studio in Columbus, Ohio
Yesterday’s post concerned the suicide of a close friend to Thomas G. Moses– Otto Armbruster. Otto was the son of a well-known scenic artist and founder of Armbruster Scenic Studio of Columbus, Ohio – Mathias Armbruster.
Otto Armbruster (1865-1908)
Mathias Armbruster was born on February 24, 1839, in Ebingen, Württenberg, Germany. His early artistic studies focused on portraiture as he trained in Stuttgart and Paris. Armbruster also lived and worked briefly in Stockholm and London. At the age of twenty, he traveled to the United States of America and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. His early years in Cincinnati included working as an art-glass painter and scenic artist.
Mathias Armbruster (1839-1920)
When the Civil War broke our, Armbruster enlisted in the 28th Ohio Volunteer Infantry for three years, participating in the battles of Bull Run and Antietam as a first lieutenant. While stationed in West Virginia, he continued sketching, completing several sketches of soldiers on duty and military camps. One of his oil paintings depicting the battle of Antietam is part of the Ohioans in the Civil War display at the Ohio Historical Society. In his final year with the infantry, he functioned as a recruiting officer for the army in Columbus, Ohio. While stationed in Columbus, he met and fell in love with another German immigrant, Katherine Wahlenmaier. Katherine, her mother and sister arrived to the United States in 1848.
The couple was married by Rev. F. Lehman in Columbus, but initially made their home in Cincinnati. They had seven children: Otto H (b. 1865), Albert E. (b. 1867), Emil “Amiel” Gustav (b. 1869), Rose O. (1871), Flora (b. 1876), and Pauline (b. 1878).
The Armbruster Family, with Mathias seated on right. This image was posted by Leanne Faust, an Armbruster descendent.
Once living in Columbus, Mathias founded Armbruster Scenic Studio in 1875. His first studio was a large brick building, located where a barn once stood behind the family house. From 1875-1888, much of his studio work included creating stock scenery for opera houses and specialty scenery for lesser-known traveling groups. Some of the firm’s larger projects during this time were Lewis Morrison’s “Faust,” and the mammoth minstrel shows for Al G. Field.
In 1889, Mathias purchased a twenty-nine acre parcel of land at the far north end of Columbus. Naming his home Walhalla, the wooded ravine reminded him of Germany. He also purchased the Clinton Methodist Church Chapel that had been built in 1838 and was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. Armbruster converted the Clinton Chapel, into his private residence. In a lovely paper about Mathias Armbruster written by his descendent Leann Faust, she comments that the final decade of Mathias’ life was spent working in his garden. Emil’s little daughter Alice was often by his side. Faust wrote, “She fondly remembered the peppermints that he carried in his pocket to share with her. He was proud of his hollyhocks and rose-of-sharon. He enjoyed reading and spoke four languages. He loved music and played six instruments. He was a member of the Masonic and Elks Lodges.” M. Armbruster & Sons provided scenery for the Masonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio.
Drop curtain design by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio. This image is part of the online collection of the Ohio Memory Project. Here is the link: http://www.ohiomemory.org/cdm/search/searchterm/Ohio%20State%20University%20Theatre%20Research%20Institute/field/contri/mode/all/conn/and/page/1Drop curtain design by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio. This image is part of the online collection of the Ohio Memory Project. Here is the link: http://www.ohiomemory.org/cdm/search/searchterm/Ohio%20State%20University%20Theatre%20Research%20Institute/field/contri/mode/all/conn/and/page/1Drop curtain design by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio. This image is part of the online collection of the Ohio Memory Project. Here is the link: http://www.ohiomemory.org/cdm/search/searchterm/Ohio%20State%20University%20Theatre%20Research%20Institute/field/contri/mode/all/conn/and/page/1
As with most scenic studios, the founder was a scenic artist who completed the majority of painting in the early years with an assistant. Soon, Mathias’ sons joined him in the studio as each came of age; Albert started cleaning brushes at the age of ten years old. The three sons who followed their father into the scenic art trade included Albert, Emil and Otto. Each started in the studio cleaning brushes, gradually becoming a scenic artist in their own right. Albert was known for his exteriors, landscapes, and drapery work for front curtains, while Emil specialized in interiors. Otto left the family business at the age of twenty to strike out on his own in New York. He was well respected by Moses, who hired him in 1900; that meant he was likely both talented and fast. Otto established himself at the Broadway theatre and worked on a variety of projects, such as those for Moses & Hamilton during the first decade of the twentieth century. Armbruster and Ed Loitz were working under the direction of Al Roberts at the 125th Street Theatre when employed by Moses & Hamilton.
