Stage Carpenters and Mechanics – Page 4

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 638 – Electrical Mechanism for Handling Hanging Scenery, 1910

Part 638: Electrical Mechanism for Handling Hanging Scenery, 1910

The best and worst part about writing my blog is I can go off on little tangents. There is no looming deadline, direction, or moment when all research needs to cease and I aim for a publication date. I try very hard not to get lost in the details, staying on track with a specific year in the life and times of Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934). However, the beauty of slowly meandering through history is that I get to fix incorrect information that I previously stated, or expand on something from an earlier post. Occasionally, I find a newspaper article and tuck it away for a specific year. Such is the case for the subject of today’s post, as it connects to the development of stage machinery during the first decade of the twentieth century. It aims at a stage improvement for operating scenery, similar to the idea that prompted the development of Brown’s special system. Electrical appliances to handle scenery was cutting-edge innovation in 1910.

I approach this information as a scenic artist and designer with some knowledge of stage machinery. I am not an expert in theater rigging or the history of counterweight systems. Luckily I have friends who are the experts in this field. It is wonderful to be able to throw out an idea without fear, or any thought that I may be reprimanded for my lack of knowledge. I may hear, “Didn’t you read my book?” or “I don’t think so.” But occasionally there will be a “That’s a remarkable discovery,” and “I hadn’t thought about that.” It reminds me of brainstorming for any project. It is only through continued discussions about discoveries with experts that new information comes to light. They bring additional information to the table, information that only can come through age and experience.

Here is a mind blowing article that I stumbled across well over a year ago. It was published in the “Lincoln Star” on Dec. 18, 1910. Keep that date in mind – 1910. I came across the article while I was looking for information pertaining to David H. Hunt, the Sosman & Landis salesman who was a founder of New York Studios, a scenic firm) and Sosman, Landis, & Hunt, a theatrical management company. New York Studios was advertised as the eastern affiliate of the Sosman & Landis, similar to many regional offices established by scenic studios during this time.

Here is the article in its entirety:

“A bas the stage hands,” exclaimed Mr. Martin Beck, general manager of the Orpheum circuit, today, says the Denver Times. Mr. Beck came to Denver to meet M. Meyerfield, Jr., president of the Orpheum circuit company. Together they are going to Oklahoma City to arrange for the building of an Orpheum theatre there, but that isn’t the cause of Mr. Beck’s breaking into French regarding the stage hands.

When confronted by an interviewer, Mr. Beck, with David H. Hunt of Chicago, a theatrical producer, and Frank W. Vincent of the New York booking offices were standing in front of the Orpheum theater. Mr. Beck was doing a juggling act with three solver dollars and Mr. Vincent was picking the currency out of the gutter, for Mr. Beck didn’t have the act down pat.

“I have just inspected the invention of Seth Bailey, stage manager of the Orpheum in Denver,” said Mr. Beck. “He has devised an electrical appliance which makes it possible for one man to handle sixty-five drops. It operates everything from the stage curtain to the back, gives absolute fire protection and does the work of an average of twenty stage hands. One man can operate it. It looks good to me, and if further tests prove it as successful as the indications are here we will install in all the Orpheum Theatres.

“The apparatus for handling drops, consisting of ropes and counterweights, has been the same for 200 years,” said A. C. Carson, manager of the Denver Orpheum house. “Mr. Bailey has perfected, the first invention, bringing the stage mechanism up to date. It has been a field neglected by inventors.”

“It is currently reported that you are now the kingpin in vaudeville controlling the entire situation,” was a suggestion o Mr. Beck.

The general manager of the Orpheum circuit gravely pocketed the dollars which were props in his juggling act. “That’s what they say?” he said, “but I am a modest man.”

“This is your first adventure into the southwest in the way of building theaters?” Mr. Beck was asked.

“Yes, but it will not be the last,” he replied. “We have no theatres in Pueblo or Colorado Springs.” “Are you going to build in either of those towns?”

“That would be telling,” smiled Mr. Beck, giving his interviewer a friendly tap with the ornate head of his ebony cane.”

A year later in 1912, newspapers reported, “Theatrical men and others in Denver have organized a $500,000 corporation to manufacture a mechanical device, which, it claimed, will reduce the number of stage hands needed in a theatre by three-fourths, at least. The new corporation is called the Bailey Fly Rail Machine Company. It is incorporated under the laws of Colorado. Seth Bailey, stage carpenter at the Denver Orpheum, is the inventor of the device. He worked on it several years before he announced that it was successful. About two months ago Martin Beck, M. Meyerfeld Jr., John W. Considine and other vaudeville managers, met in Denver and saw a demonstration of the apparatus. They appeared to be highly pleased with it. The names of A. C. Carson, manager of the Denver Orpheum; Fred W. Feldwich and Frank Bancroft appear at the prime movers in the matter of incorporation. Mr. Bancroft is an attorney. The device is operated by electricity (Wiles-Barre Times Leader, 18 Feb 1911, page 11). Other than patents, the stage carpenter and company never appear to depart from print. Here is information about the patents that were registered by Bailey at a little later.

Bailey obtained patent 1.027.027 Mechanism for Handling Hanging Scenery in Theater. Seth G. Bailey, Denver, Colo., assignor of one-forth to Martin Beck, New York, New York, and one fourth to Andrew C. Carson, Denver, Colo., Filed Nov. 28, 1910, Serial No. 594.466.

A second patent by Bailey was filed on Dec. 2, 1911. In the Official Gazette o the United States Patent Office, Vol. 200, published on Dec. 31, 1914, we find the following:

“Seth G. Bailey, assignor to The Bailey Theater Fly-Rail Machine Company, Denver, Colo. Scenery handling apparatus. No. 1,091,109; March 24; Gaz. Vol. 200, p. 958.”

One of two patents for the stage by Seth G. Bailey, stage carpenter

The second of two patents for the stage by Seth G. Bailey, stage carpenter

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 637 – John H. Bairstow (1844-1923)

Part 637: John H. Bairstow (1844-1923)

John Bairstow worked as the full-time stage carpenter at the Chicago auditorium from the time that it opened in 1889 until 1905.

John H. Bairstow was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, during 1844. His father was Fred Bairstow, and the Bairstows manufactured machines. They still are a family of inventors if you follow the Bairstow descendants. It is funny how some family lines will gravitate toward certain professions. Halifax’s main industry was manufacture of woolen’s, beginning in the 15^th century. By the 19^th century, much of the region’s wealth derived from a combination of cotton, wool and carpet industries, not unlike many other Yorkshire towns. There were a large number of weaving mills necessitating the manufacture and repair of loom as well as other mechanisms necessitated by the trade. Bairsstow came from a family of machinery manufacturers in Ovenden. An 1864 entry in the “London Gazette” mentioned the dissolution of Bairstow Brothers and Co. It was after this event and the end of the Civil War in the United States that John Bairstow immigrated to the United States. I have yet to locate the exact year.The entry is as follows:

“NOTICE is hereby given, that the Partnership heretofore subsisting between the undersigned, Thomas Bairstow, John Bairstow, Henry Peel, and Thomas Hudson Oldfield, in the trade or business of Machine Makers, carried on at Forest Mill, in Ovenden, in the parish of Halifax, and county of York, under the style or firm of Bairstow, Brothers, and Co., was this day dissolved by mutual consent, as to the said John Bairstow, and in future the business will be carried on by the said Thomas Bairstow, Henry Peel, and Thomas Hudson Oldfield on their separate account, who will pay and receive all debts owing- from and to the said partnership, in the regular course of business.—Witness our hands this 17th day of September, 1864.Thomas Bairstow. Henry Peel, John Bairstow. Thomas Hudson Oldfield.” This not the same John Bairstow, but a relative who stayed in the region.

At the age of twenty, Bairstow married Mally Scott. She would also go by the name of Molly. The couple married and immigrated to the United States and raised seven children – six sons and one daughter. The Bairstow children included Arthur, William H. John, Frank, Robert and James (who predeceased him). In Chicago John Bairstow worked as a stage mechanic for various venues, including McVickers theater and the Grand Opera. He accepted the position as stage mechanic for the Auditorium in 1888 at the age of 44 years old. Bairstow lived until the age of 78, four months and 27 days, passing away in February 1923. Like many of his theatre colleagues, he is buried at Rosehill Cemetery, Notices of Bairstow’s death were also sent to Halifax newsletters.

