In 1905, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Victor Higgins, one of our promising young men, quit to take up picture painting and started with a strong determination to win, and I think he will.”
Victor Higgins, friend and fellow Sosman & Landis artist to Thomas G. Moses
Victor Higgins, A.N.A. (1884-1949) was a friend to Moses over the years. They painted together in both scenic and fine art studios, remaining close until Moses’ death in 1934. Higgins was born in Shelbyville, Indiana. Purportedly, it was an itinerant sign painter who inspired Higgins to become an artist. Leaving home at the age of fifteen, he entered the Chicago Art Institute and studied alongside E. Martin Hennings and Walter Ufer by 1899. It was during his time in Chicago that Higgins began painting for the theatre, eventually meeting Moses. Higgins worked at Sosman & Landis alongside Art Oberbeck, Fred Scott, Edgar Payne, Ansel Cook, Walter C. Hartson, William Nutzhorn, David Austin Strong, and an artist named Evans. Higgins also worked for David Hunt at Sosman & Landis’ eastern affiliate New York Studios. His fellow New York Studio artists included William Smart, Art Rider, and Al Dutheridge.
As Moses recorded, Higgins’ “strong determination to win” prompted him to seek further artistic instruction beyond that available in Chicago. In 1908, Higgins travelled to New York, meeting Robert Henri (1865-1929) – a leading figure of the Ashcan School of art. Henri’s students included Edward Hopper, Rockwell Kent, George Bellow, Norman Raeben, Louis D. Fancher and Stuart Davis. He spurned the Academy and Impressionist school of painting, promoting a revived realism and rallying “for paint to be as real as mud, as the clods of horse shit and snow that froze on Broadway in the winter.” It was this instruction that likely guided Higgins’ art throughout the course of his career. Higgins’ artistic training in New York prompted him to continue his education in Europe.
Mayor Harrison of Chicago, Illinois
The same year that Higgins traveled to New York, former Chicago Mayor and avid art collector, Carter H. Harrison, financed his artistic study in Europe at the Académie de la Grand Chaumière in Paris. There, he became a pupil of Rene Menard and Lucien Simon. Higgins then went to Munich where he was a pupil of Hans von Hyeck. During his first year in Europe, he sent Moses several postcards to share his journey with the older artist. In 1909 Higgins mailed Moses a postcard from 16 Promenadenplatz, Munich.
Victor Higgins with a group of American Artists in Munich, posted at www.LouisGrell.comPostcard sent from Victor Higgins to Thomas G. Moses in 1909.Postcard sent from Victor Higgins to Thomas G. Moses in 1909.
Chicago offered many opportunities for artists during this time. During Mayor Harrison’s administration, the Chicago City Council created the Commission for the Encouragement of Local Art (1914-1945). This commission used taxpayer money to purchase paintings and sculpture created by Chicago artists. It is no wonder that Chicago was a leading artistic force at the time and became an artistic hub where many artists gathered.
Victor Higgins worked on a Sosman & Landis project for the American Music Hall in Chicago during 1909.
In 1909, Higgins briefly returned to work for Sosman & Landis again, decorating the interior for the American Music Hall in Chicago. This was a time when the studio was swamped with Masonic work and the scenic artists were busily producing massive Scottish Rite scenery collections at both their main and annex studios. Two of the projects were for the Scottish Rites in Atlanta, Georgia and Kansas City, Kansas. At the time, the studio was also busy creating a huge spectacle called “The Fall of Messiah” for the White City, a Coliseum Show, and a large installation of scenery for Detroit’s Temple Theatre.
The scenery that was being produced at the Sosman & Landis Studio when Victor Higgins returned in 1909. This image of the Scottish Rite scenery from Atlanta in 1909 is part of the online scenery database at the University of Minnesota Performing Arts Archives. Here is the link: https://umedia.lib.umn.edu/scenicsearch
Beginning in 1912, Higgins began exhibiting his artwork with the Palette & Chisel Club, earning national recognition and the Gold Medal (1913). Moses was also a member of this same fine art society, also exhibiting many times over the decades. Other artistic awards granted to Higgins were from the Municipal Art League (1915), the Logan Medal of the Art Institute of Chicago (1917), and the first Altman prize for the National Academy of Design (1918). He was represented in permanent collection of the Art Institute in Chicago, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles museum, and many other public and private collections.
Part 493: Thomas G. Moses’ Old Mill Scenery for Luna Park in 1905
I return to other painting projects by Thomas G. Moses during the year 1905, after getting sidetracked by the Ringling Brothers’ grand spectacles. Thomas G. Moses was still creating amusement park scenery, but as a Sosman & Landis employee. Past New York Coney Island projects were created with Will Hamilton as part of Moses & Hamilton; the two had worked on the Trip to the Moon, Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, War of the Worlds, Fire and Flames, and other much smaller shows. In 1904, Moses moved from New York to Chicago.
The Old Mill Ride in Luna Park at Coney Island
In 1905 Moses wrote, “I had to go to Cleveland to put in a lot of old mill scenery at Luna Park. Ed Thompson went with me and J. H. Young went to do the properties and papier mache work.” In 1904. John H. Young had just opened his own studio in New York. He was a long-time friend of Moses; they had worked on various projects together since the 1870s. Young would later be known for his many Broadway designs.
The Old Mill in attraction in Cleveland and elsewhere was a “Tunnel of Love” ride. It had been a success at the Pan-American exposition and immediately replicated at Coney Island. Floating down a babbling brook, visitors traveled past simulated lakes, cavernous tunnels, and a picturesque landscape. The Buffalo Evening News described old mill rides as an amusement consisting of “many tunnels through which float boats on a stream of water” (Buffalo, New York, 10 August, 1905, page 22). On August 10, 1905, there was a breakdown of the plant of the United Electric Light and Power Company, plunging the Coney Island’s Luna Park into darkness. It provides some insight into the mechanics of the ride, as the loss of electricity caused the flow of the water to cease and the boats to settle to the bottom.
