Sosman & Landis – Page 33

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 265 – The Masonic Temple’s Electric Theaters – The Court of Honor

Image from the website “Chicagology” that notes the location of the Chicago Masonic Temple, built in 1892.

There were two scenic electric theaters on top of the Chicago Masonic Temple in 1894. Both were created and managed by the Sosman & Landis scenic studio. Joseph Sands Sosman was a Scottish Rite Mason and member of the local Oriental Consistory.

View of the Chicago Masonic Temple (1892-1939).

Roof top of the Chicago Masonic Temple where Sosman & Landis managed two electric theaters in 1894.

The first production was an imitation of “A Day in the Alps,” an attraction that had been popularized at the Columbian Exposition in 1893. The second production depicted a specific scene from the Columbian Exposition – the “Court of Honor.” The view of the setting was from the agricultural building, looking northwest. As with “A Day in the Alps,” it included a transformation scene.

The Court of Honor electric scenic theatre, designed, produced, and managed by Sosman & Landis scenic studio in 1894. It was one of two shows on top of the Chicago Masonic Temple.

The “Court of Honor” opened with a vision of the world fair in the morning. Sunrise transitioned into brilliant sunlight that illuminated massive white buildings surrounding a lagoon. In front of the administration and electricity buildings, gondolas and electric launches added to the charm to the scene while band music played in the background. As evening approached, electric lights outlined the White City and were reflected in the water’s surface.

The February 24, 1894, issues of “Western Electrician” described, “Searchlight effects flash from one building to another, and administration building, with its handsome decorative lighting scheme, shines resplendent under these streams of light.” The article also noted that some of the illumination was achieved using a Packard mogul lamp (300-candle power), that produced the scenic changes and color shifts.

The large lamp in the center is a Packard Mogul Lamp – the same type used in the scenic electric theatre. This image is from Mount Vernon Museum of incandescent lighting. It is a picture of the Thomas Houston Case in the Carbon Room. Here is the link: http://www.angelfire.com/pe/pasttech/tour1.html

The Court of Honor lighting also included a luxauleator, or “a curtain of light.” This creation consisted of a border of incandescent lights around the four sides of the stage opening. An invention credited to Steel MacKaye, newspapers reported it as “a peculiar optical illusion” originally created for the Spectatorium in Chicago (The Wichita Eagle, May 26, 1893, pg. 6). Unfortunately, the construction of this massive scenic electric theater was never completed for the Columbian Exposition and the project was abandoned (see past installment #187). MacKaye’s luxauleator used rows of lamps that were placed in conical shaped reflectors. The newspaper article further reported, “The modus operandi was very simple, the mere turning of a switch being all that is necessary; the same movement of the switch that throws the current of electricity into the lamps of the luxauleator, also turns out all the lights upon the stage and the effect produced the same as if one were sitting in a brilliantly lighted room and endeavored to look out into darkness.”

MacKaye’s patent claimed, “In combination with the proscenium opening, a series of lamps bordering the same and provided with backings adapted to throw the space back of the lamps and the opening into complete shade, while flooding the opposite portion of the space with light so as to form in effect a vivid curtain or screen of light that will intercept all sight of persons or things occupying the shaded portion of the space, substantially as described.”

The Sosman & Landis electric scenic theater attractions in the roof top garden only lasted a year. The venue changed hands by May 1895 and reopened with “several new novelties” under the management of George A. Fair. The Chicago Tribune reported, “Everything connected with the roof garden is new, and the visitor last night saw but little to remind him of the same place last year. The electric scenic theater still remains, but the other stage has been moved around to the northeast corner of the roof. The present location affords a good view of the entertainment from every part of the roof. Directly In front of the stage are 3,510 opera chairs, while the rest of the floor space is given up to refreshment tables. A new feature of the garden is the concrete walks built around the dome of the roof, where an excellent view of the city and surrounding country can be obtained. It is the intention of the management to remove part of the glass roof, affording an opportunity of enjoying the view and listening to the entertainment going on below” (May 20, 1895).

View of the street from the top of the 1892 Chicago Masonic Temple.

I have to question the use of 3510 opera chairs. That was a dramatic increase from the original 150 for the two original theaters.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 264 – The Masonic Temple’s Electric Theatre – A Day in the Alps

The Chicago Masonic Temple (1892-1939) with two electric scenic theaters manufactured by Sosman & Landis. They were place on the roof top venue during 1894.

“A City Under One Roof – The Masonic Temple” was an article in “Scientific American” (Feb. 10, 1894). It reported, “Of all the buildings of our Western sister Chicago, none is more remarkable than the Masonic Temple, a structure which, in its functions, dimensions and construction, is one of the unique buildings of the world. In spite of its name, it is proudly claimed to be the “highest commercial building in the world.” In it we find exemplified the union of Freemasonry and commerce, a four and one-half million dollar building supplying beautiful halls and parlors for Masonic rite, as well as an unequaled collection of business offices.”

One of the theaters for the Chicago’s Scottish Rite. The stage scene depicts the 15th degree setting for the palace of King Cyrus.

The Masonic Temple was situated on the corner of Randolph and State Streets and measured three hundred and two feet high. The architects were Burnham & Root, with Burnham also being selected as the Columbian Exposition’s Director General of Works. The general dimensions were 175’ (front) by 113’ (depth). The building was eighteen stories high with fourteen elevators. The seventeenth and eighteenth floors being occupied by Masonic rooms, York Rite Drill rooms and Scottish Rite stages.

