Scenery Borders – Drypigment.net

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Day 7 at The Tabor Opera House. September 27, 2020.

We finished the attic scenery documentation today, cleaning and measuring the last nine borders by noon. The 28’-0” wide borders had holes for only two operating lines, much different that the current ones designed for use with three operating lines. The nineteenth-century borders depict blue sky, treetops and a fancy pink interior ceiling. These were intended to accompany the wing and shutter sets for the 1879 stage; the borders measuring just 2’-4” in height. This narrow strip of painted fabric would have been just enough to conceal the gas jets above the stage. No sandwich battens at the top of the borders either, just a 4” board and double rows of tacks. I have encountered this technique several times. It is astounding that these tattered border curtains managed to survive in the attic for over a century without irreparable damage, but it is a testament to a long succession of stewards.

Carl, Mary Ann and Greg placing a wood border for documentation

The most recent scenery collection stewards for the Tabor Opera House include Mary Ann Graham-Best, Carl Schaefer, Tammy Taber, as well as many, many other volunteers. Those who I have worked during this month and last February Mary Ann, Carl, Tammy, Kan, Theresa, Ruth, Curt, Janel, Greg, Allie, Derrick, Jen, Mike, Scott, Eric, Theresa “T”, Robin and Donna. My apologies if I missed anyone.

Volunteers for Day 7 at the Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Co. (Left to right) Ziska, Mary Ann, Wendy, Tammy, Donna and Carl; we were holding out breath, so don’t panic.

This trip, Michael Powers also traveled with me to volunteer; his work in the attic with Carl helped make lowering the scenery from attic to stage floor safe and secure. Without their support, much of the scenery may be still sitting under a layer of dust, undocumented. The scenery has managed to survive despite a massive renovation (1901-1902), the Great Depression and a series of other financial obstacles. The survival of a historic venue is dependent upon strong leadership leader and community support. A small band of theatre people is not enough, you need the support from those outside of our industry too.

Evelyn E. Livingston Furman was one of the great leaders and scenic stewards for the Tabor Opera House. She also wrote “The Tabor Opera House: A Captivating History.” In the publication, Furman includes some details of the early scenery. Her words leave a legacy.

There are a few things to keep in mind as we explore the nineteenth century scenery delivered to the Tabor Opera House…In 1879 Horace A. W. Tabor purchased wing and shutter scenery for the Tabor Opera House. Some of the earliest scenes included a mountain setting (Royal Gorge), forest, garden, palace, plain chamber with balcony, and a prison. We know that more scenery was delivered in 1888, and included a horizon (seascape), European street setting, rustic country setting, rocky pass, and Eastern street scene. This is the same time when some of the original stock scenery were repainted and a few new scenes were added to the original wings, shutters and roll drops. Only eight shutters that remain, some double painted. The six surviving settings include a rocky pass, rustic country landscape, cut woods, European street scene, Eastern street scene, and winter scene. These all have flat sheaves that make the settings glide across the stage floor on wheels. In 1890, a series of eight jungle wings were also added to the stock, built by William J. Moon and painted by H. E. Burpey.

The technical specifications for the Tabor Opera House stage paints a pretty picture, including a 6” rake. The 1884 issue of “Harry Miner’s Dramatic Directory” noted that the Leadville’s Tabor Opera House had a seating capacity of 800. H. A. W. Tabor’s second theater, the Tabor Grand of Denver, boasted a seating capacity almost twice that – 1,500. Tabor’s second theater was much larger than that in Leadville. The proscenium opening in Leadville was 23 feet wide by 17 feet high , whereas the proscenium opening in Denver was 34 feet wide by 33 high.

The size of the Tabor Opera House stage in Leadville measured 34-feet deep by 60-feet wide. The Tabor Grand Opera House stage in Denver measured 45-feet deep by 75-feet wide. The grooves (for wings) measured 16 feet in height at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville and 20 feet in height at the Tabor Grand in Denver.

“Harry Miner’s Dramatic Directory” also listed that Leadville’s Tabor Opera House boasted 12 sets of scenery, whereas the Tabor Grand had much more, 50 sets of scenery. The two venues were drastically different when examining the types of stage scenery and machinery. In Leadville, the Tabor Opera House used wings, shutters, and roll drops, there was only 19 feet from stage to rigging loft. In Denver, there was a grid 66 feet above the stage floor, accommodating a series of leg drops, cut drops and backdrops., in addition to grand interior setting.