The Old Mill Ride in Luna Park at Coney Island
Luna Park in Cleveland, Ohio, opened in 1905 and lasted until 1929, when it was destroyed by fire. Constructed by Frederick Ingersoll of Ingersoll Construction Company, the park was located on a 35-acre site, bounded by Woodland Avenue, Woodhill, Mt. Caramel, and East 110th Street. Ingersoll Construction Company got its start by building roller coasters and other amusement park rides. The first two parks that Ingersoll opened were in Cleveland and Pittsburgh in 1905, both of which Moses created scenery for the old mill attraction.
The entrance to Thompson & Dundy’s Luna Park at Coney IslandThe entrance to Ingersoll’s Luna Park in Cleveland, OhioThe entrance to Ingersoll’s Luna Park in Pittsburg
Of Ingersoll’s second park, Moses wrote, “We went to Pittsburg to do an old mill there for the same firm. We also did two small stages in the Pittsburg Park.” At one time, Ingersoll owned and operated over forty amusement parks not only in the United States, but also in Berlin, Germany and Mexico City.
Although Cleveland’s Luna Park shared the same name as the one on Coney Island in New York, there was no official affiliation, yet Ingersoll’s Luna Parks replicated many of the rides from Coney Island. The Old Mill ride was featured alongside other attractions, such as Fire and Flames, Coasting the Gorge, Trip to the Moon, Scenic Railways, the Miniature Railway, the Circle Swing and Infant Incubators. The Old Mill was a six-minute ride for 10 cents (The Scranton Republican, 18 June 1905, page 6 and The Raleigh Times, 7 July 1905, page 11).
Although Moses was on staff at Sosman & Landis in Chicago, he would still accept a variety of independent projects. In 1906, he would briefly partner with Will Hamilton to produce additional scenery for Pittsburgh’s Luna Park. He wrote, “Did some designs for a Park in Pittsburg for my old partner Hamilton. I did them in black and white, rather effective.” There is no other information to identify his second project for Pittsburg’s Luna Park.
Part 486: Ringling Brothers’ “King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba”
1914 poster for the Ringling Brothers’ spectacle “King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba”1914 poster for the Ringling Brothers’ spectacle “King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba”
I now understand why people ran away to join the circus during the early twentieth century. If I were born a century ago, the circus would have been too tempting to resist as it passed through my hometown; it offered escape from a mundane existence. In 1914, the “Indianapolis Star” reported, “Nero has watched his Rome burn to a cinder beneath a circus tent. Pompeii has fallen to ruins in the scattered sawdust of the ring and Cleopatara has taken her last look at Egypt before the clown’s entry. And now the wise King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba have been made the hero and heroine of the circus spectacle, surrounded with all the gorgeous pageantry and lavish costumes a showman can devise” (4 May 1914, page 3).
That same year, Thomas G. Moses was still designing scenery for the Ringling Brothers’ Grand Spectacular productions, also advertised as “great wordless plays” (The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 16 May 1914, page 9). Moses designed and led the scenery production at the Sosman & Landis studios. The completed settings were then delivered to Baraboo, Wisconsin, as the production was prepared at the circus’ winter quarters.
In 1914, Moses wrote, “Jan. 6th, went to Baraboo, Wisconsin, to see the Ringling’s for the new spectacle, “King Solomon.” Another big show. Made a model for one scene and got $2,900.00.” Of the final production, Moses observed, “Ringlings’ work came out very good. Everyone was pleased and that is saying a good deal.” Moses was referring to the 1914 Ringling production “Solomon and the Queen of Sheba” that toured throughout the United States.
Of the circus with Moses’ scenery, the “Star Gazette” reported:
“Nearly half of the entire train section is used to transport the scenery and costumes used in the massive spectacle, “Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.” The spectacle includes a cast of more than 1,250 characters and a ballet of 300 dancing girls under the personal direction of Ottokar Bartik, balletmaster of the Metorpolitan Opera House, New York, and late of La Scala, Milan. The music for this spectacle has been written by Faltis Effendi, formerly bandmaster of Khedive of Egypt, and is rendered by an orchestra of 90 musicians, 400 trained singers and a chorus of 1,000 voices accompanied by a cathedral pipe organ, costing $100,000. The Ringling Brothers’ have expended $1,000,000 in the production of this mammoth spectacle which faithfully and accurately portrays the pomp and ceremony, life and wisdom of a period a thousand years before Christ, and introduces Solomon in all his glory and Balkis, Queen of Sheba, the most interesting woman of her day” (Elmira, NY, 21 May 1914, page 3). The US Inflation Calculator measures the buying power of $1,000,000 in 1914 to be the equivalent of $25,200,600.00 in 2018. Fifty men were needed to handle scenery and special effects (Dayton Daily News, 26 April 1914, page 31).
Advertisement for the Ringling Brothers’ “King Solomon” spectacle, from “The Reading Times,” 16 May 1914, page 9,Advertisement for the “King of Solomon and Queen of Sheba,” from “The Chicago Tribune,” 21 April 1914, page 16.
When the circus arrived in Elmira, New York, the “Star Gazette” included a large article about the early morning arrival and events, advertising:
“The big circus is almost here. Tomorrow morning in the small hours just before dawn, four long red and yellow trains, made up of 86 cars will roll quietly into Elmira coming from Binghamton, over Lackawanna railroad. They will be unloaded immediately and within a few hours the big aggregations of world wonders which comprises Ringling Brothers’ ‘world’s greatest shows’ will be safely sheltered under twenty acres of white canvas on the show grounds.”