View looking down at the main lobby in the first floor of the 1892 Chicago Masonic Temple.

The main entrance was a granite arch that measured 45’ high by 38’ wide, larger than most proscenium arches for Scottish Rite theaters at the time.

Main entrance to the 1892 Chicago Masonic Temple.

A “Western Electrician” article reported, “Upon entering the building a visitor’s attention is attracted by a large sign composed of incandescent lamps in the form of a hand pointing upward and the words ‘Electric Scenic Theaters.’ From the tip of the forefinger of the hand a row of lights extends upward the entire height of the building to the garden. This is called a “chaser,” and the lamp globes are of different colors. By means of a switch light passes along the line, changing in hue as it ascends, until it reaches the glass roof of the building.” This switch, as well as many of the devices in the Masonic Temple theaters, was designed and built by C. D. Baker, the electrical engineer for Sosman & Landis. There is much more information about the technical aspects of the lighting system posted at Chicagology. Here is the link: https://chicagology.com/goldenage/goldenage026/

When the Columbia Exposition closed during the fall of 1893, Sosman & Landis began plans to convert the Masonic Temple roof into two electric scenic theatres. Articles noted that the new theatre went beyond the mere imitation of “A Day in the Alps” with “extended improvements and with more attention paid to detail.” The roof garden space atop the Masonic Temple was 302 feet from the ground, an incentive to draw any audience to see a show. It was Sosman & Landis of Chicago who designed and managed the venue.

Advertisement depicting the roof top garden on top of the Chicago Masonic Temple in 1894.

Each electric scenic theater was designed with a seating capacity of 75. The first theatre replicated “A Day in the Alps” from the Columbian Exposition’s Midway Plaisance, presenting an alpine scene where a mountain stream formed a motion picture screen. Upon the river’s banks were houses and a nearby chapel. A mill in the foreground and bridge were included, allowing villagers to cross. High upon a snow-peaked mountain was a lovely castle. The production was also called “A Day in the Alps.” The show started with the midnight toll of the bell. The gloaming of dawn was followed by a brilliant. As on the midway, a thunderstorm approached, passing over the scene with vivid flashes of lightning and loud rolling thunder. Dusk soon appeared and the moon rose into the night sky until the clock struck midnight again. Twenty-four hours of in an alpine setting. Focusing lamps, rheostat boxes, switches, reflectors and other devices for the atmospheric effects were placed behind the scene.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 262 – It’s Electric!

The Columbian Exposition in 1893 introduced many new concepts and products. From a culinary standpoint, new products included Cracker Jack, Juicy Fruit gum, Quaker Oats, Cream of Wheat, shredded Wheat, and Milton Hershey’s version of chocolate. But there was another product featured at the fair, and it was not contained to any one building – electricity. Not only was there an official building dedicated to electricity, but it dominated the White City. The mammoth white buildings gleamed and glistened with electric lights under evening skies.

A view of the Columbian Exposition in Chicago at night during 1893.

The Columbian Exposition at night with the Midway Plaisance and iconic Ferris Wheel in the distance.

There was battle across the country for who would light this land and the interior of every business. One of the first major battles for light occurred during the Columbia Exposition. Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse both put in bids to light the fair. Westinghouse, armed with Tesla’s new induction motor submitted an extremely low bid and eventually won the contract. Originally, Tesla planned on using GE bulbs, but Edison who was still irked would not sell to Tesla and Westinghouse. In the end, Westinghouse came up with an even more efficient double-stopper light bulb. Tesla’s 12 thousand-horsepower AC polyphase generators created the City of Light. Some even referred to Tesla’s machines as “Teslas’ animals.” On May 1, 1893 approximately 100,000 lamps illuminated the White City. Electricity and AC current would soon spread across the country. In the next few years, AC power would become the standard for 80% of the country.

One of the most visited exhibits at the Columbian Exposition was the Electricity Building. It was one seven buildings that enclosed the Great Court of the Entrance. The Manufacturers building and the Electricity building were on the north end, the Machinery and Agricultural building on the south end, the railway station on the west end, and the Peristyle with its pavilions on the east end. The Administration Building was in the center of the group. Each had a common height of sixty feet to the top of its cornice with a foot print of 350’ x 700.’

Proposed drawing for the Electricity Building at the Columbia Exposition in 1893.

Electricity Building for the Columbian Exposition with over 700 exhibits inside from all over the world.

The Electricity Building offered a variety of possibilities for the future of mankind with over 700 displays from all over the world, including exhibits from Germany, France, England, Canada, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Sweden, Mexico and Russia. General Electric, Fort Wayne Electric, Brush Electric, Germania Electric, La Roche Electric Co., Akron Electric Co., Eddy Electric Co., Crocker-Wheeler Electric, Hansen & Van Winkle Electric, National Electric Co., Heisler Electric Co., Detroit Electric Works, Excelsior Electric, Electric Forging Co., Jenney Electric Motor Co., C & C Motor Co., Munsen Belting Co., Hornell Iron Works, Riker Motor Co., Perkins Lamp Co., New York Insulated Wire Co., E. S. Greeley & Co., Belknap Motor Co., Arnold Motor Co., A.C. Mather, Swan Lamp Co., were just a few of the business represented in the building.