Little is known of Bairstow’s career from his arrival in Chicago until 1882. The “Chicago Tribune” lists his name in an advertisement for McVicker’s Theatre on Jul 29, 1882, page 7. It is an ad for the commencement of the Twenty-sixth season of McVickers. The theater reopened after completing a three-month renovation with improvements. Upon reopening, articles reported that the improvements “render it the Model Theatre of the World.” The ad continued, “In point of safety, there being now twenty-three separate exits from the auditorium.” The premiere production was “Taken From Life” “By Henry Pettitt, Esq., and is the sole proprietor of Mr. Sam’l Colville; has scenic illustrateds by Mssrs L. Malmsha and J. H. Rodgers: Mechanical Effects by John Bairstow and Frank E. Langridge; New Music by Karl Meyer; Stage Direction by Mr. AlexFitz Gerlad, who has been greatly aided through the kindness of J. D. Beveridge, whose familiarity with thebusiness of the drama has extended inro two hundred representations at the Aldelphi Theatre, London.”

Article that lists John Bairstow as a stage mechanic for the production, from John Bairstow, Chicago Tribune, 29 July 1892, page 7

John Bairstow is listed again in 1884 when certificates of organization were filed by the Chicago Theatrical Mechanics’ Association of Chicago, with John Barstow, John E. William, and Frank F. Goss as the organizers and first directors (“Chicago Tribune” on May 6, 1884, page 3). A month later, Bairstow was credited as the newly elected president of the Chicago Theatrical Mechanics Association in a short Chicago Tribune” article (Chicago Tribune 23 April 1884, page 8). Sixteen charter members represented various theaters in the city. The article reported, “The society will be benevolent and protective, and the membership will be strictly confined to the skilled working employees of theatres – stage-carpenters, scene-shifters, property-men, gas-men, etc. – of whom there are a large number in the city.” The other elected officers included Jay Tripp (vice-president), Frank F. Goss (recording secretary), Alfred W. Palmer (financial secretary), and John Faust (treasurer). By 1891 McVicker’s Theatre as their stage carpenter.

By 1891, the Theatrical Mechanics Association convention was held in Chicago from July 26-28. An article in the “Chicago Tribune” reported, “This association is composed of men working on the stages of the theaters throughout the United States and Canada. There are twenty-eight lodges in this country. Each will send delegates. The committee having charge of the entertainment of the delegates is James L. Quigley, John Bairstow, Willaim Edgerty, John Dutton, Frank Gammon, and C. F. Faber” (7 July 1891, page 3). Bai

Throughout the 1880s, Bairstow also worked as a stage carpenter at the Grand Opera and McVicker’s. An article published in the “Chicago Tribune” on May 13, 1888, included a portrait of Bairstow in an article. He was pictured in the section that discussed the Theatrical Mechanics Association. The article reported, “Chicago has also a Theatrical Mechanics’ Association, which takes in all the hands about a theatre except the actors and managers. Many persons are employed in the purely mechanical department of the theatre. At McVicker’s 120 persons were behind the curtain when Irving played, their duty being to look after scenery, lights, traps, ‘drops,’ properties, etc. It required sixty to look after ‘A Run of Luck,’ and forty is the average number of men employed. Mr. John Bairstow, master carpenter at McVicker’s, has been the head of the Theatrical Mechanics’ Association since it was started, but recently has been pushed out by radical members, who wish to make the society a labor instead of a mutual aid association. The men work only a couple hours a night, and they want $9 a week instead of $6. This exorbitant demand is likely to be firmly resisted by the capitalist managers. The theatrical mechanics will likely find that they have destroyed a worthy charity in forming a worthless labor machine” (page 25).

Sadly, the digitized image at newspapers.com is less than ideal, but better than nothing!

By 1885, his son William H. followedin his father’s footsteps and was listed at the stage carpenter at Chicago’s Schiller Theatre (Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide for 1885-1886). While his son was working for the Schillaer, Bairstow rose to the top of his profession in Chicago and was appointed the future stage manager for the Chicago Auditorium, necessiatating him to travel. In 1888, Bairstow toured Europe with architect Dankmar Adler to see stage machinery at opera houses in Europe. Note: Adler also designed McVicker’s Theatre. Bairstow returned from his European tour during November and took his position as the venue neared completion.

Bairstow continued to work full-time at the Chicago Auditorium until 1905, when his son, William, took his position as stage carpenter at the venue. However, Bairstow only partially retired from the Auditorium that year at the age of 61. John Bairstow continued to come back to the Auditorium and supervise the raising of the auditorium floor for various events. In 1909, the “Chicago Tribune” reported, William H. Bairstow, master carpenter at the Auditorium theater, succeeded his father in that position, and has been at work for a dozen years. His father now receives a pension as a reward for excellent services in the well known theater.

I’ll leave you with an entertaining tale from an article “Ready for the Fair” when the Chicago Auditorium was being transformed for a Hebrew Charity Bazaar, “John Bairstow, the Auditorium stage manager, looked wild-eyed and frantic. Wherever he went a crowd of women followed him, asking about this and that, and wanting everything done at once. He dodged around to avoid them as though he were playing a game of tag, and finally went back on stage and climbed into the rigging loft.”

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 636 – John Bairstow and the Chicago Auditorium

Part 636: John Bairstow and the Chicago Auditorium

I have repeatedly mentioned the Chicago Auditorium in the past few posts. Here is a lengthy article about the theater that may help clarify its international significance. Tomorrow I will focus on the Chicago Auditorium’s stage carpenter, John H. Bairstow.

Interior of the Chicago Auditorium, 1890

On 7 December 1899, the “Chicago Tribune” published the article “The Auditorium Stage. A Revolution in Scenic Apparatus and General Equipment” (page 12). It is packed of absolutely wonderful details about the stage machinery and scenery. This is the theater that every single college student should encounter in theater history class. Unfortunately, this space was never discussed in any of my theater history throughout my BA, MA and PhD studies. Here is the 1899 article in its entirety:

THE AUDITORIUM STAGE.

A Revolution in Scenic Apparatus and General Equipment.

Twenty Hydraulic Rams by Which the Floor Can Be Raised of Lowered-Innovations Art All Old Idea-As Absolutely Fire-Proof as Anything Can Be Made-The Electrician’s Room a Study-Eleven Miles of Steel Wire Cloth-An Iron Curtain That Weighs 9,000 Pounds.

There are twenty hydraulic rams by which the entire floor of the Auditorium can be raised or lowered at will. There are fifteen traps, large and small, some extending over the entire width of the stage, which can be raised to represent elevations of be dropped to allow spirits to disappear. A goblin or fiend may shoot up as quick as lightning, or a ghost rise slowly into view. No need any longer to depend on the effects of an imperfect perspective and the occasional rock to represent the valley in which old Rip Van Winkle appears. A real valley can be produced on the stage by some ne on the stage floor touching a few brass handles and knobs, when the traps will rise or drop and give the desired elevations and depression. No need of any makeshifts to produce the impression of a ship at sea. H.M.S. Pinafore can appear rocked by waves, life size almost, and make the huge hydraulic rams oscillate to produce this motion it will take only the moving of some more brass handles on the stage floor.

What produces the remarkable stage effect in the background? It is no longer a level canvas on which perspective compels the painter to have a view toward the horizon narrowed. On the contrary, true to nature, the view expands as you look farther towards the horizon. The horizon consists of a semi-circular piece covering the background and running forward on the sides halfway to the curtain. The effect produced is as in a panorama. The painted part gradually approaches, and merges into, the adjacent parts of the real ground and objects. This horizon works a wonderful change in the appearance of the stage. It is movable. It runs on a track and is rolled around a perpendicular cylinder at the other end. It contains four kinds of weather so that be setting the rollers in motion a perfect effect of a change from fair weather to a dark, threatening sky, and finally the heavy clouds of a storm, can be produced. Transparent clouds will permit the effects of light, be it sun, or moon, or lightning, to be made from behind this horizon. The horizon looks pretty and airy, but weighs 5,800 pounds, including the counterweights.

AS COMPARED WITH OTHER STAGES

The trap arrangements, the movability of the entire stage, and the horizon are probably the most remarkable improvements that distinguish the Auditorium from all other stages, not only in this country but in Europe. It is to be the most completely equipped stage in the world, and will be in every respect, except size, the most perfect. There are only three other stages containing all the improvement that the Auditorium will have – namely: at Budapest, Prague, and the old German University Halle. Most of these innovations are the patents of the Asphaleia company of Vienna, or the firm of Kautsky & Sons, one of whom, Fritz Kautsky, has been here for a month superintending the construction. This system was selected by Architect Adler and Mr. John Bairstow after a careful examination of the systems of the principal European stages, and it is safe to say that the introduction of it by the Auditorium will cause a revolution in the scenic apparatus and general equipment of American theaters.