The circus included an elaborate parade that traversed the principal streets of each town on the morning of their arrival. The “Star Gazette” announced, “The cavalcade which, it is promised, will be the longest and most gorgeous display ever seen in the streets of this city, will start from the show grounds promptly at 10 o’clock. It will be more than three miles in length and will include all the performers and animals, in addition to the long procession of handsome tableau wagons and allegorical cars, filled with pretty dancing girls in gay costumes. Six bands and two calliopes will furnish the music for the cavalcade and the fifty famous Ringling clowns will be on hand to keep the sidewalk spectators in good humor. A striking feature of the procession will be the long line of elephants, forty in all, and a team of sixteen camels, broken to bit and harness driven the same as horses. These beasts draw a huge parade wagon and this is the first instance on record where the ‘ship of the desert’ has ever been successfully broken to harness and bit.”
The “twenty-four hour man” arrived a day ahead of the circus to set up the infrastructure needed to feed an enormous amount of people and animals. Other circus staff that arrived a day early included “a number of stage and electrical experts who precede the show to make arrangements for the staging and lighting of the big spectacle “Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.” It is important to remember that the King Solomon spectacle was just one of the principal features for the Ringling Brothers’ program that season; it was not the whole show. This makes theatrical touring shows, such as “Ben-Hur,” seem like child’s play when compared with the logistics of a touring circus with thousands of moving parts.
Unloading the Red Wagons for the Ringling Brothers’ Circus from the “Sheboygen Press,” 7 July 1914, page 1
The first train to arrive was the commissary department and the first tent to be pitched on the show grounds was the “cook house.” The second and third trains pulled the heavy red wagons, loaded with canvases, properties, the elephants, the 730 horses and the other animals. On the last train, composed entirely of sleeping cars, arrived all of the performers and ancillary staff members for the show.
“King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba” was presented in a series of dramatic pantomimic pictures staged with “all the lavish splendor and opulence that marked the period when the wise Solomon ruled the Kingdom of Israel, the action of the spectacle is laid in Jerusalem, at the time of the historical visit of Balkis, Queen of Sheba.” The Star Gazette continued, “The spectacle is presented on an enormous, specially constructed stage, which occupies nearly one entire side of the main tent. The tent measures 560 by 320 feet and seats 14,000 people at a performance.” Remember that two shows were given daily; one at 2pm and one at 8PM, and the doors opened an hour before show time, allowing spectators to visit the 108 cages in the Ringling zoo and purchase candy and souvenirs!
The Star Gazette concluded, “Despite the enormous cost of the spectacle, no expense has been spared to make the arena program the most thrilling and novel entertainment that has ever been presented. In the three big rings and two stages more than 400 performers will appear in a series of new and sensational, riding acrobatic and aerial acts, nearly all of which have never before been witnessed in America. Such famous foreign performers as Charles Augustus Clark, England’s foremost bareback rider; the Mirano brothers, wonderful perch artists; the Balkani troupe of the Far East equestrians; the famous four Lloyds, daring Indian riders; Mijares, the Mexican wire wizard, and the world famous Clarkonians, who turn triple somersaults in mid-air and are a few of the host of performers who will furnish the spectators with an abundance of thrills.”
The Queen of Sheba was played by Mme. Bartik, a Russian actress and a pupil of M. Pierre Devereau, the French teacher of pantomimic art.
A Russian actress played the Queen of Sheba in the Ringling Brothers’ spectacle “King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba,” from “The Indianapolis Star,” 4 May 1914 page 3
Who wouldn’t get caught up in this excitement and plan their escape from the doldrums of everyday life? But this was just the 1914 show. Another would be planned for 1915. By the end of 1914 Moses wrote, “Took a trip to Rockford to see Ringling’s about more work for the next season.”
Part 485: The Ringling Brothers’ Winter Quarters and Thomas G. Moses
From 1905 until Al Ringling’s passing in in 1916, Thomas G. Moses completed several designs for circus spectacles. The first mention of work for one of Al Ringling’s spectacles was in 1905. Fast forward to 1912 when Moses mentions another visit to Baraboo, Wisconsin, during the Ringling Brothers’ off-season. Moses wrote, “I went to Baraboo in the meantime to see Ringling Brothers and close for another big spectacle. Mr. Al Ringling took me through the winter quarters of the animals which was also very interesting. Feeding time for the lions, tigers and all the cat family was a noisy time. Watching the training for the elephants was also very interesting. The immense chain and derricks they have to use to teach the elephants to stand on their heads was strong enough to lift a battleship. A great deal of care is given to all the animals, much more than is given to the men that attend the animals. The Ringlings have their own car shop and paint shops, and everything is taken care of here except scenery and wardrobe. They are very busy getting ready for the next season, making contracts for all supplies at every town they visit, and they certainly have some system.”
Illustration of the winter quarters for the Ringling Bros. Circus in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Image from “Tents, Tigers, and the Ringling Brothers”The winter quarters for the Ringling Bros. Circus along the shores of the Baraboo river. Image from Circus World Museum website: http://www.circusworldbaraboo.org/
Both equipment and animals were cared from November until April of each year during the off-season; Baraboo became home to the exotic and their caretakers. In 1913, 117 Ringling Brothers’ Circus employees worked in Baraboo during the winter months. The staff included the following positions: Caring for work horses (23), caring for show horses (7), caring for menagerie animals (8), elephant caretakers (10), blacksmiths (5), railcar repair (16), paint shop (16), harness shop )3), wagon and repair shop (9), wardrobe (5), hotel (12), watchmen (2), and office (1). As the circus employed approximately 1200 people during the season, where did the remainder of employees winter? Some acts sought contracts in warmer climates, returning to Wisconsin in April for the new tour. Some workmen found work in nearby lumber camps and spent the winter in less than ideal conditions. A few took the winter months as an opportunity for rest and relaxation
Wagon workers at Baraboo, Wisconsin. Image from Circus World Museum website: http://www.circusworldbaraboo.org/Circus wagons on display in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
It was at the winter quarters that the Ringling brothers planned for their upcoming season. Shows were chosen, costumes assembled and scenery designed for elaborate spectacles. Winter was not hibernation, it was a time for preparation, training and hard labor. As there was no constant moving from town to town, time was available to plan and rehearse the animals for another season. A team of writers wrote news stories for upcoming shoes that would tour the country. Circus wagons were repaired and repainted. Animals were exercised both indoors and outdoors. Everyone had a specific project to accomplish all year long.