Drop curtain design by M. Armbruster & Sons Studio. This image is part of the online collection of the Ohio Memory Project. Here is the link: http://www.ohiomemory.org/cdm/search/searchterm/Ohio%20State%20University%20Theatre%20Research%20Institute/field/contri/mode/all/conn/and/page/1
From 1890 to 1905, the Armbruster studio in Columbus began to attract a series of well-known clients, including Alexander Salvini, Sarah Bernhardt, Helena Modjeska, Charles Hanford, R. B. Mantell, R. D. Maclean, and James O’Neil. They began to create an increasingly amount of classical interiors for a Shakespearean Repertoire. After 1905, business shifted to primarily producing scenery for vaudeville and traveling minstrel shows.
Sadly, within twelve years, four of the three scenic artists in the Armbruster family would pass away. Otto committed suicide in 1908. That same year, Mathias would sell 25 acres of his 29-acre parcel to a real estate developer. I have to wonder if this sale signaled the financial struggles that the family was encountering, a contributing factor cited for the cause of Otto’s suicide in 1908. This was also the beginning of a transitional time as Mathias began planning for his retirement. He was 69 years old and the firm’s only professionally trained painter and draftsman, having attended art schools in Europe. Although his sons apprenticed to him, they received no formal artistic instruction beyond that of their father. Although the studio would continue to do well, the absence of Mathias was notable in the overall aesthetic.
Albert Armbruster
Mathias would retire finally from the firm only two years later in 1910. This would leave Emil and Albert in charge of M. Armbruster & Sons Studio. Emil passed away only six years after that in 1916, leaving Albert in charge of the firm. The founder’s death in 1920, left only Albert left. Albert would remain actively engaged in the studio until his retirement in 1958. During this period the studio transitioned to become a primarily a scenic supply house. This was not unusual for the time. Studio activities during the final decades of the company were dominated by the rental of stock equipment and scenery to amateur producers; the industry was shifting once again and the Armbruster Studio was adapting to each trend.
By 1917, M. Armbruster & Sons Studio was renting scenery to high schools, such as the one in Mt. Sterling High School for their production of “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Advertisement for the production noting scenery rental from M. Armbruster & Sons from “Mt. Sterling Advocate,” 14 April 1917
Albert would live another seven years, passing away in 1965 at the age of 98 years old. Forty-five years after his father passed away from cancer on November 27, 1920. One of Mathias Armbruster’s final comments on his deathbed was. “This is a beautiful world but there is still much to be done by man.”
In her family paper, Leanne Faust described her grandfather Mathias: “He was short in stature but was always a stylish dresser, usually wearing a hat. He had deep blue eyes, brown hair and wore a mustache and beard all of his adult life. In later years he was delighted when youngsters called him Santa Claus. He had a warm, winning personality and adored children.”
In 1908, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “August 16th, heard of Otto Armbruster’s death by suicide. It was an awful shock as we were such close friends. The German way of getting out of trouble, but he had no trouble, plenty of money and a good business. No one seems to know just what the cause of the rash act was.” Newspapers suggested various causes for Armbruster’s suicide, including a lack of studio work and the intense summer heat.
Otto Armbruster (1865-1908)
Armbruster was a colleague and friend of Moses during his time in New York when he worked for Moses & Hamilton. During the spring of 1900, Thomas G. Moses and William F. Hamilton opened the scenic studio of Moses & Hamilton at Proctor’s 125th Street Theater. That year, Moses’ wrote, “Otto Armbruster was with us and he was a very valuable man. He and [Ed] Loitz worked at 125th Street most of the time.”