If there ever will be an absolutely fire-proof stage this one is probably the ideal. Everything is of iron and steel. There are no wings, the horizon makes them superfluous. There are no grooved running crosswise, suspended from the flies; the horizon dispenses with them. Side pieces of which there are an immense number, thirty-five to forty feet high are let down on stout wire ropes and pulled up again with ease. Everything, including the large cylinders and pistons for lifting the stage is moved by hydraulic power, the water being stored in huge tanks above the fifteenth story. The properties are stored away from the busy stage in large, convenient storerooms, There is no other than electric light. Rows of 990 colored globes run along the flies across the stage, forming the border lights, and by a touch of a little handle the most startling effects of light can be produced. The clumsy old calcium light process is at last completely wiped out. The electrician’s room is a study in itself. As it will require a most expert engineer and one of the highest ability to mange the apparently inextricable network of pipes, rods, rams, cylinders, pistons, and cables, so the electrician must be of the highest order obtainable in order to find his way through the wilderness of handles, knobs, and buttons in the little room on the stage floor behind the reducing curtain. He has to control 5,000 lights on the stage and in the house. In the like manner the engineer has to control eleven miles of steel wire cable and any number of rams, beside the iron curtain which weighs 9,000 pounds. But everything is so perfectly balanced by counterweights, and the hydraulic motors so admirably arranged, that a mere touch of the hand is sufficient to set in motion many thousands of pounds.

NO FLIES ON THIS STAGE

During the performance nobody will have to be in the flies. In fact there are no flies on the Auditorium stage. The side pieces – Mr. Kautsky calls them “walls” to avoid the term “wings” – are held up by steel ropes and propped up from behind. Almost 100 feet above the stage floor these “walls” are suspended ready for use. The artistic finish of all these pieces makes them worth looking at on their own account. Ordinary stage decorations are coarse when looked at closely, but in this case each piece is a picture in itself, so perfect that one might hang it in a parlor alongside a good oil painting.

About eight feet below the stage floor is another floor, which is in every particular an exact duplicate of the one above, each trap is raised on the stage floor to be used as an elevation of some sort, its place can be filled by the trap from the lower floor, s as to close up the stage floor. Beneath this lower floor is the basement, containing the hydraulic machinery, with a total pressure of six atmospheres. All scenery is operated from the stage floor.

Along the sides strong iron stairways lead to the top. An iron bridge extends across the proscenium just above the curtain, and along the background is the painter’s frame with two platforms, all suspended in steel wire cables. Near the top in the property room there is a force of artists at work now preparing the properties. Fawcett Robinson and his brother who used to be Henry Irving’s property artist are constructing the articles of papier-maché in such close resemblance of the genuine articles that at a distance of five feet one would take the tables and bookcases to be made of antique oak, and his copy of Thorwoldsen’s Venus looks at a distance of about ten feet like a perfect plaster cast. Mr. Robinson is an enthusiast in his work and his room alone is worth more than one visit to the Auditorium stage.

Not only is the apparatus for producing artistic effect so complete and varied that it will create an almost perfect illusion, but the convenience of the actors. Musicians, and workmen has been consulted to a hitherto unheard-of degree. The Diva need no longer receive callers on the stage.

MILWARD ADAMS’ NEAT IDEA.

A beautiful little reception-room has been provided-Milward Adams’ idea. The dressing rooms are comparatively large and commodious and provided with all conveniences. They are thirty in number, comparable of accommodating 300 people without crowding. The largest and best are on the stage floor, the others open off the landings along the iron stairways at the sides. The room where the musicians can be during the intervals of their work is as large as the orchestra pit, the prompter’s box commodious without being offensively conspicuous. A large covered court adjoins the rear of the stage for the reception of the actors and actresses in carriages or on foot. The stage manager has a convenient little room adjoining that of the electrician.

A magnificent plush curtain is covered by an iron curtain with a coat of plaster. The side borders are simply but tastefully decorated and display in letters of gold the names of a number of leading composers, classical and modern. The list comprises the names of Bach, Beethoven, Berlioz, Haydn, Schumann, Rossini, Mozart, Verdi, Gounod, and Glück.

Composers names are still visible at the Chicago Auditorium

FIGURES OF THE SCENIC APPARATUS

A few figures may assist in forming an estimate of the larger proportions and perfect construction of these scenic apparatus. The iron curtain weighs 9,000 pounds, exclusive of counter-weights; the reducing curtain, covered with plaster, weighs 23,000 pounds. The horizon is forty-eight feet high by 300 long. The contract for the iron work on the stage footed up $110,000, and the total equipment of the stage exceeds $200,000.”

[$200,000 in 1889 is equivalent in purchasing power to $7,388,771.25 in 2019. The cost of the entire building was $3,200,00.00]

The article concluded, “In the hall is to be used for other than theater purposes a level floor can easily be placed on the stage level, and the ceiling has a piece fastened by iron chains to windlasses which are hidden from view so that it can be lowered and shut the gallery out of sight.”

From the opening of the auditorium until after his partial retirement in 1905, John Bairstow would be in charge of raising the auditorium floor for special events. In 1910, the “Chicago Tribune” reported, “ John Bairstow is getting in trim for the one effort which claims his attention from year to year. Who is John Bairstow? Well, John Bairstow is the first stage carpenter, and from the beginning of the charity ball as an Auditorium function John Bairstow has laid the great dancing floor for the event. He has been doing this for twenty years and in the mind of John Bairstow no other carpenter, not even his own son William Bairstow, who has succeeded him as stage carpenter, may be entrusted with the duty. He retired from active work five years ago and this year he is far from the best of health, but already he is getting the numbered sections of the ballroom floor carefully arranged, mentally – as it will appear the night of Jan. 31 – for after every ball the floor – built originally at a cost of $10,000 – is taken up, its sections numbered carefully and stored away. This year thirty-seven boxes will be erected to add to the forty-five permanent stalls. The new boxes will be arranged four on either side beneath the organ grills, eight on each side of the stage proper, five around the rear wall of the stage, and eight at the west end of the ballroom. To get the theater in readiness a force of seventy-five carpenters and assistants will work two days and nights to complete the work” (22 Dec 1910, page 8).

I will continue with the life of stage carpenter John Bairstow tomorrow.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 635 -The Era of Brown’s Special System and the Role of Stage Carpenter

Part 635: The Era of Brown’s Special System and the Role of Stage Carpenter

The “Star Tribune” article “Experts Behind the Scenes” (Minneapolis, January 13, 1901) noted that the “ruler of this realm behind the footlights” was titled “stage carpenter.” Titles have changed over the decades, as they are fluid and defined by a specific time or place. Titles may designate specific roles in the larger makeup of the theatrical trades, differing a century later. Today, some may identify the title “stage carpenter” as a “builder” and a “scenic artist” as a “painter.” There was a time when these two distinctive titles designated “stage visionaries” who brilliantly engineered and lit a variety of scenic effects and staged illusions, thrilling nineteenth-century audiences. During the late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth century, it was not uncommon for a stage carpenter to paint scenery or a scenic artist to engineer mechanical effects. Furthermore, many scenic artists controlled the lights on their painted scenes, visually guiding the intended stage aesthetic from conception to performance. It was a time of great possibility in America, when we were neither limited to a single trade nor skill.

Behind the stage scene at a theater, published in “Frank Leslie’s Popular Monthly,” 1893 Vol 36, Nov. No 5

By 1907, there was an article that defined the stage carpenter, using John Bairstow (also printed as Barstow) as an example. John, and later his son William H., were two of the Chicago Auditorium’s stage carpenters. While researching stage carpenters during the spring of 2017, I discovered a wonderful article about their work and the contribution of John Bairstow and the design of the Auditorium stage.