Working on elephant costumes. Image from Circus World Museum website: http://www.circusworldbaraboo.org/Detail of photo showing design work and costume construction at winter quarters in Baraboo. Image from Circus World Museum website: http://www.circusworldbaraboo.org/Detail of photo showing design work and costume construction at winter quarters in Baraboo. Image from Circus World Museum website: http://www.circusworldbaraboo.org/
In “Tents, Tigers, and the Ringling Brothers,” the author comments that the Ringling family functioned as a well-oiled machine. Apps wrote, “Different from some families, the 7 Ringling brothers got along very well with each other. They knew that if their circus was to succeed, they must not squabble” (page 55-56).
Baraboo remained the winter quarters for the Ringling Brothers’ circus from 1886 to 1918. At that time the circus moved to a new location in Connecticut; it had been the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows since 1907 and began to recoup at the old Barnum & Bailey winter quarters.
It was not until 1954 that John M. Kelly, a personal attorney for the Ringlings, incorporated the Circus World Museum as a historical and educational facility. He had worked for the Ringlings for more than three decades. The Circus Museum opened to the public July 1, 1959. The website reports that “The museum’s collection of circus artifacts is perhaps the largest in the world. It includes over 210 original wagons and vehicles once used by American, English and Irish circuses. It houses an exceptional collection of circus ads and posters. Over 9,500 multi-colored circus posters range in size from half-sheets to an 80-sheet Buffalo Bill Wild West poster which measures 9’ high and 70’ long. Thousands of journals, manuscripts and business records are available as well as original fine art oil paintings, hand bills, heralds, programs, artifacts of circus performers and a collection of rare photographs and negatives.” I have yet to spend a significant amount of time in their archives. Here is the link to their website: http://www.circusworldbaraboo.org/
Entrance to the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
In spring of 1912, Moses caught up with the circus in his hometown of Sterling, Illinois, as he needed to collect the final payment for the season’s production. He attended the show and wrote, “Went to Sterling to catch Ringling to collect $1,200.00. As went to the tent to find Al Ringling, I discovered everyone watching a fire – a stable at least four blocks away. A spark was blown towards the tent, the top of which is prepared with parafine to make it water-proof. It soon ignited from the sparks and in less than thirty minutes the big tent was destroyed. The rest of the tents were saved. It was mighty fortunate there were no people in the tent. Some of the animals in another tent started some noise when the smelled the smoke, but they were soon quieted. I sneaked away without making myself known. There was no money for me, that I guessed.”
Moses eventually collected the payment during 1912, and by the end of the year wrote, “Another trip to Baraboo to see the Ringling’s about next year’s show, which I secured.” They were contracted to provide the scenery for another production in 1913. Al Ringling liked the work produced at Sosman & Landis studio and its last president Thomas G. Moses.
Part 484: Thomas G. Moses’ and the Al Ringling Theatre
In 1883, the Ringlings called their show “Ringling Brothers Grand Carnival of Fun.” Five of the seven brothers were business partners by this point – Albert (1852–1916), Otto (1858–1911), Alfred T. (1862–1919), Charles (1863–1926), and John (1866–1936). Their two other brothers Augstus “Gus” (1854–1907) and Henry (1869–1918), later joined and worked as employees.
It was the combined efforts of the brothers that helped secure enough income to purchase their first circus tent. The first Ringling tent measured 45’ wide by 90’ long, with a seating capacity for almost 600 spectators. Later tents would measure 440 feet long by 190 feet wide, seating more than 12,000 people. The largest tents took 30 employees with horses and elephants to raise the center pole. Their show included acrobatic acts mixed with comedy acts and musical selections. The Ringling brothers played instruments in the band, performed in the show, and led several of the acrobatic acts.
The death of their mentor Yankee Robinson became a turning point in the trajectory of the Ringling Brother’s circus, they all needed to assume the supervisory role of practical tasks that Robinson had led in the beginning. At first, the circus traveled from town to town by wagon, but as the size increased they traveled by rail. Over time their circuses continued to increase in size and scope. They hired new acrobatic acts, clowns, dancers and animal trainers.
Al was the ringmaster and in charge of circus operations and hiring; this is why he was the one who met with Thomas G. Moses about the scenery. Otto was the treasurer and referred to as the “King,” since he controlled the finances. Alf T. was in charge of marketing and working with newspapers for advertising. He wrote “Life Story of the Ringling Brothers” in 1900. Charles was in charge of dozens of men who put up advertising, such as billboards, posters, and other signage. He was the most musically inclined of all the brothers and worked behind the scenes, becoming a favorite with many of the performers. John planned the logistics of the tours, establishing the route that the circus would travel each year. He worked with the railroads and hired the locomotives that would pull the Ringling railway cars. Gus supervised Advertising Railcar No. 1 and the twenty-seven men who were responsible for pasting up circus advertisements. Henry was the superintendent at the main entrance of the big top, supervising the ticket takers.
By 1890, the circus required 18 railcars. The troupe’s touring menagerie was quite large, including 107 horses and ponies, 3 elephants, 3 camels, 3 lions, monkeys, a kangaroo, a water buffalo, an emu, a zebu, a zebra, a hyena, an elk, an anteater, a hippopotamus, snakes, and a variety of birds. When they stopped at a town to set up, their location was referred to as Ringlingville. Their traveling city included a barbershop, general store, dining hall, post office, and blacksmith shop.
Twenty-five years later, the Ringling Brothers circus traveled on 85 railcars that moved in 4 sections, with each section being pulled by a steam locomotive. In 1915, the circus included 17 tents that covered 14 acres of land. The tents included the big top for a main performance, an animal menagerie, the side show, three horse tents, the pony tent, three dining tents, a cook tent, two dressing tents, a ballet tent, and wardrobe tent and others for candy and souvenir stands.