Otto Herman Armbruster came from a well-known scene painting family in Columbus, Ohio, a son born to Mathias Armbruster (1839-1920), the founder of Armbruster Scenic Studios (est. 1875).
The Armbruster family with Otto pictured in the back row, standing next to his mother.Detail of Otto Armbruster from family picture.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 28, 1865. He was trained as a scenic artist under the tutelage of his father, Mathias. Unlike his other brothers, Otto moved away from the family business at the age of twenty to strike off on his own as a freelance scenic artist in New York. He was soon associated with the Broadway Theatre and also became an illustrator for decorator magazines. Like Moses, Otto was also a member of the Salmagundi Club in New York, and joined the Kit-Kat Club.
The “Cincinnati Enquirer” reported on Armbruster’s suicide and suggested that lack of work was the cause (16 Aug. 1908, page 1). In a special dispatch to the Enquirer in Columbus, Ohio, on August 15, the article reported on the suicide of “a former resident of Columbus, and one of the best-known scenic artists in the country.” The article continued that one of Armbruster’s brothers received a letter from him a month ago, in which he complained of lack of work.”
The “New York Times,” provided a little more detail about the suicide and suggesteed another cause – “ARTIST A HEAT SUICIDE. Driven Insane by High Temperature, Otto H. Armbruster Shoots Himself.” The article noted, “Mamaronek, N. Y., Aug. 15 – Driven insane by the intense heat, Otto H. Armbruster, a New York scenic artist, committed suicide at his home in Mamaroneck early this morning by sending a bullet into his right temple. He was taken to the New Rochelle Hospital, where he died while the doctors were probing for the bullet. Mr. Armbruster, who was 43 years old, came home yesterday and told his wife he could not endure the intense heat. He had been working hard in New York on some scenery, and was greatly fatigued. This morning, Mrs. Armbruster left her husband in the bedroom while she went downstairs to have breakfast prepared. She had been on the lower floor only a few minutes when she heard the report of a revolver, and on going to her husband’s room found him of the bed with a bullet hole in his temple. Mr. Armbruster came from Columbus, Ohio. He had lived in Mamaroneck about eight months. Mrs. Armbruster told Coronoer Wiesendanger that last summer her husband’s mind was affected by the heat” (16 Aug. 1908, page 1).
Starting tomorrow, I will examine one of the major competitors to Sosman & Landis – Armbruster Studios of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1907, Thomas G. Moses split his time between Sosman & Landis’ 20th Street studio and the main studio He wrote, “Did a great many scenes and drop curtains and we kept a good force at 20th Street. I depended a great deal on Pausback to look after the work while I was away. Everyone seemed to work hard.”
Nicholas J. Pausback (1881-1953) pictured in 1928 as representing Pausback Scenery Co.Nicholas J. Pausback in the last row (second to left). From the Chicago Tribune, 2 Dec. 1928, page 12
Moses was referring to the scenic artist Nicholas John Pausback Jr. (5 May 1881-13 May 1953), His obituary referred credited him as a “scenic artist de luxe”(Chicago Tribune 14 May 1953, page 36).
Nicholas J. Pausback’s grave marker at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery.
Pausback stayed in the theatrical scenery business for 45 years, not retiring until 1947. He became the founder of Pausback studios, a company that lasted for exactly twenty years, from 1927-1947.
Prior to his work for Sosman & Landis in Chicago, Pausback worked in St. Louis, Missouri. Records show that his two eldest children were born there during 1905 and 1906. By 1907, Pausback is working with Moses in Chicago. In 1908, Pausback is noted as a shop manager at Sosman & Landis, taking charge of their 20th Street studio studio by 1911. In 1916, Pausback installed New York shows with Harry Nailer, stage carpenter. Pausback founded Pausback Scenery Co. Living at 6606 Woodlawn Ave., in Chicago Illinois during the late 1920s His scenery company was located at 3727 Cottage Grove Ave., Chicago (Chicago Tribune 2 Dec. 1928, page 2).