On September 28, 1907, the “Oregon Daily Journal” included an article written by Jonas Howard in their Sunday Supplement about stage carpenters. It provides a historical context for the title of “stage carpenter,” as it was perceived during the first decade of the twentieth century. This was printed at the same time that Sosman & Landis were delivering Brown’s Special System to Scottish Rite theaters across the country. Here is a section from the article:

“The only jack of all trades who has mastered them all is the stage carpenter. What the stage carpenter doesn’t know or can’t find out could be written in a small book. He must be not only a carpenter of the first rank, but a plumber, machinist, painter, blacksmith, sailor, tailor, artist and common laborer as well. In fact, the stage carpenter must be an all around genius or he wouldn’t hold his job five minutes.” [We’ll pause right here to look at two things. The first is that they distinguish between a painter and artist. The second circles back to the 1901 “Star Tribune” article that describes how the stage carpenter ruled the “realm behind the footlights.” No kidding, because if you are capable of doing it all, you understand the process and details that could prevent and foresee a catastrophe]

Howard’s 1907 article continues, “Stage carpenters begin their careers as assistants to the property men or scene painters. During the first year of their apprenticeship they do nothing but the rougher jobs around the stage, such as moving scenery, repairing frames and helping the electrician. Later they are allowed to work some of the ropes that are used to manipulate the scenery and gradually work into the positions as fly men. It is not until a stage carpenter can make and repair “trick” stuff that he is called proficient in his business, and as “trick” stuff is as intricate and varied as the tricks themselves it is only the keen witted carpenters that reach the front of their profession.

‘Trick’ stuff is that part of the stage machinery that is used to bring about various spectacular scenic effects that are so common on the present day stage. Sometimes there is an automobile race to be brought off, and it is up to the stage carpenter to devise a scheme that will make an automobile run a mile or more at top speed in the space of 20 or 30 feet. To do this there must be a set of rollers under the floor to turn the automobile’s wheels. The country through which the race is run must be painted on canvas and wound up on upright rollers so it can whizz by at the rate of 90 miles an hour or so. All of this arrangement must be put together with skill or it would not endure through the performance. Stage tricks are so numerous that there could be no accounting of them. Nearly every show has some mechanical device to produce its stage effects and the stage carpenter must be enough of a mechanic to be familiar with all of them.

In the Auditorium theatre in Chicago which has one of the largest stages in the world, there is 2,000,000 feet of rope and cables. To handle these and keep them in repair requires the services of a man who knows as much about ropes as a sailor. In the producing houses more stage carpenters are employed that are used in the theatres where the stage productions are shown after they are once set up. When a play is produced all of its scenery must be made and painted and the work is under the supervision of the stage carpenter. Each piece of scenery must be made so that it can be used in the average theatre throughout the country, for it would not do to make the scenery to fit any one house. John Barstow, former stage carpenter at the Auditorium, the stage of which he built, has been in the business nearly fifty years. He began his career in Europe, coming to this side shortly after the civil war. Before the Auditorium was built Mr. Barstow was sent to Europe to learn all he could about the stage arrangements of the best theaters and on his return he incorporated all of the best features of these houses in the Auditorium stage. His son, William H. Barstow, is the present stage carpenter at the Auditorium.”

Of all the stage carpenter’s in the world, the author uses Bairstow and the Chicago Auditorium as an example. I’ll look start with the venue tomorrow.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 634 – Revisiting Brown’s Special System with William Knox Brown

Part 634: Revisiting Brown’s Special System with William Knox Brown

Scenic studios went far beyond painting drops. Scenic artists, stage carpenters, and stage mechanics were visionaries; those who combined painted illusion, lighting innovations, and new stage technology on a daily basis. They were at the forefront of technological innovation, integrating old trades and new technology, often registering their designs with the patent office.

In 1909, Brown’s Special System system was the Sosman & Landis’ “standard” when installing scenery and stage machinery in Scottish Rite theaters. For the past two days, I have examined possible candidates who may have been involved in the conception phase, design, and installation of Brown’s special system during the first decade of the twentieth century. I am now compelled to look at a few close connections in the Midwest – other stage carpenters, stage mechanics and scenic artists who may have been involved with this new counterweight system. I realize that it will be impossible to pinpoint, but that contributes to the enjoyment during this particular quest.

During the 1890s, scenic studio employees drifted from one studio to another. It was an intricate network propelled by an ever-increasing demand for scenic illusion and stage effects. In fact, it greatly benefitted studio owners to not only know their competition, but also maintain close ties to their competitors; they may need to draw upon another’s labor pool if a large project came along. During this period massive projects would appear, requiring a legion of theatrical suppliers and manufacturers to complete the projects on time. Projects requiring complicated stage machinery and painted illusion ranged from huge outdoor pyrotechnic events and grand circus spectacles to word fair amusements and electrical parades. There was a shared material culture between the general public and multiple entertainment industries.

Minnesota’s Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) were a short railway ride away from Chicago, the central shipping hub. Sosman & Landis completed many projects in Minnesota and the degrees of separation in the theater world were far less than the presently allotted six. It would be an anomaly to think that the movers and shakers of the theater world in Chicago were not in constant contact with those in the Twin Cities. There is one well-known stage mechanic and stage carpenter, William Knox Brown, who traversed the country throughout the late-nineteenth century. In 1888, the “Saint Paul Globe” reported, “W. K. Brown of New York, the stage carpenter, deserves credit for the clever mechanical effects to be seen at the People’s [Theatre]. He is enthusiastic, a skilled mechanic and an artist in his line” (Saint Paul Globe, 19 Feb 1888, page 10).

William Knox Brown, the stage mechanic, pictured in the “St. Paul Globe,” 19 Feb 1888, page 10

William Knox Brown engineered brilliant stage effects, and was a well-known stage carpenter and stage mechanic who traversed the country. Brown was an up and coming inventor during the late nineteenth century.

An article written by Geo. W. Welty, titled, “Experts Behind the Scenes,” included a brief synopsis of Brown’s career as a stage carpenter (The Star Tribune, 13 January 1901). The article noted that Brown was a “mechanic of experience” and “one of the best stage carpenters in the country” with a “thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the art of stage mechanism.” It then went on to describe his experience since first arriving in Minneapolis as a stage carpenter in 1882. Beginning in 1883, he was employed at the Grand Opera House in St. Paul. By 1887, he was connected with the People’s Theatre when it opened. He then took charge of the stage in Burd’s Opera house, in Davenport Iowa. From Iowa, he moved to the Harris theatre in Louisville, Kentucky,and by 1890 was connected with the Henrietta theater in Columbus Ohio.

By 1901, Brown had acquired the reputation for being one of the best stage carpenters in the country, being called “a mechanic of excellence” (Star Tribune, 13 Jan 1901, page 27).

Brown was also credited with “that rare quality of being able to control men without trouble, and while a strict tactician, he is yet extremely popular with all his employees.” These qualities landed Brown a position as master mechanic with the Hanlon Bros. spectacle “Superba.” Brown not only directed the staging of the production on tour, but also was engaged to direct the building, repairing and testing of new effects and “featured stage mechanisms” at their private stage and workshop in Cohasset, Massachusetts. The Star Tribune reported, “Mr. Brown, during his years of travel, with his splendid powers of grasping facts, has been able to acquire a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of the art of stage mechanism. This knowledge he has put to good use at the Bijou, for the stage of that theater today is conceded to be one of the most complete in the country; traveling managers sending many compliments for the excellent manner in which it is conducted” (Star Tribune, 13 Jan 1901, page 27).

William Knox Brown, the stage mechanic, pictured in the “Star Tribune,” (Minneapolis, MN) 13 Jan 1901, page 27

In 1894, the Hanlon Brothers lost $100,000 worth of “Superba” scenery during a fire at the “Globe” in Boston. It was the third time that the Company had been “burned out,” in other words losing their scenery, to fire in eighteen months (Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan 1894, page 1). If I were the stage mechanic, this may be my sign to leave the touring world and start my own studio. That year, Brown returned to Minneapolis to take charge of the Metropolitan stage in 1894 when it was opened by W. F. Sterling. Consider that there is a “Brown” who is testing new stage effects, developing machinery, and applying his know-how to the theater that he is working at by 1894. At this same time the Brown special system is likely in the early stages of conception.

By 1895, William Knox Brown enters a partnership with Theodore Hays and William P. Davis, starting the Twin City Scenic Studio. The three initially work out of the Bijou Opera House in Minneapolis and later construct their own studio on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. Each partner had a specific role: Theodore Hays was the business manager, Brown was in charge of the stage mechanics, and Davis, who had previously worked at the Chicago Auditorium, led the painting.