At the current Tabor Opera House, there is a significant amount of used scenery produced for an earlier, and larger, venue. These pieces likely belonged to the Tabor Grand, and the scenes include borders, interiors settings and at least one set piece (step unit). There also pieces left on site from touring shows.

In short, there is a treasure trove of scenic art and stagecraft, depicting the delightful transition from Nineteenth-century itinerant artists painting stock scenery on site to early twentieth-century studio artists painting scenery at a distant location.

I have about four weeks of work in front of me once I return this week. It will take a while to decipher the information collected on site, compiling historical analyses, conditions reports, appraisals and a collections care and management program. Although I have written about 700 pages pertaining to the 1902 collection delivered by Kansas City Scenic Co. and Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio, there is much more to go. I am taking three days off to return home and then will resume “Tales of a Scenic Artist and Scholar,” about the life and times of Thomas Gibbs Moses (1856-1934)

To be continued…

Road Trip and Break!

For the next two weeks, I am taking a break from my blog to complete an out-of-town painting project. I will return to posting on Aug. 24, 2020.

This spring I designed a permanent portal for the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. The next two weeks will be spent painting the three pieces. Based on historical samples and color palettes, the drops are quite large, and intended to reduce the 50’ proscenium opening for more intimate performances. The top piece (Grand Border) measures 12’h x 54’w and will be painted down. The side pieces (Grand Tormentors), 20’h x 18’w, will be painted up, on a vertical frame. I will post the process photos upon completion.

Grand Border and Grand Tormentor design.

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar. The 1879 Scenery Collection at the Tabor Opera House

Overlooking Turquoise Lake at the town of Leadville, Colorado.

The Tabor Opera House as it appeared in June 2018.

In “The History of the Tabor Opera House, a Captivating History,” author Evelyn E. Livingston Furman described the first scenery delivered to Leadville’s Tabor Opera House in 1879. Keep in mind that H. A. W. Tabor was consistently purchasing the best for his first opera house in Leadville, Colorado. For most features he ordered the best that money could buy. One only has to only look at the opera chairs, complete with plush seats and hat racks beneath, top of the line from the Andrews Company.

Advertisement for chairs that were purchased for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.

Original 1879 opera chairs at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.

The opera chairs, and everything else for the Tabor Opera House were purchased and transported before the railway stopped in this mountain community.

Railroad tracks on the outskirts of Leadville, Colorado.

I cannot imagine that the focal point of the stage would have been treated any less. My guess is that the scenery cost was also considered top-of-the line goods. Furman notes explains that one backdrop, a scene depicting Royal Gorge, was purchased for $1000; that is the equivalent of a $25,000 today. An interesting aside before I move on with the remainder of the 1879 scenery: in 1880, “Western Magazine” mentions Royal Gorge as “located on the Leadville branch of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad” ( Vol. 4, page 176).

Furman explains that ten sets of scenes were delivered to the Tabor Opera House in 1879. This was a standard size stock collection for many smaller venues. Larger theaters ordered as many as 25 to 35 sets, while smaller musical halls may only purchase four sets.

By 1884, “Harry Miner’s American Dramatic Directory” noted there were 12 sets of scenery, increasing the original installation by two sets. This is also common, as new theaters continued to increase their stock, even within the first decade. We also know that scenery was again delivered in 1888 by scenic artist Frank Cox. So how do we know what’s up in the attic? We don’t, not yet, at least.

Signed scenic piece by scenic artist and theatre architect, Jesse Cox, at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.

The original 1879 pieces are purportedly stored in the attic, but with an ever-expanding collection before the 1901 renovation it is hard to know what comprises the original collection. There is wing and shutter scenery, as well as roll drops, in the attic that pre-dates the 1902 Kansas City Scenic Co. scenery; of that there is no question. I dug through much of it and documented what I could on my 49^th birthday. I know, without any doubt at all, that the wing and shutter scenery in the attic pre-dates the 1901 building renovation, and I can easily identify the 1902 scenery, as it is too tall for the original stage, and many pieces even included studio stencils on the back.

Studio stencil by the Kansas City Scenic Co. on the 1902 scenery at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.