In 1928, Pausback also wrote a book on Stage Craft (Dec. 17, 1928). Trying to track down a copy now! The following year, Pausback Scenery Co was credited with a modern idea to meet the requirements of gigantic Christmas trees – spangles in various shapes and sizes, some that measured 10 inches in diameter! (Chicago Tribune 9 Dec. 1929, page 3).
“Wings of a Century” production for the Century of Progress in 1933. Credit was given to Pausback Scenery Company for providing props.Props are provided by Pausback Scenery Co.
His company pops up again in several internet searched during the 1930s. In 1934, the management of the Century of Progress world fair in Chicago thanked Pausback Scenery Co. for providing properties for Wings of a Century. I have included the entire program as it is quite interesting in itself. Toward the end of his career, Pausback was also working with Art W. Oberbeck (Blue Island Sun Standard Archives, 15 June 1944, Page 6). Oberbeck and Pausback has worked at Sosman & Landis during the same time. Oberbeck started as a paint boy at the studio in 1904.
Pausback was also an amateur magician. As a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and the American Society of Magicians, he was known as “Nicodemus, the Magician” (Chicago Tribune 14 May 1953, page 36).
Pausback passed away in 1953 and was buried in St. Mary Catholic Cemetery. He was survived by his wife Ottlia Groebl Pausback; daughters Elvira Pausback Howard, Mrs. Mary Crescentia Pausback Welsh and Mrs. Therese Pausback Curtis; sons the Very Reverend Nicholas Albert Pausback/Father Gabriel of the Carmelite Order, Raymond Joseph and Lawrence; and nine grandchildren.
Acme Carsen and Pausback advertisement in back matter of Educational Theatre Journal 11, no. 1 (1959)From Educational Theatre Journal 11, no. 1 (1959)
By 1959 there would be advertisements for ACME CARSEN PAUSBACK scenic studios (“Back Matter.” Educational Theatre Journal 11, no. 1 (1959): I-Xxxviii. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3204606.). The three names caught my attention. In regard to ACME studio, several disgruntled Sosman & Landis employees for Service Studios in 1920. Service Studios soon became ACME studios in Chicago. I have an ACMR studios sales book and they simply replicated existing Sosman & Landis Scottish Rite designs.
The Carsen of Acme Carsen Pausback Studio was Robert W. Carsen. He a scenic artist and stage mechanic, working as over hire at J. C. Becker & Bros. Carsen also ran his own studio, Robt. W. Carsen, advertising as “constructors and painters of theatrical scenery.” His studios were located at 1507 North Clark Street, and he was hired to build some Masonic scenery for the Moline Scottish Rite during 1930.
Invoice from Robt. P. Carsen to Becker & Bro., for the Moline Scottish Rite scenery installation, 1930. From the collection of Wendy Waszut-Barrett.
By the 1950s, Acme Carsen Pausback, were delivering stage curtains for Chicago area schools, including an elementary school in district 7 of Chicago.
In 1907, Thomas G. Moses wrote, ““We opened our annex studio at 19 W. 20th Street in July, and Ansel Cook went there as a manager.” Moses commented on Cook as a scenic artist, “He did some very good work but was a long time doing it, which, of course, didn’t pay us.” Moses divided his time between Sosman & Landis’ main and annex studios that year, in addition to being on the road a lot. After one extended absence from the annex studio, he wrote, “Took charge of the 20th Street Studio on my return weeks. Cook did $750.00 of work in three weeks. My first three amounted to $3,500.00, some difference. I hustled while he talked art and what the firm ought to do to get business.” This is a pretty interesting observation made by Moses about Cook, as Moses was known for his speed. Anyone that dawdled or didn’t pull his weight was criticized by Moses.