However, no one anticipated exactly how much noise would be emitted from displaying all this new technology. Bright lights came at a price in a confined space! A deafening noise from the machinery accompanied the electrical displays. It was recorded that many people left after just a few minutes when they encountered the noise from the machines.

A guidebook explained “The next most prominent exhibit in the [Electrical] building is that of the Western Electric Company, of Chicago, immediately to the east of the main south entrance. This company has three pavilions, one an Egyptian temple paneled on the outside most uniquely with Egyptian figures and groups associated with electricity. For instance, there is a group of Egyptian maidens, of the time of Ramses the Second, operating a telephone board, and another group of men of the same period laying telegraph lines. The conceit is very popular.”

The Egyptian Temple in the Electricity Building as part of the Western Electric Company exhibit. This display was created by Sosman & Landis scenic studio of Chicago.

This Egyptian Temple was created by Sosman & Landis and painted by Thomas G. Moses and his crew. Even though there was another Egyptian Temple on the fairgrounds, the Temple of Luksor that was located on the Midway Plaisance, Western Electric Company created “Hello Central.” Western Electric’s intention was to clash the past with the present – ancient hieroglyphs with the modern telephones.

The Egyptian Temple of the Midway Plaisance for the Columbian Exposition.

Another part of Western Electric’s pavilion in the Electricity Building was a painted stained glass window illuminated by incandescent lamps. As on the stage, the stained glass composition was panted with dye on a piece of fabric. When the translucent material was lit from behind, it took on a magic of its own – glowing for all to see.

Stained glass window created by Sosman & Landis for Western Electric Company’s display in the Electricity Building at the Columbian Exposition, 1893.

Western Electric contracted Sosman & Landis to design not only the Egyptian pavilion and this stained glass translucency, but also a small electric stage. They created a small stage diorama that would demonstrate the use of electric light for theatre productions. There was a switchboard with a combination of arc and incandescent lights to illuminate the small display. But this was not the only electric theatre at the Fair.

The switchboard for the electric theatre by Western Electric Co. in the Electricity Building at the Columbian Exposition. The small stage was created by Sosman & Landis. The Scenic studio’s office were across the street from Western Electric Co. on Clinton Street in Chicago.

Another gained immediate popularity on the Midway Plaisance – the Electric Scenic Theatre where “A Day in the Alps” was presented. This was also the product of Sosman & Landis Studio and painted Thomas G. Moses. That will be the topic for tomorrow.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 259 – Thomas G. Moses and the Columbian Exposition, 1893

Thomas G. Moses and Ella found a number of good prospects while house hunting in 1893. They eventually selected one particular house in Oak Park, Illinois, that was relatively new – only a year old. Moses wrote that their new home had “very fine wood-work, a large stable, driveway, and a 60 x 178 foot lot.” They bought the house for $8,575.00, today’s equivalent of $222,238.22. Although the amount was much more than the couple wanted to pay, Moses wrote that it appealed to them as no other one had. He had a perfect spot for a home studio with plenty of light.

The couple moved into their new house on May 1, 1893 – the same day that the Columbian Exposition opened in Chicago. Moses noted that their new home now provided plenty of room to entertain World Fair visitors.

World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1893. Thomas G. Moses created a variety of painted scenery both for the fairgrounds and nearby performance venues.

Bird’s eye view of the 1893 Chicago fairgrounds where Thomas G. Moses was hired to create painted scenery for a variety of performance venues and exhibits.

The Columbian Exposition lasted from May 1 until October 30, 1893. It was organized to commemorate the 400^th anniversary of Columbus’ landfall in the New World. By 1890, the U. S. Congress had the job to select a city that would host the World Fair. Potential exposition sponsors made enormous pledges to become principal contenders as New York, Washington D.C., St. Louis, and Chicago all vied for the honor to host the world fair. It was Chicago banker Lyman Gage’s ability to raise several million additional dollars in a 24-hour period that bested New York’s final offer, prompting Congress to vote in Chicago’s favor. This was just the beginning of many struggles surrounding the site selection, property rights, traffic congestion, the construction process, exhibit selection and identification of exposition authorities. The eventual decision to construct a “White City” with neoclassical structures also prompted debate. Regardless, this event not only became a defining moment in the history of Chicago, but also became a defining moment for many other areas of industry.

A Photograph depicting one small portion of the famed Columbian Exposition’s White City.

There were two distinct areas of the fair: the White City and the Midway Plaisance. Taking lead from the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition, the midway included representations of various people and cultures. Chicago’s exposition directors placed the Midway under the direction of Harvard’s Frederic Ward Putnam. He was also selected to organize the fair’s Anthropology Building. Putnam’s Midway vision was to create a living outdoor museum depicting various countries, especially those with “primitive” human beings that would educate fair visitors. Visitors had an opportunity to “measure the progress of humanity toward the ideal of civilization” (http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1386.html). All of the ethnographic villages and most of the other attractions in the Midway, however, were simply commercial ventures organized by entrepreneurs who obtained concessions through the Ways and Means Committee of the World’s Columbian Commission. The Midway Plaisance country exhibits included: an Indian Village; an Americas and Indian Village; Dahomey Village, Austrian Village; German Village; Panorama of the Burmese Alps; Dutch Settlement; Chinese Village,Theatre and Tea House; Japanese Bazaar; Javanese Theatre; Morocco Exhibits, Panorama of Kilaueau; a Roman House; the Eiffel Tower; Model of St. Peter; National Hungarian Orpheum; Algeria and Tunis Exhibit; a Street in Cairo, a Moorish Palace, a Turkish Village and many other commercial ventures that had specific products to market such as the Exhibit of Irish Industries; the French Cider Press, the Venice Murano Glass Company and the Bohemian Glass Company.