Weeks before the circus would arrive in any town, advance men were sent ahead to secure the necessary supplies during their stay. Moses did the same thing as carpenters were sent ahead to prepare the areas where he would be working and transport all the necessary supplies and tools.
The first Ringling train to arrive in any town was the “Flying Squadron” who was met by the 24-hour man. The Fling Squadron carried the kitchen and dining tents, chef, cooks, equipment and helpers. This included some 20 circus cars that were set on a side track for unloading. The Ringling circus employees drank 185 quarts of coffee and 65 quarts of tea daily.
Thomas G. Moses worked directly for Al Ringling, the eldest of the brothers who was in charge of hiring. Al was in also in charge of supervising the circus performers, as well as contracting scenery and other specialty items for the shows. For many years, Al was the ringmaster, announcing the acts twice daily. Al’s home basd remained in Baraboo, where he would later finance the building of the Al Ringling Theatre, another project that Moses would work on.
The Al Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
In 1915, Moses wrote, “The new theatre we did at Baraboo for Al Ringling was a good contract at $2,600.00. I went up to open and found a beautiful theatre, very unique in design, fifty years ahead of the town. Poor Al Ringling died soon after this.” The Janesville Gazette reported, “Sosman & Landis company of Chicago did the scenic painting in this new theatre” (20 Nov. 1915, page 20). On April 7 of that same year, Joseph S. Sosman passed away at the age of 70, leaving a widow and two sons (Arthur and Fred). Thomas Moses became the president of Sosman & Landis, with Arthur Sosman as vice-president. The Ringling Theatre was one of Moses’ flagship projects as the new studio president.
The Al Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, WisconsinSosman & Landis provided the scenery for the Al Ringling Theatre in 1915. Thomas G. Moses worked with Al Ringling to provide the painted scenery.Fire curtain at the Al Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
The Al Ringling Theatre opened its doors in November 1915 and has been operating continuously ever since. Al Ringling hired the architectural firm of Rapp and Rapp to design a theater based on the Orpheum Theatre built in Champaign, Illinois in 1914. The Janesville Daily Gazette reported, “Theatrical men, scenic painters, canvas makers and many prominent citizens from Chicago and other towns, all of whom were bound for Baraboo to do honor to a man who had the courage to build in that city one of the finest, if not the finest, playhouse in America, Mr. Al Ringling. (20 Nov. 1915, page 20). There were 844 seats, with seventeen boxes, each containing six seats. The stage was 33’-6” deep, 60’ wide and 46’ high. The massive fire curtain of asbestos measured 24’ high by 40’ wide, weighing 750 pounds.
1915 Lighting system for the Al Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, Wisconsin
When asked about the approximate cost of the enterprise, Al Ringling refused to give a price. Instead, he responded, “My object from start to finish was to give the people as fine a playhouse for the size of it as there was anywhere, and the architects and finishers and many theatrical men have said that I have accomplished my undertaking. And if it is, then I am satisfied, for I have had much pleasure in all the years that I have been in the business, and although at times it seemed hard, it was a pleasure for me to make the money, and now if I have done something with a part of it that will bring pleasure to my friends and neighbors, I have accomplished something.”
Theatre seating at the Al Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, Wisconsin
Creating scenery for circus spectacles was just some of the many projects that kept Thomas G. Moses busy at Sosman & Landis. In yesterday’s post, I examined the 1905 Ringling Brothers’ spectacle, “The Field of the Cloth of Gold” by Sosman and Landis. Moses created the designs for Ringling Brothers’ production about King Henry VIII of England. Their grand circus spectaculars were also known as a “specs.”
I grew up in the Midwest, and was well aware of both the Ringling Brothers’ Circus and their summer home in Baraboo, Wisconsin. We even ventured to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to see the great circus parade with other circus enthusiasts. The Milwaukee Circus Parade was an event where dozens of ornate circus wagons were paraded through the streets, including one massive wagon pulled by a forty-horse hitch team. It was easy to understand the excitement of those witnessing the arrival of the circus during the early twentieth century.
I also encountered the history of the Ringling Brothers circus while evaluating the Scottish Rite scenery collection in Madison, Wisconsin. On my first day off, I visited the Wisconsin historical society and discovered a book about the Ringling Brothers -“Tents, Tigers and the Ringling Brothers” (Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2007). It written by Jerry Apps and contained obscure tidbits of information concerning the logistics of the massive touring show. Apps provided a conversational record about this famous circus family and their early adventures; I was intrigued with the family. The Ringling brothers were just a few of the many famous personalities who Moses worked with during the early twentieth century.
So let’s travel back to 1869 when Thomas G. Moses was thirteen years old and living in Sterling, Illinois. That same year there were seven future circus stars living in McGregor, Iowa. Their father was August Frederick Rüngeling who owned a harness shop. The oldest son was Al Ringling (16), followed by Gus (15), Otto (11), Alf (6), Charles (4), John (3) and Henry (almost 1 year old). The two eldest sons helped their father in his harness-making shop. As soon as each child reached the age of ten, they began helping out in the shop and entered the family business. At the same time, Moses was also working for his father’s business – a tannery.
The Ringling family
As many Midwestern children, the Ringling brothers first encountered circuses transported by riverboats. Circuses followed rivers, stopping by towns on major waterways. It was a riverboat circus that inspired the Ringling boys to set up their first circus. The event was to be a circus performed by children for other child. The initial price of admission being 10 straight pins, and was later increased to a penny. Their children’s circus shows took place in an old neighborhood barn where the brothers created a series of exhibits. One was a caged bullfrog with the sign, “From Timbuctoo. Captured at great risk from the depths of a far-away swamp from which no other frog collector ever emerged alive.”
In the early years, Al Ringling explored his acrobatic abilities. By the age of 20 he was a tightrope walker. When he was not working in the wagon and blacksmith shop in Brodhead, Wisconsin, he would string a rope between two buildings and perform his act for local passersby. Juggling was also added into this early routine. By 1879, Al gained additional circus experience when he went to work at Parson and Roy’s Great Palace Show. His brother John also began working with a circus at this time.