I have found no information about Ansel Cook beyond his scenic art. Moses records that he was primarily a drapery painter who began working at Sosman & Landis studio during 1904. Prior to his time at Sosman & Landis, Cook worked as a scenic artist with stage mechanic Ben W. Craig for the Castle Square Theatre Company. Together they designed and built many shows from 1896 to 1902. Some of their projects included “The Ensign,” “Captain Swift,” “Rosedale,” “The Heart of Maryland,” “The New South,” “The Prisoner of Zenda,” “Caste,” “Men and Women,” “Mignon,” “Tannhäuser,” “The Prodigal Daughter,” “Darkest Russia,” “A Social Highwayman,” Cumberland 61,” “Col George of Mt. Vernon,” “Nell Gwyn,” “Cyrano de Bergerac,” “The Little Minister,” “Jim the Penman,” and “Quo Vadis.”
Castle Square Theatre production of Erminie with scenery by Ansel Cook. From the “Boston Post,” 6 Sept 1896, page 10Castle Square Theatre production of Erminie with scenery by Ansel Cook. From the “Boston Post,” 6 Sept 1896, page 10
By 1905, Cook was working in Chicago, establishing Ansel Cook studios. In addition to painting under his own name, he was also working in the Sosman & Landis studio. This is similar to what Moses did at Sosman & Landis, taking many projects after hours. It also explains his advertisement in White City Magazine where he includes, “All the scenery in beautiful Canals of Venice at White City painted my me.”
Ansel Cook advertisement in White City Magazine, 1905
The Ansel Cook studio was mentioned in “Minneapolis Journal” as producing the accompanying painted backings for the first formal American production of Lorenzo Perosi’s La Risurrezione di Cristo, the Resurrection of Christ, at the Minneapolis Auditorium in 1905 (2 Sept. 1905, page 14). Perosi’s oratorio was part of the Banda Rossa program performed at the Auditorium during State Fair week, and included Gina Ciaparelli (soprano), Bessie Bonsall (contralto), Albert Quesnel (tenor) and Salvatore Nunziato (baritone) for the solo parts.
30×40 paintings for the American premiere of Pelosi’s oratorio were created by Ansel Cook. From the “Star Tribune,” 3 Sept 1905, page 31
Cook’s compositions included “Mary at the Tomb, the meeting between the Savior and Mary Magdalene, the meeting of the Saviour and the Disciples on the Road to Emmaus, the Savior in the Multitude and the Ascension Scene” (Minneapolis Journal, 2 Sept. 1905, page 14). The “Minneapolis Journal” article described, “As the music progresses, these views, each 30×40 feet, with the wonderful electric lighting effects, are dissolved one into another. The effect is intensely interesting, and the mind, acted upon alike by the music and the pictures, is almost overwhelmed by the reality, the beauty and the solemnity of the scenes thus depicted by tone and brush.” The “Star Tribune” added, “These are exquisite works of art and when lighted by the different electrical devices used in their presentation are wonderful, beautiful, and fantastic, illuminating the music as it progresses” (Star Tribune, 3 Sept 1905, page 31). In 1905 Cook’s office was in room 60 of the Grand Opera House Building in Chicago. He was listed as a scenic artist, designer, originator and constructor in The White City Magazine. The Banda Rossa had also performed for four weeks at White City Amusement Park where Cook had painted the scenery for the attraction, “Venice.” The water ride included 90,000 square feet of painted panoramas depicting the sites of the city.
Banda Rossa featured as entertainment for four weeks at White City Amusement park, 1905
There is little mention of Cook again until 1908 when he is working in California. The “Los Angeles Times” reported, “Ansel Cook, late scenic artist for Henry Miller, has just been engaged for the same position at the Belasco Theatre here. ‘The Great Divide’ settings were made by Mr. Cook. He was for six years with the Castle Square company of Boston” (27 July 1908, page 7). Also that summer, Cook was mentioned as providing new scenery for the Weyerson & Clifford’s Southern Thorne and Orange Blossoms Company (Billboard, Vol. 20, 8 August 1908, page 25).