One of the many guides for the Midway Plaisance at the 1893 Columbian Exposition.

Map of the 1893 Columbian Exposition Midway Plaisance.

The Columbian Exposition provided theatrical manufacturers, such as Sosman & Landis with many lucrative opportunities. Massive profits were gained in a very short period of time. Moses wrote, “We were simply swamped with work and the prices were big.” Sosman & Landis, like many others anticipated the final push towards opening day. Their decision to open an annex studio on the West Side of Chicago would be a convenient space to construct a variety of painted scenery for performance venues and other exhibits. Although the space was initially pitched to Moses as his own personal studio for subcontracted work, it really was the studio that would be ideal for fairground production. Studio space anywhere near the White City would be at a premium and clients would be scrambling at the last-minute to secure a variety of manufacturers. Their annex studio wasn’t so much for Moses as the anticipated workload in conjunction with the opening of the Columbian Exposition. I have to wonder at what point Moses realized this factor.

Sosman & Landis had a great many exhibits to do at the Fair as well as scenery for outside shows. Moses’ typed manuscript personally documents his involvement in scenery for a variety of productions that included “The Outsider,” “Columbus” for Mr. Leavitt, “Fabio Romana,” “The Black Crook,” “A Day in the Swiss Alps,” “South Sea Islanders,” “Kansas State Exhibit,” “The Laplanders,” “Streets of Cairo,” Javanese Theatre, Chinese Theatre, a dozen big floats, “Lady of Venice” for Buffalo Bill, W.F. Cody and many others. He also worked on productions that were nearby the fairgrounds such the Trocodevs, the Empire Theatre and the Isabella Theatre. But there were many others produced by the Sosman and Landis studio, such as the various displays in for Western Electric Co. Each of these projects is a worthwhile story to understand and appreciate Moses contributions to the Columbian Exposition.

The next series of posts will examine the Chicago projects that Moses worked on in 1893, both inside and outside of the fairgrounds.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 244 – Thomas G. Moses and the Old Waverly Theatre

In 1892, the Sosman and Landis Company opened another studio space on the West Side of Chicago. They rented the “old Waverly theatre” and referred to this second space as “the Annex.” According to Thomas G. Moses, the studio measured 93 feet wide by 210 feet long and 40 feet high. It had four paint frames with plenty of floor space for all kinds of work. This space was specifically secured for Moses and his crew. By August 1892, Moses found the new Studio all finished and they moved in immediately. His arrangement with Sosman & Landis was to receive all of their sub-contracted work. This statement has always intrigued me as the majority of Masonic installations were subcontracted to Sosman & Landis by M.C. Lilley. When did the subcontracting begin, and if not Masonic, who else was subcontracting work to scenic studios – architectural firms?

Furthermore, he wrote that Sosman & Landis would supply all of the paint supplies for the Annex Studio at no charge. Moses records that his studio crew included A. J. Rupert, Frank Peyrand and Harry Vincent besides a number of assistants and paint boys. He wrote, “It was awfully hard to keep the building warm. It was so big we had to use stoves.” Even with his own studio, however, Moses was still constantly sent on the road to complete on site work for the company. During these extended absences, Ed Loitz took charge of the Annex studio.

A program from the Waverly Theatre before it became the Annex Studio for Sosman & Landis in 1892.

Very little is known of the first Waverly Theatre space in Chicago. It was advertised as “Chicago’s Parlor Theatre” in Chicago Tribune during 1888. “Jno. B. Jeffery’s Guide and Directory to the Opera Houses, Theatres, Public Halls, Bill Posters, Etc.” (1889) noted that the Waverly was “formerly Grenier’s Garden & Theatre” on West Madison, Throop and Ada Streets. The 1892 “World Almanac and Bureau of Information” published that the physical address of the old Waverly theater was 454 W. Madison St. This is not to be confused with a later Waverly Theatre constructed in 1913. The stage old Waverly’s stage measured 40’ x 60’ with a seating capacity of 1400. This would have made a sizable studio and been a particular challenge to heat in the winter, especially when trying to keep the size water for painting in a liquid state.

Chicago theaters listed in the 1892 “World Almanac and Bureau of Information.” The Waverly became a second scenic studio for Sosman & Landis by August 1892.

In 1888, the Waverly’s manager was Burr Robbins with Andy Mackay as the assistant manager. By 1889, W. H. Powell was listed as the new manager. On June 30, 1889, the Chicago Tribune announced, “The Waverly Theatre has lately changed hands and is now being run as a first-class family theatre. The audiences for the last two weeks have been largely made up of the leading people of the West side and the performances were worthy of patronage. The Gaiety Opera Company under the management of A. Mackay has been playing to large houses in “Fra Diavolo.” Next week there will be a revival of “H.M.S. Pinafore,” with Messrs. Alonzo Hatch and Mack Charles and Miss Golde in the leading roles. The theatre is admirably adapted and well located for a family theatre and under the new management ought to prosper” (page 15).”