By 1904, however, Brown is heralded for a new invention that pertains to rigging. (Star Tribune, 7 Jan 1904, page 7). The fire at the Iroquois theater prompted many cities and theater managers to contemplate fire safety in their theaters. The “Star and Tribune” quoted then manager of the Bijou Theodore L. Hays. Hays stated, “The Chicago catastrophe has emphasized the importance of asbestos curtains and the Girard Avenue theatre fire in Philadelphia, where an asbestos curtain was lowered in proper time, demonstrated their worth by keeping the fire from the auditorium proper fully fifteen minutes, ample time for any audience to be dismissed, evening in a panic… Appreciating the necessity of its quick operation in an emergency, W. K. Brown our stage carpenter, has already perfected and put in practical operation an arrangement which permits the lowering or raising of the asbestos curtain from either side of the main stage floor, as well as from the fly gallery.” Later Hays added, “We want safety and not ingenious inventions that nobody understands but the inventor. Safety in this matter lies in the things that ones fingers out of habit would operate automatically no matter how excited the brain might be.”

I re-read this section several times seeing what I had known all along to be the whole point of Brown’s special system. It was easily operated and relatively safe; no locks, sand bags or belaying pins. Whoever pulled the line was in complete control of the speed, it could go as fast, or slow, as needed. Whoever designed the counterweight system that is still used by many Masonic stage hands every year realized that “Safety in this matter lies in the things that one’s fingers out of habit would operate automatically no matter how excited the brain might be.”

Think of the cowboys and bankers waiting off stage before a scene change at a Scottish Rite Reunion – first-time stagehands. Their brains were excited, but all they had to do was pull a rope.

The earliest functioning example of Brown’s special system still n the original venue is located in Duluth, Minnesota. The Sosman & Landis installation of the system is dated 1904. In 1905, the “Minneapolis Journal,” advertised, “general stage apparatus and appliances designed, manufactured and modeled by the Twin City Scenic Studio, leading scenic contractors of the northwest” (Minneapolis Journal, 25 Feb 1905, page 18). Brown was listed as the stage mechanic for the company in the ad. That meant W. K. Brown was designing special stage stage apparatus. At the time, stage apparatus was the word designating rigging systems. So W. K. Brown was designing special systems for the stage, like Brown’s special system.

Advertisement for the Twin City Scenic Studio from the “Minneapolis Journal,” 25 Feb 1905, page 18

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 633 – Revisiting Brown’s Special System

Part 633: Revisiting Brown’s Special System

I am still exploring the development of Scottish Rite stages and degree productions, specifically the implementation of “Brown’s Special System.”

An example of Brown’s special system from 1912.

An example of Brown’s special system from 1904

I left off yesterday with a new counterweight system being developed in the Midwest with a unique client – the Scottish Rite. This innovation allowed more drops to be crammed into a limited amount of space, resulting in the sale of even more stage machinery and scenery. This development and sale of this new counterweight system involved three entities – a fraternal supplier (E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co.), a salesman (Bestor G. Brown), and a scenic studio (Sosman & Landis). It happened sometime between 1896 and 1904. I am aware of only one example that exists, as originally installed from 1904. This system would be still be installed by Sosman & Landis in the 1920s, as used stage machinery was recycled for future Scottish Rite installations. In other words, during a time when metal frames became the standard, Sosman & Landis was still installing used wooden arbors.

So lets look at the major players: E. A. Armstrong Co. is the fraternal supply company secures the stage contract and then subcontracts the scenery, rigging and lighting portions to other firms. They move to Chicago in 1892 and construct a new factory in 1893. Bestor G. Brown, who leads the Maosnic Department at E. A. Amstrong and Co., moves to Chicago and begins working as a traveling salesman in 1894. Joseph S. Sosman and Perry Landis who establish a scenic studio, manufacture stage hardware, and install Brown’s special systems. These two also establish the American Reflector and Lighting Company in 1894.

An advertisement for the American Reflector and Lighting Co. in the 1894 Sosman & Landis catalog

Who may have been responsible for the design of “Brown’s special system?” Obviously, someone who understands the mechanical needs of stage houses. After examining Bestor G. Brown’s education, training and early career choices, there is nothing to suggest that he had any mechanical experience as a stagehand or worked backstage at a theater. If would be unlikely for someone devoid of any backstage experience to intimately understand a stage house and come up with an innovative new system to improve it.

If we interpret the “Brown” in Brown’s special system to designate the salesman peddling the new technology and not the designer of the system, one needs to look at potential candidates in the region, especially those at the Sosman & Landis studio, who may have designed the system. We do not know who was in charge of delivering Brown’s special system at Sosman & Landis. Here are the known individuals who we know worked with development, construction and installation of stage machinery at Sosman & Landis:

W. H. Clifton, a Sosman & Landis stage machinist sent to superintend installations at opera houses, theaters and Elks auditoriums. The first mention of Clifton working for the company is 1889, and he continues into the first decade of the twentieth century. Newspaper articles report that Clifton was sent to superintend the work, requiring him to spend time on site – often about four weeks. His duties on site included fitting the stage carpets and conducting a final run through of all items with the client.

Charles S. King, often listed as C. S. King, was listed as both a stage mechanic and stage carpenter in the same article! King began his career in 1859, and by 1887 had installed 200 stage systems. In 1889, he mentioned that he began working for Sosman & Landis fifteen years earlier – in 1874 – the same year that Sosman arrived in Chicago. Sosman & Landis did not officially form until 1877. The date of King’s death is currently unknown. Both Clifton and King are the only stage carpenters/stage mechanics who I have discovered being publically mentioned as installing scenery and stage machinery on site. Both appear in article during the late 1880s.

David A. Strong was a scenic artist and stage mechanic. We know the most about his scenic art work at Sosman & Landis in the memoirs of Thomas G. Moses. Moses worked with Strong in the beginning, assisting him as an “up and coming young artist.” Strong also works as the lead scenic artist in the beginning at Sosman & Landis, painting much of the Masonic scenery orders as he is a Scottish Rite Mason and has a wide artistic range of subject matter.Moses later refers to Strong as the “Daddy” of all Masonic design, yet he does not differentiate whether the design was solely painted composition or the entire stage aesthetic and scenic effects. We know that brown was a member of the Theatrical Mechanics association and the in same Theatrical Mechanics Association Chicago Lodge No. 4 was John Bairstow who worked on the stage house for the Chicago Auditorium. Brown unexpectedly passed away at in early February 1911.

By 1904, Moses supervises the production of most Masonic work at Sosman & Landis. We know that he did not simply paint scenes, but also designed scenic effects and some of the necessary machinery needed for a variety of spectacles. He had done this for many clients, whether he was representing Sosman & Landis or himself. He also designed amusement park rides after briefly working for Fred C. Thompson.

“Mr. Brown” was a Sosman & Landis stage carpenter who worked for the company during the first decade of the twentieth century, maybe before. Thomas G. Moses mentions the unexpected death of their foreman carpenter– Mr. Brown, who died during late February of 1911.

Now this is where the stage carpenter and stage mechanic can get confusing. Throughout the nineteenth century, the term is somewhat fluid, as stage carpenters are credited with the design and construction of mechanical effects and stage illusion. Stage mechanics are also credited with the design and construction of mechanical effects and the engineering of metamorphosis on stage. Newspapers will refer to the same person associated with the same production as both a stage carpenter in one article and a stage mechanic in another. Although there may be specific duties applied with each, they did not seem to be uniform when used in programs, newspaper articles, or handwritten memoirs.

There were many other stage carpenters and mechanics who filtered through the Sosman & Landis shops from 1877 until 1904. But only one was recognized as being “the only one” who was thoroughly familiar with Brown’s special system by 1912. A statement made by Bestor G. Brown in written correspondence with the Austin Scottish Rite during 1912 states that there was one specific stage mechanic who supervised the installation of the stage machinery for all Scottish Rite installations. At the time, this mechanic was currently working at the Santa Fe Scottish Rite on their new stage. Brown explained that the mechanic’s anticipated timeline was three weeks on site during the fall of 1912. This statement about timeline corresponds with information pertaining to the stage mechanic Clifton superintending an installation.

A later letter from Brown to the Austin Scottish Rite reported that their “superintendent and installation expert” died from an accident, commenting that their deceased employee was the “only one thoroughly familiar with the special method of installing Scottish Rite scenery.” Then he continued, “We do not mean that it is impossible to follow the same methods as heretofore, but it will take a longer time to do it because of a lack of familiarity with the work.”

It may not be the case that this he was the only person who knew the special method – ever. He may have been the only one remaining who was familiar with the special method. If we consider that two potential candidates unexpectedly died during 1911, a team of three could have rapidly been depleted to a team of two in one month. Scenic artist and stage mechanic David A. Strong died on February 5, 1911. Sosman & Landis’ foreman carpenter “Mr. Brown” died on February 27, 1911. It is possible that the only remaining individual who understood the system was Charles S. King. We do not know that the expert was King, but we also don’t know when King died. In 1912, King’s age could have been 69 years old. I use this as a baseline, since many in the technical theatre industry started their profession at the age of 16. Would the expert be sent out on the road at an advanced age? Yes as we know that Moses worked well into his seventies; not solely from an office, but he worked in the studio and on site.