By fall 1908, the “Los Angeles Times” announced, “Belasco Theatre has a new scene painter, Ansel Cook. He has the reputation of being one of the country. His “Exterior of the Black Snake Ranch,” in Acts II and III, is a Texas landscape, beautiful in color, and one of the most effective backgrounds ever seen on the Belasco stage” (Los Angeles Times, 30 Sept. 1908, page 17). By winter, Cook was also credited with also decorating the green room of Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles (Los Angeles Herald, 13 Dec. 1908, page 32).
I have been unable to locate any information of Ansel Cook beyond 1908, only brief mention of Mrs. Ansel Cook’s attendance at social gatherings. Interestingly, however, a Vaudeville palace drop sketch by Cook sketch was donated to the Morgan Library & Museum by Mr. and Mrs. Donald M. Oenslager in 1982. As with many designs, notes were scribbled all over the back of this painting the Scollay Square Theatre in Boston in 1900. There is a New York Studios stamp on the back: “THE NEW YORK STUDIOS / 1004 TIMES B’LDG, – NEW YORK.” New York Studios was the eastern affiliate of Sosman & Landis managed by David Hunt. This would have been the initial connection between Cook and Sosman & Landis. Moses was also working in New York from 1900-1904. The design also includes a note in pencil, along top edge: “Palace Drop Ansel Cook, Scollay Squ. Theater. Died aft 1915.”
This notation suggests that Cook passed away by 1915, however, I have been unsuccessful in locating any obituary for him during that year.
Thomas G. Moses wrote, “J. Francis Murphy was an assistant to Mr. Strauss, who was the artist at Hooley’s Theatre in 1874. The well-known illustrator and water colorist, Charles Graham, was also an assistant to Mr. Strauss at this same time.”
Raphael Strauss, published with his obituary in the Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 May 1901, page 1
Raphael Strauss was Thomas C. Noxon’s first partner, establishing the scenic studio Noxon & Strauss in St. Louis, Missouri, during 1868. The company lasted for approximately four years, running from 1868 to 1872. In 1868, Noxon & Strauss painted a setting for “Seven Sisters” at the Olympic Theatre (The New York Clipper, 25 April 1868, page 6).
Strauss and Noxon were both immigrants. Noxon was born in Montreal, Canada, during 1829, and moved to Ohio as a child. At the age of sixteen, he traveled to St. Louis to continue his artistic studies. Noxon worked as a decorative painter, itinerant artist, and studio artist, establishing four scenic painting firms throughout his career: Noxon & Strauss, Noxon, Halley & Toomey, Noxon, Albert & Toomey, and finally Noxon & Toomey. At the time of his passing in 1898, the “Dramatic Mirror” reported, “His name appears on the corner of theatrical curtains in almost every large city in the country, and is also seen in the theatres of Europe” (2 July 1898, page 6). In 1872 Noxon & Strauss were still working together in Chicago at Hooley’s Theatre; the partnership ended sometime after that.
Many scenic artists worked in Chicago after the great fire of 1871, decorating a variety of new buildings as the city rebuilt itself. Noxon & Strauss led painted the new drop curtain and scenery at Hooley’s Theater. “The Chicago Tribune” reported, “The drop curtain will fill the entire stage opening, and is being painted by Noxon & Strauss. The design will be the castle and town of Heidelberg, surrounded by drapery” (10 Dec. 1872, page 8). An “Inter Ocean” article further described the painting, “The original drop curtain design depicted a scene from Heidelberg surrounded with painted drapery. The picturesque castle and town suggesting European origins was common for the time, as many compositions harkened to the old world” (Chicago, Illinois, 14 Sept. 1872, page 4). This drop curtain that was later replaced during 1874 by Strauss, with Murphy and Graham as his assistants. Moses watched as the second drop curtain was created as he gilded the opera boxes while working for P. M. Almini.