In theatrical guides, the height of the original grooves for the Tabor Opera House stage was listed as 16’-0”. The height of the proscenium varied in publications from 17’-0” to 20’-0”. All of the 1902 scenery is 18’-0” tall.

Other 1879 scenery mentioned by Furman include a forest scene, a garden scene, a palace scene, a plain chamber scene with a balcony, and a prison scene. Amazingly, we uncovered what is likely the original balcony last week, albeit in very poor shape. It seems to be the appropriate age, complete with rough-hewn lumber and very unlike the 1902 scenery. Our roll drop discovery with the Palace composition was also constructed of rough-hewn lumber.

Palace arch roll drop and volunteer crew at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.

Furman also recorded a set of double-painted flats: one depicting a New England Kitchen and the other a Baronial Hall scene on the other. I knew exactly what she was talking about as two of those flats were on stage last week; I knew that the rest were in the attic. However, we noticed that the Baronial Hall side (a Gothic interior) was over painted. Although it was an identical composition below, the flat had been repainted. This absolutely fascinated me, and I took several photographs of the under-painting that depicted an identical composition with slightly different coloration. Although exciting, it throws a wrench into the works. It will be harder to determine what is original painting.

Under and overpainting on historic flat at the Tabor Opera House, c. 1879-1888.

Grand tormentor discovered on site at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, c. 1879-1888.

Painted detail from grand tormentor discovered on site at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, c. 1879-1888.

Painted detail from grand tormentor discovered on site at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, c. 1879-1888. Notice the thick coat of paint, suggesting multiple layers from repainting of the theatrical flat.

Theatre scenery was, and remains, ephemeral in nature. Repainting and replacing are all part of our process; stock sets were never intended to be permanent. Those that remain are really the anomaly.

Finally Furman mentions three sets of wood wings for the exterior scenes and a mountain stream scene. I located the mountain stream scene shutters, and it is beautifully painted.

Painted detail from mountain stream scene shutter discovered on site at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, c. 1879-1888.

I also located a few wood borders. What I did notice about the collection in the attic, is how quickly the painting falls apart. It was during this time that the American scenic art wars were in full swing; those who used a series of glazes to paint stage settings versus those who used opaque washes. Opaque washes were employed in many Midwestern scenic studios and their artists, and condescendingly referred to as “slap dash.” Looking at the scenery in the attic, slap-dash certainly comes to mind. Unlike the refined techniques employed on the Sosman & Landis interior settings below, the wings, shutter, and borders in the attic appear in stark contrast. This is a fascinating time to examine the aesthetic shift that was occurring n the American stage.

Painted detail of “slap dash” painting found on a scenic piece at the Tabor Opera House, c. 1879-1888.

Painted detail on Sosman & Landis interior setting piece at the Tabor Opera House, c. 1902.

In the attic during 2018, I noticed there was a grand border and two matching torms, complete with marble columns and draperies. I caught glimpses of fancy interiors, Gothic exteriors, garden walls with colorful vines, brilliant wood borders and so much more. The Tabor Opera House is a treasure trove of scenic art and stagecraft. Their collection shows the delightful transition from itinerant artists employing the slap-dash on site to mass-produced scenery produced at a major scenic studio and shipped from a distant location. I am left with great anticipation to catalogue what’s in the Tabor Opera House attic this spring.

Painted detail, wood border at the Tabor Opera House, c. 1879-1888.

Stencil detail, interior set piece at the Tabor Opera House, c. 1879-1888.

To be continued…

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar. The Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado. Friday Morning, February 7, 2020.

I began our final day at the Tabor Opera House in a bit of a panic, as there was still so much left to catalogue. By the end of the previous day, we all realized that there was much more flat stock than anyone anticipated. There is nothing like thinking this is the last flat against the wall, and they just keep coming. My initial hope was that we could assemble all the interior settings, but soon realized that I would have to settle for three at most. Some of the settings were incomplete due to repainting too, so I was unsure if there were complete sets.

…and then there was the weather…

View out my front door after the first snowfall in Leadville, Colorado.

Leadville, Colorado, was in the midst of a huge snowstorm that would deposit up to to 51-inches of snow in neighboring areas. Just trying to get out of the house that morning was a challenge, as I waded through snow up to my knee to the car. I had been walking the half block to the opera house, but accepted the ride offered in anticipation of the weather the night before.