Now there was another “superstar stage mechanic” in the region when Brown’s special system was developed and installed…William Knox Brown. Same name even. Brown was also a Scottish Rite Mason. As a stage mechanic, he had certainly proved his worth and ingenuity time and time again. Brown would also found a scenic studio with two others in the mid-1890s. We’ll look at what Brown was doing in the Midwest tomorrow.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 632 – Tying Up Some Loose Ends and Flying It Out

Part 632: Tying Up Some Loose Ends and Flying It Out

The development of the counterweight system installed at Scottish Rite theaters by Sosman & Landis between 1904 and 1917 was called “Brown’s special system.”

Looking up at drops suspended by Brown’s special system

Detail of wooden arbors in Brown’s special system

At first glance it appears to be the brainchild of traveling salesman Bestor G. Brown, or someone he was working with at the time, possibly a stage mechanic at the Sosman & Landis scenic studio. There was one potential client who would benefit in the end– the Scottish Rite. This new technology allowed more drops to be crammed into a limited amount of space, resulting in the sale of even more stage machinery and scenery. It was a win-win for the manufacturer, distributor, and client.

This system does not use sandbags and pin rails, like those iconic backstage scenes depicted in movies. For those unfamiliar with the counterweight system, let me explain a few characteristics in laymen terms. “Brown’s special system” raises and lowers scenery completely out of sight, necessitating a fly loft to accommodate the full height of each drop. The counterweights are located off stage and match the weight of the scenery onstage (it is balanced like a big teeter totter when both kids are the same size). The counterweights (little metal blocks of varying sizes with notches to keep them in from falling out) are held in wooden frames, called arbors. Brown’s special system requires no locking mechanism at all, as each line is perfectly balanced. In other words, one can easily raise or lower the scenes without any effort; whenever I stop pulling on a line, the drop will stop moving and stay put. This is an deal system for stagehands without any knowledge of technical theater or rigging. Problems only occur when some well-intentioned person starts messing with the system; adding weight, moving drops to other lines; or doing in-house maintenance and repairs.

Lines for moving wooden arbors in Brown’s special system

Notched weights in wooden arbor of Brown’s special system

Looking down at a notched weight in a wooden arbor of Brown’s special system. Stage machinery manufactured by Sosman & Landis

Back to the salesman who sold this system. From 1894 to 1917, Brown represented two separate fraternal supply companies – E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. and M. C. Lilley & Co. During that time, Sosman & Landis received the majority of subcontracted work from Brown. The Sosman & Landis studio consistently worked with Brown during his time, manufacturing and installing the stage machinery and scenery at Scottish Rite temples. This means that someone at Sosman & Landis worked with Brown to design the counterweight system called Brown’s special system. It may have been a stage mechanic at Sosman & Landis who conceived and developed the counterweight system that would become the standard for Scottish Rite theaters. The earliest existing example of Brown’s Special System, still working as originally installed in 1904, is located in Duluth, Minnesota. Earlier examples exist, but the scenery and stage machinery were removed from the original venue and installed in another Scottish Rite theater over the years. Earlier examples include scenery originally installed in Little Rock Arkansas (1896-1901) and later installed at Pasadena California; scenery originally installed in Wichita, Kansas (1898) and later installed in Yankton, South Dakota; and scenery originally installed in Guthrie, Oklahoma (1900) and later installed in Austin, Texas.

E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Company contract for Scottish Rite Bodies in Guthrie, Oklahoma

There is another player who enters into the fraternal mix with Bestor G. Brown, Sosman & Landis, and E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. That would be the veteran Sosman & Landis stage mechanic, Charles S. King. Let’s briefly review the first few players before throwing King into the mix.

Brown was a very successful traveling salesman, representing two different fraternal supply companies (E. A. Armstrong and M. C. Lilley) after he left an investment banking career in 1893. For each firm, he promoted the outfitting of fraternal lodges and staging of Masonic degrees. He was a prominent member in many fraternal organizations that included Freemasonry, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, and Benevolent and Protected Order of Elks. He also was renowned for his worked as the Wichita Scottish Rite stage director and heralded as the only “Masonic stage carpenter” and “Masonic stage manager” in the United States. Brown was a member of both the Northern and Southern Jurisdiction of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish rite of Freemasonry, so he fully understand the staging requirements and possibilities for the degrees.

E. A. Armstrong Company (est. 1868 in Detroit, Michigan), like M. C. Lilley & Co. (est. 1865 Columbus, Ohio), was a supplier of regalia and paraphernalia for all societies, including fraternal, military, and band. They manufactured uniforms, costumes, banners, badges, flags, lodge furniture, and other accessories for various organizations and lodge rooms. Costumes and other fraternal regalia were essential elements to all rituals, especially after ritual revisions. E. A. Armstrong established their offices and manufacturing plant in Chicago, as the city became a central shipping hub for the western United States. Lavish clothing and the addition or even more elaborate décor transformed many lodge room degrees into fully tsgaed spectacles. Neither company, however, specialized in theatre scenery, stage machinery or lighting. For theater installations, they subcontracted all part of the stage portion to scenic studios, such as Sosman & Landis (Chicago).

E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. of Chicago hired Bestor G. Brown as a salesman

The scenic studio of Sosman & Landis was established in 1877 by Joseph S. Sosman and Perry Landis. Sosman arrived in Chicago as a young assistant to the successful scenic artist T. B. Harrison in 1874; keep that date in mind when we circle back to King working for Sosman. Little is known of Sosman’s scenic artwork in Chicago before establishing Sosman & Landis, yet the firm successfully ran until the mid-1920s. Sosman passed away in 1915, and the company president became long-time scenic artist Thomas G. Moses. Moses credit Brown with the development of Masonic scenery.

Sosman & Landis scenic studio was established in 1877

Joseph S. Sosman was the scenic artist at Sosman & Landis

Enter Charles S. King, a well-known stage mechanic and Sosman & Landis employee. Before I start connecting the dots, there is a link between C. S. King and E. A. Armstrong during 1890 that appeared in the “Courier-Post” (Camden, New Jersey, 6 Jan 189, page 1). There were two cases in the circuit court involving E. A. Armstrong (plaintiff) and C. S. King (defendant). Each case pertained to a contract dispute between the two, suggesting that E. A. Armstrong was involved in theater before Brown. At the time, C. S. King was working for Sosman & Landis as a stage mechanic and E. A. Armstrong was operating his regalia company.

King’s name was first brought to my attention by Rick Boychuk, He detailed King’s contribution as a stage carpenter during the construction of the Crump Theatre in 1889, a project with scenery and stage machinery delivered by Sosman & Landis and a drop curtain painted by Moses. This is only one year before the abovementioned court case with E. A. Armstrong.

By 1887, King was credited as working in more than 200 theaters across the nation, yet very little is known about this prolific stage mechanic beyond a few newspaper articles. Let me summarize what I know about this individual. King began his career as a stage carpenter and stage machinist in 1859, With the exception of serving in the Union Armey during the Civil War and managing a large touring company, King solely functioned in these two roles his entire career. King notes that he began working for Sosman & Landis in 1874, yet the firm did not officially open until 1877, suggesting that King began working with Sosman upon his arrival in Chicago during 1874. King installed stage machinery in theaters throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. A “Star Tribune” article from January 27, 1881, reported, “Mr. C. S. King, the stage carpenter at the Grand Opera House, was initiated into some of the mysteries of stage mechanism as exemplified in our new temple of amusement. Mr. King who was summoned here from Chicago, is regarded as one of the best stage-carpenters in the country, having had wide experience and possessing perfect knowledge of his progression. He says that our opera house will have the finest stage, the easiest worked, and will be the best appointed theatre west of Chicago, or of many large eastern cities.” The stage carpenter who would manage the venue after King’s departure was William Knox Brown, one of the three founders of Twin City Scenic Company. Another Twin City Scenic Co. founder was William P. Davis who previously worked as the primary scenic artist at the Chicago Auditorium. Brown’s stage mechanic flourished with the Hanlon Brothers who hired William Knox Brown as one of their stage mechanics to develop scenic effects in their Massachusetts studio (see past installment #155). The Hanlon Brothers engineered amazing mechanical effects for their staged spectacles.