Four years later in 1892, the theatre was transformed into the second studio for Sosman & Landis. Obviouosly the management fof the Waverly theatre had not been successful. I was intrigued with the reason for the reconfiguration of the space and started digging through newspapers. I wanted to see if there was any mention about the Waverly’s close or transformation into a scenic studio space. Just about the time I had exhausted all possibilities, I came across a phenomenal article that included the line, “Chicago is universally acknowledged as the World’s Greatest scenic center.” This caught my attention. As I read the article, another paragraph stood out:

“Chicago is today the largest scenic supply center in the country. Of the eighteen theatres in this city the major portion have their own scenic artists. Three mammoth studios here send their art product as far east as Maine and all over the west to the shores of the Pacific. The oldest firm here in this line of work claims to have supplied nearly 1,300 opera houses, theatres, and halls with scenery during the last ten years, and of late business has increased enormously.”

Image of “a Chicago Scenic Studio” published in the Chicago Sunday Tribune during 1892.

“Three mammoth studios” with one being noted as “the oldest firm.” The names of the studios were not provided, so I started thinking about who was in operation at this point in Chicago. By 1891, Walter Burridge had partnered with Ernest Albert and Oliver Grover to create Albert, Grover & Burridge. That had to be one of the three studios. The oldest firm also had to be Sosman & Landis. Who owned the third “mammoth studio” in Chicago that I had never stumbled across? What it an individual’s company that used an actual theater space?

The article was fascinating and read as a “Who’s Who” in scenic art by 1892. It is certainly worth posting in it’s entirety for historical record. Therefore, I have turned it into a word document. It will be the topic of my next few posts due to its length.

Another treasure! This article is a proverbial “holy grail” for the scenic art world.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 238 – Thomas G. Moses in Duluth, Minnesota

I return to the life and work of Thomas G. Moses in 1891. This was more than three decades before Moses would design and paint the Scottish Rite scenery for Fort Scott, Kansas.

In 1891, Thomas G. Moses and Perry Landis went to Duluth, Minnesota. They were in town to close an $8.954.00 contract with A. M. Miller, owner of the Lyceum Theater. Moses commented that this northern Minnesota project was “a very good price and a good sized job.” Today’s equivalent of $8,954.00 is $232,060.70, a substantial contract indeed! On March 24, 1891, Moses arrived in Duluth and commenced his work for this ”very fine” building.

The Lyceum Theatre in Duluth, Minnesota. Sosman & Landis Studio received the contract to provide scenery for this venue in 1891.

The theater was located at 423-431 West Superior Street and advertised as “the finest place of amusement in the Northwest.” The architectural firm of Traphagen and Fitzpatrick designed this brick and brownstone building with its massive corner towers.

Advertisement for the architectural firm of Traphagen & Fitzpatrick. They designed the Lyceum theater in Duluth. Sosman & Landis produced the rigging and scenery for the building during 1891.

The main entrance included a triple arch with bronze doors and “Lyceum” carved above the entry.

Main entrance to the Lyceum Theater in Duluth, Minnesota.

Theatre masques, lions, and floral motifs further decorated the exterior of the building. The seating capacity was 1,664 and electric light illuminated both the stage and auditorium.

Julius Cahn’s Theatrical Guide notes that the Lyceum’s proscenium opening was 39 feet high by 39 feet wide. The depth of the stage from footlights to the back wall was 45 feet, while the distance between the front curtain and footlights was 5 feet. The backstage width between the sidewalls 75 feet. The distance from the stage to the rigging loft was 75 feet with two bridges. The theatre had one set of grooves for painted wing possibilities that accommodated a height up to 20 feet. Furthermore, the grooves could be taken up flush with the fly gallery. The depth under the Lyceum stage measured 15 feet and included 6 traps. The stage carpenter for the venue was William Longstreet and the electrician O. Hutchenson.

The owner of the Lyceum was A. M. Miller, a Duluth lumber baron with humble beginnings as a railroad section boss. Moses noted that Miller “saved and invested years ago. He is now worth over $12,000,000.00 which all came from Timber Land. He is also the President of the Duluth Bank.” Moses recalled that Miller was fine man who enjoyed his company. Miller financed the Lyceum that was initially home to operas, plays, and vaudeville. Live theater reined until 1921 when it transitioned into a movie house.

The Spalding Hotel in Duluth, Minnesota, where Thomas G. Moses stayed while painting the scenery for the Lyceum Theater.

When Moses arrived in Duluth, he checked into the Spalding Hotel and soon got started on the list of scenes. Ed Loitz and Joe Hart assisted Moses with the painting. Loitz first joined the Sosman & Landis Studio in 1883 and would continue to paint with Moses until 1900, even after Moses left the studio for a second time to form another partnership in New York City. Moses wrote, “we had every convenience that enabled us to do good work in a short time.”

Superior Street in Duluth with Lyceum Theater depicted in left foreground of composition.