By 1878, Strauss was working with Charles Witham. They provided the new scenery for “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” at the Grand Opera House in San Francisco, California. The opera’s new season was inaugurated with the “reconstructed version” of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” “The Clipper” reported, “The scenic effects by Witham and Strauss were beautiful and realistic pictures.” (23 Feb. 1878, Vol. 25, page 383).
Raphael Strauss (1830-1901), was a German-American artist who worked throughout the United States during the middle and end of the nineteenth century. Strauss was both a writer and artist, producing landscapes, portraits, miniatures and tinted photographs. Born in Bavaria, Germany, he trained in Munich. Strauss arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio between 1857 or 1858. He was consistently listed in the Cincinnati directories from 1859 until his passing in 1901.
Painting by Raphael Strauss, posted online at: https://americangallery.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/raphael-strauss-1830-1901/Painting by Raphael Strauss, posted online at: https://americangallery.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/raphael-strauss-1830-1901/
It was the German-American artist, John Auberg (1810-1893), who suggested Cincinnati to Strauss, as he had immigrated a decade earlier, settling in Cincinnati by 1853. There was a large German population of the city. John Auberg also became known as Jean Aubery. Born in Kassel Germany, he first moving to the United States in 1848. Prior to his departure to America, he completed numerous portrait and church commissions throughout Europe. After his arrival in Ohio, he advertised as both a portrait artist and tinter of photographs.
Portrait of Sarah Worthington King Peter by Jean Aubery, 1854
During 1859 Strauss tinted photographs alongside Ausbery, Israel Quick, David R. Hoag, Williams Porter and Allen Smith Jr. They all worked at 100 West Fourth Street in Cincinnati. In 1862, the group divided, resulting in two firms: Hoag & Quick and Porter & Strauss. The partnerships lasted throughout the Civil War years. Strauss’ art studio was located at the corner of John and Everett Streets. He traveled throughout the region as an itinerant artist; working on various projects that included scenic art, miniatures and portraits. As many of his colleagues, Strauss was both a fine artist and scenic artist.
By 1869, Strauss again shared a studio in the second Pike Opera House Building; Aubery, Quick, Adrian Beaugureau, Frank Duveneck, and Dwight Benton were among the artists. (The Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Feb. 1933, page 49). This six-story structure replaced the first Pike’s Opera House after it was destroyed by fire in 1866. The second Pike’s Opera House theater was located on the second floor, with offices above, located on Fourth Street between Vine and Walnut streets. It was similar to the first entertainment venue, but was expanded to cover an entire city block.
The Pike Opera House in Cincinnati, OhioThe Pike Opera House in Cincinnati, OhioThe Pike Opera House in Cincinnati, OhioThe Pike Opera House in Cincinnati, Ohio
During the 1880s and early 1890s, Strauss continued to share a studio with Aubrey in the Pike’s Opera House Building at 152 West 4th Street. Their studio became a local salon for artists and art lovers alike. In his final years, Aubrey was known as “the ancient Aubrey,” while nurturing younger artists in Cincinnati’s “over the Rhine” community.
Strauss’ worked was exhibited at the 1863 Western Sanitary Fair, the Cincinnati Industrial Expositions (1871 and 1873), and the Art Institute of Chicago (1897). He later became vice president of Cincinnati Art Club. By 1895 he was still active with the group as its secretary (The Boston Globe, 27 Oct. 1896, page 28).
Strauss passed away in Avondale at the age of 71. His residence was 565 Hale Avenue. Strausss’ obituary reported, “He was a prominent in art circles, being a member of the Cincinnati Art Club and the Order of B’ne B’rith. Mr. Strauss leaves a widow and four children. Phillip Strauss, Mrs Julius Freiberg and Mrs. Dan Goldstein of this city, and Joseph Strauss, of Chicago” (The Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 May 1901, page 7). Joseph B. Strauss was a structural engineer and designer who revolutionized the design of bascule bridges He established the Strauss Bascule Bridge Company of Chicago and later became the chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge, passing away only one year after the bridge’s completion. Strauss’ widow of 43 years was Caroline Baermann. Once a pianist, an accident ended her concert career.