It was Al who came up with the idea of starting a performance troupe, and during the fall of 1882 proposed the idea of a hall show. The plan was to perform their variety acts in performance halls until they had raised enough money to purchase a circus tent. By this time Charles Ringling had become a skilled violinist and Alf played several other instruments that included the trumpet and tuba.
The Ringling’s first show was in Mazomanie, Wisconsin, about 25 miles away from Madison. There, Edward Kimball and three other actors from Baraboo joined the endeavor to form “the Ringling Brothers Classic and Comic Concert Company.” The price of admission was fifty cents for adults and twenty-five cents for children. Their first show opened on November 27, 1882. Unfortunately, it resulted in a loss of $12.90 – today’s equivalent of almost $320.00. However, they continued to perform their acts across Wisconsin, putting on a show every night. Their standard hall performance included an introductory opening followed by a coronet solo, short play, violin duet, vocal duet, and a longer play. One of the troupe’s longer performances was titled “A Cold Bath, or as Failure a Great Success.”
From 1882-1883, the Ringling Brothers put on 107 shows that winter. They performed six days a week, with each show opening in a different town. Al Ringling had previously worked for the “Yankee Robinson Circus,” and managed to convince the owner to help them start a circus; Robinson was 66 years old and became one of the featured acts.
The Ringling Brothers
At this same time, Moses was also branching out on his own. He had traveled extensively with Joseph S. Sosman from 1881 to 1882, with the firm provided scenery for seventy-four theaters all across the country. It was in 1882 that Moses would leave Sosman & Landis to partner with Lem Graham and form their own scene painting studio. Graham later founded the Kansas City Scenic Co.
For the Ringlings, Brother Otto would soon join the team and now the five Ringling Brothers would form the Ringling Brothers circus during 1883-1884. Al, Alf, Charles, John and Otto combined their efforts to secure enough income to purchase their first tent. That same year, Moses would board with the widow of Dan Castello, the famous circus clown, in Racine, Wisconsin, while he was working in the area.
Advertisement for Moses & Hamilton in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide, 1894-1895.
In 1904 Thomas G. Moses returned to Chicago. That same year, he was finally accepted into the prestigious “Salmagundi Club” in New York City. R. M. Shurtleff has sponsored his membership into this fine art society and Moses was eager to continue with his artistic studies. In addition to making inroads into the world of fine art, the scenic studio of Moses & Hamilton was doing very well. This meant that it was very hard for Moses to walk away from future projects in New York, as well as his business partner Will Hamilton. Moses wrote, “When I had to tell Hamilton, I almost gave in to stay with him, for he was awfully broken up over it, as he saw his meal ticket slipping away.” Since the beginning, Moses was the heart and soul of the company. Even five years later, Hamilton would still advertise his previous partnership with Moses as “formerly of Moses & Hamilton.”
Of Moses & Hamilton, Moses wrote, “Our work was rather pleasant and we received good prices. I sometimes think I should have stayed as our business was increasing each year. Our fiscal year was June 1st and I remained at [Coney] Island up to the last.” They had just opened “War of the Worlds” at Luna Park that season. They received $2,900.00 on this work and made a profit of $2,200.00, as they painted it in less that one half the time they thought it would take. Moses commented, “The show was a big hit.” It was hard for Moses to leave his success to become one of many painters in a studio, even if her were in charge.
But he would not be welcomed with open arms by everyone at Sosman & Landis. Moses wrote about his return to Sosman & Landis that year, “When Mr. Sosman announced to the ‘gang’ that I was coming back and would take charge of all the work, there was much dissention among a few.” In particular, one lead scenic artist resented Moses’ return to a supervisory role. Moses continued, “Fred Scott tried to start a mutiny and went as far as he could by quitting, hoping the others would follow. But none did, and he came back and asked for a job. I put him on for he was a clever painter.” Scott was still working at Sosman & Landis in 1911. Very little is known about this scenic artist other than a few brief comments in Moses’ memoir.
Moses continued to describe his return to Sosman & Landis, “I fell in line with the old work rather quickly. It lacked the interest of production work, but after all, what is the difference? There is no glory to be had in the painting of a production – all the honor goes to the stage manager or director.” In some ways Moses’ return to Sosman & Landis broke his spirit; he was settling, possibly abandoning his dream of fine art. I believed that Moses recognized that his own artistic growth would become stagnant while employed at Sosman & Landis. This was why he yearned to be a fine artist; at the end of the day, you are in charge of the end product and how it will appear before the audience. Fine art is often treasured, whereas backdrops are often perceived as mere backings, regardless of how fine the painting.
Moses also commented on Landis’ failing health, writing, “We found Mr. Landis in bad shape. While he seemed to know Ella and myself, he couldn’t talk at all, yet appeared to be awfully glad to see us.” Moses might have painted side by side with Sosman over the years, but there was unique loyalty to Landis and his family.
Thomas G. Moses excelled in New York from 1901 until 1904. He was succeeding in business with his partner Will Hamilton as they operated Moses & Hamilton. In fact, they had more work than they could handle, while even expanding into the amusement park business at Luna Park. Moses & Hamilton produced scenery for Broadway and amusement park attractions ranging from “A Trip to the Moon” to “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” Moses was at the top of his game and soaring in the world of fine art, having finally been accepted into membership at New York’s famed Salmagundi Club. He hoped to someday leave the hard grind of the studio for receptions at a fine art gallery.
What Moses didn’t plan on was his wife’s desire to return to their home in Illinois. Tom and Ella Moses were raised in Sterling and moved to Chicago early in their marriage. Their family and network of support remained in the Chicago area. Regardless of artistic opportunities for Moses, he felt his wife’s “pull” to return to the Midwest. There were only a few things that could cause his return from a successful life in New York – family and loyalty. His former employer played the loyalty card in the high stakes game of studio poker while his wife asserted her hopes to return to their Midwest relatives.