Moses recalled that although the weather was “bitterly cold” in Duluth, they all enjoyed it. He wrote, “We worked nearly every night. We had a big list of scenes and everything had to be done well! Nothing pleased us better than to know that our work would be mentioned years after.” He would continue on to describe that the scenery installation was “One of the most complete outfits of any theatre” to date.

Moses, Loitz and Hart completed their work at the Lyceum on June 1.^. Moses was surprised when he received a check in full upon the immediate completion of the project. He commented that the prompt payment was “something unusual.”

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 236 – Thomas G. Moses Returns to Altoona in 1890

Moses painted scenery from Pennsylvania to the Pacific Coast during 1890. One of his many theater projects was in Altoona, Pennsylvania where he worked in 1888 for Louis Plack’s Mountain City Theatre. Located on Eleventh Street and Twelfth Avenues, it opened in February, 1888 with a production by Emma Abbott’s Opera Company. Plack managed the theatre until it was destroyed by fire on March 5, 1889. This was to be the first of Altoona’s many theatre fires. Plack then built the Phoenix Block, a business building, on the Mountain City Theatre site. By 1906 the complex was remodeled to include the Lyric Theatre. This building was also destroyed by fire on February 24, 1907. Again, it was rebuilt and subsequently named the Orpheum Theatre, the Embassy Theatre, and then the Penn Theatre.

It was also in Altoona during 1888 where Moses reconnected with Perry Landis while each was hoping to secure the same scenery contract with J. T. Baltzell and Charles B. Rouss.

Ad for Baltzell & Rouss, owners of the Mountain City Theatre in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Moses painted scenery for them as a Sosman & Landis employee in 1890.

They were the owners of the Eleventh Avenue Opera House. Moses and Landis’ chance meeting in Altoona resulted in Moses returning to the Sosman & Landis studio. He had originally left the studio to found “Burridge, Moses, and Louderback Studio.” In Altoona, Baltzell only awarded Sosman & Landis the scenery contract with the terms that Moses would paint all of the drops. Moses was a very well-known scenic artist by 1888 and would prove to be a valuable asset to Sosman & Landis. He had worked as a scenic artist all over the country and was greatly respected for his work after having been in the profession for 14 years by that point.

This background for Baltzell & Rouss’ Eleventh Avenue Theatre on Opera Block is worth mentioning as it was Altoona’s leading playhouse for a quite a period of time. It also parallels the construction Plack’s endeavor, the Mountain City Theatre that was undergoing a similar change about the same time.

The Eleventh Avenue Opera House was originally built in 1868 as a market house. In 1874 it was purchased by William T. Marriott and later sold to Rouss during the spring of 1888. Prior to Rouss’ ownership, however, a theatre had been constructed on the upper floor. It was Rouss, who practically rebuilt the entire building. The Opera House was four stories high, but only the upper portion was devoted to a theatrical enterprise. The reconstructed theatre opened on October 1, 1888 with an opening night performance featuring Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Florence in “The Mighty Dollar.” Baltzell & Rouss initially occupied the lower floor as merchants. A later tenant was the Imperial Dry Goods Company. The theatre itself was large, with a main floor furnished to include cane-seated chairs and a gallery.

The theatre’s first manager, E.D. Griswold, was succeeded by I. C. Mishler and Charles S. Myers as managers, who brought in many notable productions.

I. C. Mishler later went on to build his own theatre in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

The Eleventh Street Theatre was destroyed by fire on June 14, 1907. A few months prior to its destruction, a law passed by the Pennsylvania Legislature prohibiting the use of any but a ground floor for theatrical purposes, ending this property’s use as a theatre.

Ok. So those are the two theatres outfitted by Moses in 1888. For Plack’s he was representing his own studio and for Baltzell & Rouss’ he was representing Sosman & Landis. Why was he back in town during 1890 and what were the two theatres that he was working on?

There were two theatres that were being planned simultaneously in 1890, the East Side Theatre and the World’s Museum. The East Side Theatre, later the home of the Frohsinn Singing Society (German Singing Society), was located on Ninth Avenue and Twelfth Street (1108 N. 12^th Ave.) The building was completed in 1891. The hall was located on the second floor and had a seating capacity of 1000 people. During the first few years it was regularly used as a theatre with Cloyd W. Kerlin as the manager and Fred Schneider as the manager of home theatricals. The East Side theatre was also mentioned as the location where the installation of Grand Lodge Officers for the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania was on Feb. 3, 1914 (Proceedings, 1914). So the Freemasons continued to use this venue too.

The other theatre that would have been in the planning and construction phase during 1890 was the World’s Museum in the Woodcock Arcade on Eleventh Avenue near Fifteenth Street. It was completed in 1891 and was in operation until it was leveled from fire on January 30, 1893.

The only other possible commercial entertainment venue candidate would have been the Eden Musee, Menagerie, Curio Hall and Theatorium, located at Green Avenue and Eleventh Street. It opened on September 5, 1892 by Harry Davis, manager of the Fifth Avenue Museum in Pittsburgh.

But seeing the Masonic use of the East Side theatre made me rethink my line of research. There was another potential venue where Moses painted scenery – the Masonic Temple or any of the many other fraternal spaces with small stages in Altoona. So what was being constructed in 1889-1890? The Masonic Temple. That will be my next post!

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 221 – California Dreaming

On April 6, 1889, the Oakland Tribune reported, “Thomas Moses is in Auburn” (page 7). He was there to stay for a while and Ella was pregnant with their fourth child.