A few of us decided to meet a little early and photograph the grand tormentors that we discovered the Thursday evening, getting a head start. The grand tormentors matched the first piece we examined on Monday – the grand border. The classic red draperies framing the marble columns matched those documented earlier that week.

Stage left grand tormentor. Draperies were added to match the original red detail in the painted ornament below.

There are six pieces with the same red draperies: the two folding grand tormentors with doors; three grand borders, and the front drop curtain. All four elements are not of the same vintage. Before looking at the individual pieces, here are the technical specifications for the venue listed in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide for the 1903-1904 Season: Width of proscenium, 30’-0”; height of the proscenium 24’-0”; distance from the curtain line to footlights, 5’-0”; height to rigging loft 41’-0”’and the depth under stage, 12’-0”.

Grand border that pre-dates the 1901 stage renovation by the Elks in Leadville, Colorado.

Painted detail on grand tormentor, pre-dating the 1901 stage renovation by the Elks in Leadville, Colorado.

The largest red-drapery grand border is over 44-feet long, much too large for the proscenium. This piece has five holes for operating lines. Common installation practices at the time for a proscenium this size, such as the Tabor Opera House, would only demand three holes for three operating lines.

The second matching border with red draperies is similar, but shorter; an appropriate length for the 30’-0” wide proscenium.

Shorter border with red draperies and grand tormentor. The red draperies on both of these are a later addition.

The third red drapery border is too small for the proscenium and the oldest. It has the similar red curtains, matching the two highly ornate grand tormentors that we photographed in the morning. These three pieces are stunning.

The front curtain (drop curtain) was initially created without the red draperies. Upon close inspection, it is obvious that the red draperies were added after the entire drop was complete. The painting style for the red draperies on the front curtain is quite crude in comparison to the rest of the composition.

It is a challenge to appropriately date all of the pieces. I think that the oldest pieces are the latter three mentioned, the matching ornate border and grand tormentors. These pieces were delivered prior to the that were addition of the fly loft The side doors allowed promoted action to occur downstage of the plaster line while a scene change was occurring upstage.

The painting of the matching border and tormentors are stunning, a much higher quality than the two other borders, yet the red draperies were also added here too. The tassels at the top of the tormentors are not of the same quality or technique as those incorporated into the bottom ornament.

Note the crude painting technique for the red draperies. It is incosistent with the rest of the quality on the side tormentors.

Note the quality of the gold and how it differs from the gold fringe on the red draperies.

I believe that the really long border, shorter border and draperies on the front curtain were added at the same time, 1902 or slightly later, but a scenic artist working on site at the theater after the delivery. These latter three pieces were painted to match the original tormentors. In fact, I think that the tops of the grand tormentors, the drop curtain draperies and the two borders (large and small, not highly ornate) were painted at the same time.

The quality of painting is all over the map at the Tabor Opera House. I am still stunned that we uncovered three distinct collections – 1879, 1888 and 1902. The 1902 scenery delivery included used pieces from an unidentifiable venue, but one previous to 1902. The 1879 collection (which will be catalogue later this spring) and the 1888 collection were created prior to the enlargement of the stage and addition of the fly loft. The 1879 and 1888 scenery were produced for a stage with grooves. The 1902 scenery was produced for a stage house with fly loft.

The majority of 1879 wing and shutter scenery is in the attic of the Tabor Opera House. A few elements of the 1888 scenery by Frank Cox are stored on the stage, identifiable by the strap sheaves on the bottom of rolling flats, intended to accompany the original grooves.

The 1902 scenery is all on the stage and includes several interior settings. These set flats are interchangeable and lashed together. Some of the scenes have been repainted over the decades. The 1902 collection includes a yellow center door fancy, a pink center door fancy, a green Gothic interior, two plain interiors and a prison. The prison scene is back-painted on one of the plain interiors. In addition to these interior settings are large set pieces that include wood wings, rustic huts, garden balustrades and city buildings. Only three set pieces stored on the stage currently roll, dating from 1888; a tree profile and two city wings were constructed to slide in grooves.

Some of the scenery against the back wall at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.

I will look at the other scenery tomorrow.

To be continued…