During 1904, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Previous to this spring, I had heard from Mr. Sosman several times, wanting me to return to Chicago. Finally he and Mr. Hunt called on me, and agreed to give me $5,000.00 per year and $5,000.00 in stock and to give me full charge of the studio work, painting, designing and the construction.” What is significant about this statement in Moses’ memoirs is that he would have “full charge of the studio work, painting, designing and the construction.” This means that the design, painting and construction of work produced by Sosman & Landis after 1904 is being guided by Moses. There may be other artists in charge of the actual painting, by Moses now takes responsibility for the work that leaves the studio destined for a variety of performance venues.
Moses continued, “I was really in hopes that [Sosman] would not accept my proposition as Hamilton and I had a good business established, and didn’t want to give that up. But Ella and the children were keen on going back, and after my terms were accepted, I got in the humor myself.” Be careful what you wish for. Moses had to talk himself into all of the positive aspects of his return to Chicago. It would be a step down, no matter how he sized up the future. In New York, he was in command, in Chicago, he would remain at the whims of the company; never having complete control again. He was settling for a secure income, and this greatly unsettled him; it was the beginning of the end for Moses. He would die a slow death until for the next three decades.
Masonic business was booming, but Landis was ill and Sosman needed his “ace painter” back in the shops. Moses was known for his tremendous speed and ability to crank out work, but could he continue to do this amount of work while supervising all aspects of construction?
Portraits of Joseph S. Sosman (left) and Perry Landis (right) on company stationary in 1894. From the collection of Gary Musante, posted to FB group Archiving Technical Theater History
A Visit to the Tabor House in Leadville, Co. June 18, 2018
We left Denver at 7am and headed to Leadville, Colorado. I had a 10am appointment with the executive director of the Tabor Opera House. Normally a two-hour trip, we planned on an extra hour for sightseeing, stopping several times along the way for “scenic overlooks” and “points of interest.” As we left Denver, overcast skies turned into puffy clouds scattered across brilliant blue skies.
One of our stops was in the town of Frisco. The name rang a bell and I soon realized that it was because Thomas G. Moses mentioned the town during his 1884 sketching trip to Colorado. This was his trip with tree other scenic artists to see the mountains.
The town of Frisco, Colorado, where Thomas G. Moses visited in 1884.Lake Dillon near Frisco, Colorado.
Frisco is situated on the shores of Lake Dillon, seventy miles west of Denver. Henry Recen founded the town after a mining boom in the 1870s and soon boasted two railroads, many businesses, hotels, and saloons. The town was the center of mining activity because of the railroads and a stagecoach stop, serving as the gateway to the towns and mines in Ten Mile Canyon. It later became the sleepy little town that Moses encountered during his 1884 sketching trip. Of Frisco, Moses wrote, “We soon came to a little cemetery. One rough head-board had the following epitaph, printed with black letters: ‘Here lies the body of John Sands. A Frisco miner, an honest man and an old timer.’ No dates nor age. Near by was the small town of Frisco, which at one time was a prosperous mining town of about three thousand inhabitants. The mines gave out, no one stayed, and homes and stores were left to the elements. As we struck the main street we looked about, but we couldn’t see a living thing, excepting a few chickens which convinced us, however, that someone must have stayed. The feeling we had among the deserted homes and stores was rater uncanny. The buildings had been hastily built; all very rough, and very few of them had been painted. The signboards were a hot, badly spelled and very typical of a frontier mining town; a regular mushroom town – it grew over night.”
Lake Dillon near Frisco, Colorado.
After enjoying the bustling town, getting the contact for the city historian and walking about the marina, we headed to the Tabor Opera House in Leadville for our 10am meeting. I had asked Ziska Childs to join me on this particular adventure and we spent the morning looking at historic scenery produced by Kansas City Scenic Company. The drops are suspended by a hemp system – no counterweights or sand bags. As at the Brown Grand Opera House in Concordia, Kansas, the drops are raised and lowered by an individual pulling the full weight on the three ropes that are connected to the drop’s top batten. I was fortunate to help at one point and able to examine the pin rail and rigging. While assisting with one line, I was delighted to discover that the original paint frame that was still suspended from one of the lines. No, we didn’t lower it. I was told that it takes three men to handle the lines when either raising or lowering it!
Tabor Opera House in Leadville, ColoradoThe Tabor Opera House in Leadville, ColoradoWood scene with backdrop, two legs and a foliage border.
The four historic scenes at the Tabor Opera House include a drop curtain, a garden drop, a landscape and a street scene by Kansas City Scenic.
Garden drop at the Tabor Opera HouseFront drop curtain at he Tabor Opera HouseDetail of drop curtain at he Tabor Opera House“Kansas City Scenic Co.” on bottom right corner of the front curtain in the Tabor Opera House, Leadville, CO.Pin rail above the stage to raise and lower drops.
There are other historic scenery pieces along the back wall that were too buried to uncovered. There area also older roll drops, wings, and profile pieces are stored in the attic for both this stage and the previous stage before the Elks altered the building in 1901. Unrolling a few backdrops will be part of my morning adventures today. The Executive director explained that the scenery has been rolled up for over a century. I am curious to see what the original 1879 scenery in the attic looks like from the original stage.
The existing fly drops above the Tabor Opera House stage were produced by Kansas City Scenic. Lemuel L. Graham (1845-1914), a previous employee of Sosman & Landis, as well as one-time business partner of Thomas G. Moses founded this studio. Moses left the Sosman & Landis studio during May 1882 to partner with Graham. That year Moses recorded that while they were working on the Redmond Opera House project in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Graham boarded at a hotel and fell in love with the head waitress, eventually marrying her. Moses wrote, “she proved to be a good wife and good mother.” Moses wrote that Graham “was a regular Shylock, a good fellow and a hard worker, but altogether too close to please me.”