During his time in California, Moses made some models and did $1000.00 worth of painting for the State Fair Show in Sacramento. He and Loitz worked on this extra project while finishing the scenery for Booth and Barrett. This would have been while painting the New California Theatre. On completing the Sacramento job, Mr. Tubin (the head man) gave Moses $50.00 and Loitz $10.00 for their earnest endeavors to make this show the best on the grounds. It was a Mother Goose Fairy Tale for the children and was presented under a big tent.

Extra work for Moses included painting the scenery for a production of “Hamlet” while at the New California. It was so well received that they wanted Moses to accompany them back East and repeat it in Chicago. However, he had too much work on his hands already and remained at the New California Theatre to complete their contract with Booth & Barrett. Joe Murphy was another client who played at the New California and hired Moses to paint some additional pieces for his show. Moses’ painted scenery was getting a lot of attention and his skills as a scenic artist were in high demand. Moses wrote, “Mr. Hayman wanted me to sign a contract and remain at the theatre for $75.00 per week. I couldn’t do it.”

This would have been a wonderful compliment to Moses, but it also posed a threat to the Sosman & Landis studio. Moses had already left for greener pastures already. It was just a matter of time before he realized that he could make a much better living working by himself instead of remaining on salary with the studio.

Work was plentiful and Moses’ small family was growing. They celebrated the birth of Rupert on July 24 and they were making a lot of friends in the area. Sosman & Landis must have sensed that Moses might never return and soon called him back to Chicago for another painting project. There was a drop curtain to paint for Evansville, Indiana. Moses insisted on painting it in California and simply shipping it back to the studio. He recalled the difficulty in shipping back the drop to Chicago before it was sent on to Evansville. By September, he was sent on the road for another project, effectively giving up his hope to remain in Los Angeles. That fall, he sent his family back to Chicago. He wrote, “Ella and the four children started for home September 23 – some job for her. But she got along nicely as the passengers were awfully good to her and Pitt was a great deal of help.”

After his family left, Moses and Loitz headed to Tacoma, Washington to paint scenery for the new opera house. It was an opportunity to not only paint scenery, but also sketch the picturesque landscape surrounding the bustling town. Moses wrote, “My first view of Mt. Shasta I shall never forget. It was sunset and all the foreground and middle distance was in shadow.

Made a rapid pencil sketch and have since painted it in watercolor and oil, with some success.” From the beginning of the train ride it was an adventure for the two. During the trip, Moses was sketching the mountains from the steps of the sleeper, when the double-head locomotive broke away from the train and continued rapidly ahead without the cars. They immediately pulled the brakes, forcing the loose cars to stop. Both Moses and Loitz recognized the dangerous situation and leapt from the train. Had the eleven cars started down the oncoming steep grade, they would have run out of control. They were stranded for a bit while waiting for the engine to return and pick up the cars.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 220 – The New California Theatre

Moses arrived in San Francisco on February 3, 1889. Moses rented a new house at 1715 Eddy Street. It was some distance out, but near a good school. He wrote, “Ella and the children were certainly glad to see me back and I was glad to get back. We were soon packed up and on our way to Frisco.” Loitz soon joined him and they started painting by February 21. Despite of the “knocking” he received from local artists, Moses had lot of newspaper publicity. He recorded that this put him “on the map in Frisco in big time.” The theatre opened in May and his East Indian Drop Curtain received some very good notice. Moses wrote, “my scenery was even praised by the previous knockers, so I must have done my best.”

He had been working on the remaining scenery for the New California Theatre. Here is the article in its entirety from the Oakland Daily Evening Tribune (Friday, April 19, 1889, page 3) as it is certainly worth the read!

The New California Theatre

“The New California theatre in San Francisco approaches completion so rapidly and systematically that it is safe to promise that the grand opening of the beautiful edifice by Messrs. Booth and Barrett will occur as announced, May 13^th. There are so many new and striking departures in the plan and construction of Mr. Hayman’s new theater, all tending to the comfort and safety of actors, as well as patrons, that it will be, when finished, the only theater of its kind in the country. The building itself is a massive fire proof structure, isolated entirely on three sides, and adjoining, by a brick wall without opening of any kind, the building of the City Fire Department, the wall of which is also a solid fireproof one. From the spacious and beautiful arched entrance on Bush street the floor rises by gradual ascent, without any break whatever until the auditorium is reached, the massive iron stairs leading to the balcony and upper circle rising without a curve from the extreme right of the vestibule. Owing to the very slight curve of the dress circle and balcony rail, there are no side seats, nearly every one presenting a full front to the stage, which by this arrangement is brought much nearer than is generally the case.

The absence of wood in the construction of the auditorium, which is iron-lathed throughout, and the iron rails and chairs, render protection from fire absolutely certain. Between the auditorium and the stage there rises from the foundation to the roof a massive brick wall in which the immense proscenium arch, 38 feet wide and 39 feet high, is backed y an absolutely fire-proof curtain, hung on a wire cable secured to the brick work by heavy iron rings. In the roof over the stage there are six large skylights that open automatically at a temperature of 150 degrees, allowing heat or smoke to escape instead of being carried over the house. The hose appliances and automatic sprinkling attachment will furnish abundant means for promptly extinguishing an incipient fire, and as the scenery is all chemically treated and prepared with an incombustible paint, another cause of danger is removed.