In 1889, an article about the Crump Theatre reported, “Mr. King Came to Columbus Sept. 11, and commenced on the bare floor of the new theatre to construct the various stage machinery, mount scenery, and everything connected with stage settings, all without drawings or specifications, except those stored in his head from long experience. How well he succeeded in his work is there to speak for itself, and is pronounced by the profession to be the most modern, convenient and elaborate.” The 1881 and 1889 articles suggest two things: 1. King possessed techniques pertaining to the design and construction of stage machinery that others did not and, 2. King’s keeping everything connected with stage settings in his head, “all without drawings or specifications,” suggests he maintained trade secrets. Think back to guilds and cathedral builders, complete with lodges, masters, passwords, and secret signs. Being able to do something that others can’t gives you the leading edge. Now think of King being “initiated into some of the mysteries of stage mechanism.” It is possible that these were more than common ceremonies associated with the rise of American fraternalism.

What new innovations pertaining to stage machinery could be occurring at this same time? Lets look back to Chicago where Sosman & Landis are running a successful studio, Detroit fraternal supplier E. A. Armstrong is contemplating a move to Chicago, and the Chicago Auditorium is being planned. Add in the possibility of a world fair, with the potential of untold networking and future projects.

One particular event examined at this time is in Rick Boychuk’s “Nobody Looks Up: The History of the Counterweight Rigging System, 1500-1925” (https://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Looks-Up-History-Counterweight/dp/1508438102/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548878503&sr=8-1&keywords=rick+boychuk) – the Chicago Auditorium of 1889. Boychuk writes, “The first counterweight rigging system in American was state-of-the-art technology when it was installed in 1889 in the Auditorium Building in Chicago – commonly referred to as the Chicago Auditorium” (page 167). Boychuk explains how Ferdinand Peck, the visionary for the Chicago auditorium, traveled to Europe to examine opera houses, later joined by architect Dankmar Adler (Adler & Sullivan) and Chicago stage carpenter John Bairstow. Boychuk suggests, “Chicago borrowed the sheave design and configuration from Budapest and the balance of the counterweight system from Vienna” (page 172).

Now consider that John Bairstow was a member of the Theatrical Mechanics Association, an organization established in New York during 1866 (see mentions in past installments 125, 153, 215 and 384). By 1891, there were 28 lodges represented at the Theatrical Mechanics Association convention in Chicago, including members from Chicago Lodge No. 4. Lodge No. 4 – John Bairstow and David A. Strong. Strong was a well-known scenic artist and stage mechanic working at Sosman & Landis, Strong provided scenery for the original “Black Crook” at Niblo’s Garden in 1866. He later moved to Chicago where he joined the Scottish Rite and continued work as a scenic artist, eventually joining the studio of Sosman & Landis, working alongside another Sosman & Landis stage mechanic – King. Thomas G. Moses would credit Strong in his memoirs as the “Daddy” of Scottish Rite design; he did not specify that Strong solely designed the painted aesthetic. Two other Theatrical Mechanics Association Chicago Lodge No. 4 members who attended the 1891 convention would also later become Scottish Rite Masons – F. V. Sauter (joined Oriental Consistory in 1892) and Wallace Blanchard (joined Oriental Consistory in 1899).

So lets look at the players who were known Scottish Rite Masons when this all began – E. A. Armstrong (regalia supplier), Bestor G. Brown (salesman), William Knox Brown (stage mechanic), Joseph S. Sosman (scenic artist and studio owner), David A. Strong (stage mechanic and scenic artist).

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 538 – W. H. Clifton and the Elks Opera House

Part 538: W. H. Clifton and the Elks Opera House

Elks Opera House in Prescott, Arizona. Image located at www.prescottelks.org

1905 there were two articles about the Sosman & Landis stage Carpenter, W. H. Clifton, in the “Weekly Journal-Miner” (Prescott, Arizona, 1 Feb. 1905, page 2). In February 1905, Clifton finished installing “the curtains and scenery” at the Elks Opera House in Prescott, Arizona. The theater was located in the Elks Building at 117 East Gurley Street. Clifton’s next Sosman & Landis installation was scheduled in North Carolina.

The Elks Opera House in Prescott, Arizona with scenery by Sosman & Landis, 1905.

As a Sosman & Landis stage carpenter, Clifton quickly traveled from one location to another, installing the stage machinery and hanging painted scenery for each theater. In 1905, Clifton was on site to superintend the installation and arrangement of the scenery after it was shipped from Chicago to Prescott, Arizona.

Pin rai and paint bridge at the Elks Opera House in Prescott, Arizona. Photo by Brian Piper – www.prescottelks.org

Elks Opera House in Prescott, Arizona – Photo by Brian Piper – www.prescottelks.org

Prior to Clifton’s departure for another theater, he exhibited the scenery for the Prescott clients. Here is the 1905 Weekly Journal-Miner article in its entirety:

“W. H. Clifton, stage carpenter for Sosman & Landis of Chicago gave a private matinee yesterday afternoon for the Elks’ theatre which was attended by about forty or fifty people. The entertainment consisted of an exhibition of all the curtains and scenery of the opera house and was given for the purpose of giving the building committee an opportunity to see what they have purchased and to check it up on the list in order to demonstrate that they have received all that they have paid for. The curtains, scenery and all the stage appointments are certainly up to date and quite handsome. Mr. Clifton is an expert also in the manipulating of them. The Elk’s seem to be well pleased with their purchase. The opera house, when completed, will without doubt be one of the finest in this territory, and a few, if any in the southwest will surpass it. There may be larger buildings of the kind but none more complete in its furnishings and all of its appointments” (Prescott, Arizona, 1 Feb. 1905, page 2).

The Elks Theatre initially hosted minstrel shows, balls, plays and theater performances. Silent films soon dominated the theater by 1915, transitioning to “talkies” by 1929. It remained a movie house until the 1980s. After the theatre changed hands multiple time, it was turned over to Arizona Community Foundation during the early 1980s. The City of Prescott purchased the theater in 2001. The Foundation in partnership with the City of Prescott began the restoration with the lobby, green room, dressing rooms and other parts of the building. Restoration of the Elks theater was completed in 2010. The stage now displays tri-layered vinyl backdrops, based on original black and white photographs. Yes, I re-read the sentence twice too – “tri-layered vinyl backdrops, based on original black and white photographs.”

Postcard depicting the original Elks Opera House in Prescott, Arizona. Image posted at www.prescottelks.org

The newly restored Elks Opera House in Prescott, Arizona.

Image published in the Daily Courier, depicting the new -tri-layered vinyl scenery at the Elks Opera House

As regard to Clifton, it appears that he left Sosman & Landis to take another stage carpenter position in Pennsylvania the after completing the 1905-1906 season. In Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide for the 1906-1907 and 1907-1908 W. H. Clifton is listed as the stage carpenter for the Lewis Opera House in Canton, Pennsylvania. Although there were many W. H. Clifton’s at the time, I believe that this particular one was born in 1853, passed away in 1926, and married to Eugenia Clifton (1855-1920). This information is not confirmed yet, just pieced together.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 537 – W. H. Clifton and the Washington Opera House in Maysville, Kentucky

Part 537: W. H. Clifton and the Washington Opera House in Maysville, Kentucky

Postcard of the Washington Opera House in Maysville, Kentucky

In 1899, Sosman & Landis had a project in Maysville, Kentucky. Maysville is located just down stream of Cincinnati along the Ohio River. W. H. Clinton, a Sosman & Landis’ stage carpenter, in the city to install scenery and stage machinery in the new Washington Opera House. The original Washington Opera house from 1851 had recently been destroyed by fire during January 1898. As with many communities of the time, as soon as one opera house down, plans were implemented for its replacement. Theaters were a significant part of many communities. The new Washington Opera House in Maysville was a combination Opera House and Fire Department. The “keeper of the keys” became the President of the Washington Fire Company, and not the theater manager. Interestingly, he was also the Editor of the local newspaper –Thomas A. Davis.

According to Harry Miner’s Dramatic Directory from 1884, the original Washington Opera House had a seating capacity of 600. At the time, Mayville also had a 500-seat Court House and 300-seat hall, both listed as available for touring shows in Miner’s directory. The size of the original stage was 36×47 and included a “full set of scenery.” Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide from 1896 provides a little more information about the the 1851 Washington Opera House. The proscenium opening was 26 feet wide by 22 feet high and had five sets of grooves. The height of the grooves accommodated painted wings that were 13 feet high. The size of the stage was listed as 38×45, and the height to the rigging loft was 24 feet. This venue likely used a wing and shutter system, with a few roll drops thrown in for good measure.