The partnership of Moses & Graham only lasted a little over a year. In 1883 they returned to the Sosman & Landis studio. After Moses and Landis encountered each other while bidding on the same job, they rode the train back together for Chicago. Sosman met them at the station and the three discussed a possible return. Sosman & Landis wanted Moses and Graham back, they were each offered $45.00 a week. Moses wired Graham their proposal, but Graham was not so eager to accept and countered “$50.00 and extras.” The studio agreed and on May 1, 1883, Moses and Graham were both painting in the Sosman & Landis studios again. It lasted less than a year for Graham, however, and in 1884, he left Sosman & Landis to form Kansas City Scenic Co.
A Visit to the Cheyenne Scottish Rite on June 17, 2018
The Scottish Rite Theatre is in the Cheyenne Masonic Temple, located at 1820 Capitol Avenue. This three-story building was initially constructed in 1901 at a cost of $45,000. In 1903, the building was gutted by fire. After receiving $35,000 from the insurance company, the interior was reconstructed. Our guide, Ron, explained that an addition to the building occurred during the 1920s and included the theater.
1901 Masonic Temple in Cheyenne, Wyoming before the 1903 fire.1903 Masonic Temple in Cheyenne, Wyoming, that was rebuilt after the fire.
In 1921, “The Billings Gazette” reported that Wyoming had 1906 thirty-second degree Masons, an increase of 245 members in twelve months. Furthermore, the secretary of Wyoming Consistory No. 1 in Cheyenne reported, “the total resources of all four bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite amount to $189,958.88” (17 Sept 1921, page 8). There were 2,090 members in the Rocky Mountain Lodge of Perfection; 1,961 members in the Albert Pike Chapter of the Knights of Rose Croix; and 1,961 members in the Cheyenne Council of Kadosh No. 1. At the time of the article, a new Scottish Rite Cathedral was being built in Cheyenne. Plans for this new Consistory building had been in the works since 1920, when the “Casper Star-Tribune” reported, “Tentative plans for the cathedral which Wyoming Consistory No. 1, A.A.S.R., is to erect at Capitol Avenue and Twentieth Street, have been approved. They call for a structure of Grecian architecture, with a frontage of 132 feet on Capitol Avenue, which will cost approximately $500,000. Aside from the fact that it will be the largest and finest fraternal society building in Wyoming architecture. Work on the building, it is planned and will begin next fall” (29 May 1920, page 9).
End view of sandwich batten on Scottish Rite scenery in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Some of the scenery that is currently on the stage is identified as being delivered to “Scottish Rite Bodies. Masonic Hall. Cheyenne, Wyoming.” This information is stenciled on the back and front of some bottom sandwich battens. The stenciling on the back of some drops confirms the destination of Cheyenne, and is characteristic of standard Sosman & Landis Studio labeling during the first decade of the twentieth century.
Stencil on back of a Scottish Rite drop in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
That being said, there are three distinct collections when examining the stencil placement, yet two are consistent with Sosman & Landis. The three collections also are not a standard size, as some are much taller and some are much wider. Furthermore, many of the drops were obviously hung in another venue prior to their transport to the current stage. This is confirmed by charcoal markings indicating previous line numbers for another space. Finally, the painted surface of the collection is primarily consistent with the Sosman & Landis installations for current collections in Santa Fe, St. Paul, Winona, Tucson, Ashville, and Grand Forks. What is not consistent with Sosman & Landis labeling in Cheyenne is that for their painted profile pieces, meaning the painted flats accompanying many of the painted scenes are not identified with stencils. The ones in Cheyenne are not labeled at all beyond a few pencil markings. The design and construction is also not characteristic of standard Sosman & Landis profile pieces. They are also much brighter in color than the remainder of the collection too.
A profile piece, likely produced by Volland Studio of St. Louis in 1924.
Finally, the stage machinery also predates the 1920s addition and is characteristic of those installed by Sosman & Landis during the first decade of the twentieth century.
Now, here is where it gets interesting. Thomas G. Moses records that he supervised the painting of the Scottish Rite scenery for Cheyenne in 1911. Why did they know about Sosman & Landis in Cheyenne? Well in 1881-1882 Sosman & Landis also provided the stock scenery for the Grand Opera House in Cheyenne. They had a foothold in the community already. This helps confirm the majority of scenes that are distinctly Sosman & Landis designs with their standard stencils. However, Volland Studio records also indicate that they delivered Scottish Rite scenery in 1924, about the same time that the Scottish Rite held reunions in their new theater in Cheyenne. The painted profile pieces and the few scenes that are inconsistent with Sosman & Landis Masonic compositions and may be attributed to Volland Studio.
Detail from one of the drops likely attributed to Volland Studio due to the bright coloration and painting technique. This is more characteristics of the 1920s.Backdrop is likely by Volland studio artists in 1924. The cut drops are consistent with those created by Sosman & Landis Studio of Chicago during the first decade of the twentieth century.
What I have not had time to do is categorize the drops based on stencil placement, charcoal markings, composition, and other consistent characteristics that helps divide up the entire collection. Finally, there were even more drops stored at the Cheyenne Masonic Temple that had sat for decades, rolled up in an offstage area. Unfortunately they were disposed of a few years ago.
Scottish Rite scene in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Sosman & Landis StudioScottish Rite scene in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Sosman & Landis StudioScottish Rite scene in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Sosman & Landis StudioScottish Rite scene in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Sosman & Landis StudioScottish Rite scene in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Sosman & Landis StudioScottish Rite scene in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Sosman & Landis Studio
In short, I can confirm that the Scottish Rite Masons were using Sosman & Landis scenery in 1911 that was delivered to the Cheyenne Masonic Hall. And then there is the dead hung drop curtain against the back wall.
A peak at the dead hung drop curtain at the Scottish Rite in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
I was able to identify that it was a drop curtain due to the painted fringe and draperies. It also has identical bottom battens to the oldest scenery that is currently hanging. Yet, the front curtain would have been not wide enough for the current proscenium opening. Maybe it was kept for sentimental reasons. I would love to see what the composition is, as we were unable to see beyond the bottom two feet of the drop.