While every possible precaution had been taken to prevent cause for panic, ample means are provided for immediate egress by fourteen exits, fur on each upper floor and six downstairs, and it is believed that the house, which will seat 1800 persons can be emptied in three or four minutes if no rushing of crowding occurs. Incandescent electric lights alone will be used in the house, no arrangement being made for gas, either o the stage or in the auditorium. Three separate engines with dynamos are provided, two of which will be held in reserve in case of accident, and all the usual effects of colored lights on the stage will be given by a system of switches which will produce instantaneous changes.

As far as possible, drops only will be used on the stage, which has facilities for hanging sixty-two drops, thirty by forty-five feet in size. In case grooves are needed, an ingenious invention on the plan of the parallel ruler will be employed, which permits lifting the grooves out of the way when not in use. The largest and most varied stock of scenery ever is being furnished a new house is now being painted by Thomas Moses, the artist for Messrs. Sosman & Landis of Chicago, whose light embraces thirty-two full sets, requiring 7000 yards of linen. The feature of horizon settings is a semi-circle rod on which is hung by rings, dispensing entirely with wings and giving the effect of great distance. Five different street scenes, complete in every detail,; five Gothic interiors of entirely different character, French, modern, plain, and fancy chambers, palaces, prison, kitchen, and garret – each scene requiring fifteen to twenty pieces – are already finished or under way, besides a number of exteriors of great beauty and variety.

There are thirty dressing rooms, separated from the stage by brick, fireproof wall, and provided with hot and cold water, retiring rooms, and other comforts usually unknown to actors. The dressing rooms have windows looking out into the open court, and are provided with improved fire escapes. The chairs in the auditorium are of the latest style, and there are eight beautiful pagoda like proscenium boxes, decorated in the East Indian style, which, indeed, is the general style of the house decoration, the drop curtain representing a hunting scene in the Indies.

Every arrangement for the comfort and convenience of patrons has been made, including a comfortable smoking room for gentlemen and a luxurious and elegantly furnished parlor and retiring room absolutely sacred to the ladies. The hotel to which the new California Theater is an adjunct will not be finished until some time after the completion of the theater, which is already well booked for sterling attractions to follow the great Booth and Barrett season which opens it.”

There is so much to comment on, especially the fire prevention system and fire-proof paint on the scenery. This is fifteen years before the fire at the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago. As usual, California is ahead of the game. But there also is conscious decision to not have grooves, yet make allowances for those who still want them. They are cutting edge and ahead of their time. What a great article for future analysis.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 219 – California, Here I Come!

Map of Los Angeles in 1888 when Thomas G. Moses went to work painting scenery.

In 1888, Thomas G. Moses secured a substantial amount of work at the Grand Theatre, Spring Street Theatre and New California Theatre in California. He envisioned so many projects in one area that he decided to temporarily relocate his family to California. They rented three rooms in a private home on Temple Street for $50.00 per month, but there was a “land boom” in Los Angeles and everything was expensive.

Area near Temple Street where Thomas G. Moses lived while working in Los Angeles, California.

After a summer of constant travel the Moses family departed for California on August 25 and arrived in Los Angeles on August 31. They had rented their fully-furnished Chicago house to a dentist, wife and a bull dog. Moses later wrote that the bulldog “made antiques of all our rugs and draperies.”

Moses was constantly on the go and ready to settle in one spot for a while. California must have seemed like a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with Ella and his children. He had been crossing the country from coast-to-coast, juggling painting projects from Pennsylvania to California. Pennsylvania projects included theatre in South Bethlehem and Altoona. By September 17 he completed the scenery for the Grand Theatre and started the Spring Street theatre painting by Sept. 25. The few days in between projects, he and Ella enjoyed several days running about Santa Monica and other resorts. During this time they discovered an old school mate, Mary Jones, now Mrs. Connell, living directly opposite of them – a happy surprise.

Moses’ Spring Street Theatre project lasted from September 25 until November 20. At its completion, he fully expected to go to San Francisco and start on the New California theatre job as Booth and Barrett would be performing there in December. The New California Theatre job was later noted in the Dec. 17, 1888, publication of the Los Angeles Daily. The newspaper printed that “Booth and Barrett will open the new California Theatre in San Francisco, and we will again have the pleasure of seeing them.”

Ruins of the New California Theatre in 1906.

But Moses was not there for the opening. Unfortunately, the studio farmed out Moses’ painting skills on another project. He was sent east again and arrived in Chicago on November 27. There, Moses and Ed Loitz packed up their supplies and left for La Crosse, Wisconsin to began work on some scenery by December 1.

Map of La Crosse, Wisconsin, in the 1880s.

It took a month, but the two finished their project by January 1, 1889. Again, he expected to go back to his family in California, but there were some projects in the studio and he remained in Chicago. Moses wrote, “The new year of 1889 found me in a grouch, as I found I had fallen shy of $4000.00 for the past year. After all the hard work, I put in a month a round the studio and left Chicago the 30th of January. ” He was constantly away from his family and they were again spiraling into debt. I cannot imagine Moses’ frustration. He must have felt an utter failure as not only a husband and father, but also as a scenic artist. There was so much work to be had and he was not making any of the profits.

To be continued…