The Washington Opera House in Maysville, Kentucky

The new opera house boasted a rigging loft 66 feet above the stage floor with fly scenery, or drops that could be flown in and out during a production instead of rolled. By 1901, Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical guide noted “no grooves” at the second Washington Opera House, reinforcing that the venue was an up-to-date performance venue for touring shows.

Advertisement for the opening of the Washington Opera House, from the Public Ledger, 23 June 1899, page 1

The 1899 opening weekend for the second Washington Opera House was on February 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th (Maysville, Kentucky, 23 Jan. 1899, page 1). The first program included a series of tableaux vivant presented by Maysville women and a Corps Drill by men from the Commandery Knights of St. John No. 89. There was one nail-biting moment during opening week, however, and that was the scenery was delayed in its arrival.

On Monday February 6^th, only three days before opening, he “Public Ledger” reported, “The scenery for the Opera-house arrived Saturday and was immediately started for its proper place on stage. This statement is made so that any misgivings as to the opening Thursday night may be dispelled” (6 Feb. 1899, page 4). I am sure that this delay caused quite a bit of anxiety, especially for the local performers. However, on Sunday, February 13, “The Evening Bulletin” reported “Mr. W. H. Clifton, the stage carpenter who put up the scenery at the opera house, left for home in Chicago Sunday” (Maysville, Kentucky, 13 Feb 1899, page 4). Clifton stayed for all of the opening activities to ensure the scenery all worked properly and then immediately headed home.

A local newspaper reported the final cost of the New Washington Opera House (The Public Ledger, 20 Feb. 1899, page 1). Of the $23,543.28, Sosman & Landis were paid $1474.99 for “scenery and stage equipment.” The 1000-seat Washington Opera House included a proscenium opening measuring 28 feet wide by 26 feet high. Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide for the 1900-1901 season noted that the height of the scenery was 18 feet and the height to the rigging loft was 66 feet. There were no grooves, suggesting leg drops for masking. The depth under the stage was 12 feet with 3 traps. The Washington Opera House is listed as the fifth oldest performing arts theatre in the United States.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 536 – W. H. Clifton, Yore’s Opera House, and Bell’s Opera House in Benton Harbor, Michigan

Part 536: W. H. Clifton, Yore’s Opera House, and Bell’s Opera House in Benton Harbor, Michigan

This is the second post installment about Sosman & Landis employee W. H. Clifton. In 1889, the “News-Palladium” reported on the completion of Yore’s Opera House in Benton Harbor, Michigan (Benton Harbor, Michigan, 14 June 1889, page 3). Clifton was mentioned as the Sosman & Landis stage machinist sent to superintend the installation.

The News-Palladium article noted, “Messrs. Sosman & Landis of Chicago, furnished the scenery and stage fixtures – Will H. Clifton, stage machinist, having been sent here by the firm to superintend the work some four weeks ago. He has just finished up this task of fitting the stage carpets – one green and the other red.

“The stage is admirably appointed. There are seven compete sets of scenery, namely, Parlor, Kitchen, Open Wood, Garden, Prison, Water View and Street, and all accompanying wings, borders, box scenes, etc., necessary to a first class theatre. All the doors and windows in scenery are “practicable: instead of being blind, as is usual in small theatres. There are also a number of “set” pieces – set rocks, set water, balustrades, a set house, a pair of garden vases, etc. The drop curtain is a handsome work of art and is unsurpassed in Michigan outside of Detroit and Grand Rapids, the scene being “The Hudson River from West Point.” Size of curtain 42×30 feet.

“Three traps, stage braces, stage screws and other stage paraphernalia complete Sosman & Landis’ branch of the work, which has been done in first-class shape. The proscenium opening is 36x24feet; depth of stage, 30 feet; 75 feet wide and 33 feet in length, with full set of grooves; flats 18×26; depth beneath stage, a little over 7 feet; sets of grooves, four; two roomy fly galleries. There is a special scenery entrance in the rear and also a private stage entrance. The stage will be brilliantly lighted by two rows of border lights, the footlights and numerous other side lights – electric” (Benton Harbor, Michigan, 14 June 1889, page 3). The seating capacity for the opera house was 1,027.

The fate of the Yore’s Opera House. From the “Herald Palladium,” St. Joseph 19 Jan 1994, page 44

In 1896, the first Yore Opera House caught fire, sometime after manager J. J. Simon closed the theater around 11 p.m. This immense blaze threatened the entire town of Benton Harbor and calls of distress were sent to fire department of St. Joseph (The Herald-Palladium, 19 June 1992, page 44). Eleven firefighters lost their lives battling the flames when a theatre wall collapsed; a twelfth firefighter died from complications a few days later. The Yore opera house became an example in the dangers of firefighting in the area. However, like many theaters destroyed by fire during the late-nineteenth century, another was constructed in its place and the community soon anticipated the completion of their “new, modern, first-class playhouse” (News-Palladium, 15 August 1899, page 4).

In regard to the necessity of an opera house in Benton Harbor, the “News-Palladium” reported, “An opera house? Of course we need one. No city of any enterprise or importance but can boast of a large auditorium where meetings, conventions, and entertainments of whatever nature, political, religious or educational, can be held with comfort and convenience. One of the most forcible illustrations of our need of a large auditorium was the funeral of the brave boys who dies to save the Yore’s opera house. There was no room in the city that could hold the Congregations” (5 Sept. 1899, page 1). Several plans for a new building were proposed, but all failed, until Dr. John Bell and George A, Mills entered the picture.

On the August 14, 1899, a franchise was granted “for the construction of an electric road to connect various resorts about the city, and as soon as it was given the promoters of the road surprised the alderman by showing plans of a $25,000 opera house that they have arranged to build” (Owosso Times, 18 August 1899, page 3).

Proposed opera house in Benton Harbor, Michigan, from the “News-Palladium,” 2 Sept 1899, page 1

John Bell and George A Mills, from the “News-Palladium,” 10 May 1900, page 1

On November 11, 1899, the “News-Palladium” reported “The new auditorium, which is being constructed by Dr. John Bell and Geo. A Mills, was obtained in a novel way. The promoters of the opera house desired to know whether of not the citizens really wanted the play house and in order to see what encouragement they would receive, Dr. Bell and Mr. Mills offered to erect a modern building if the business men would buy 1000 tickets for the opening performances at $5 each. The citizens responded generously and in a few days the tickets were sold” (News Palladium, 11 Nov. 1899, page 3). The article also reported, “Representatives of Sosman & Landis a scenery firm of Chicago, are here today making estimates for the scenery and scenic supplies.” But the contract was not awarded to Sosman & Landis, instead the work went to Armbruster of Columbus, Ohio; accidentally published as “Ambrewster & Company on opening night.” By that fall, the cornerstone of the new Bell Opera House was laid and fraternal orders planned a grand celebration for the occasion. On Wednesday, May 9, 1900, the Bell Opera House was dedicated.

The Bell Opera House in Benton Harbor, Michigan

Architect C. A. Brehmer of South Bend, Indiana, planned Bell’s Opera House after the famous Harrigan’s of New York City. In speaking of the opera house, Mr. Brehmer said, “There are two points which no play in the entire country can excel – its points for egress in case of fire or other necessity and the superior arrangement of the seats” (News-Palladium, 10 May 1900, page 1). On opening day, the “News-Palladium” provided detailed descriptions of the new building (0 May 1900, page 1):

“The auditorium is lighted by 450 incandescent lights and the beautiful blue tinted dome is brilliantly illuminated with 99 electric lights. The system of lighting was planned by James W. Pearl and the wiring done by the English brothers under the supervision of Henry Mason. The switch board for the main part of the building is located on the stage and is so arranged that any number of lights may be turned on or off as the occasion demands. The switch board for the lights in the halls and ticket office is in the box office, Both boards are of the latest pattern. The stage is 9 feet longer and 2 feet wider that the stage of the burned Yore auditorium and the height of this part of the building is 60 feet from the stage to gridiron, giving accommodation for any spectacular performances played in the larger cities. The theatre is fully equipped with its own scenery of the latest patterns, including slide drop curtains, side scenes, flies, and other stage setting. The scenery was painted and manufactured by Armbruster & Company, or Columbus, Ohio. The stage has fourteen dressing rooms with all improvements and conveniences.”

To be continued…