This ties in with the continued storyline of Bestor G. Brown.
I am in nearing the end of writing an article about Bestor G. Brown, traveling salesman for E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Company (1894-1903) and later western sales manager for M. C. Lilley & Co. (1903-1917). Brown is fascinating on many fronts, one being his connection to the development and sale of Brown’s special system – the standard counterweight rigging system delivered by Sosman & Landis consistently to Scottish Rite theaters during the early twentieth century. He was THE mover and shaker for everything required for degree productions at Scottish Rite theaters in the Southern Jurisdiction beginning in 1896.
Brown belonged to MANY fraternal orders from 1884 until his passing in 1917. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Benevolent and Protected Order of Elks, Freemasonry and Knights of Pythias.
As a Knights of Pythias member, he performed in the title role of Pythias for the Knights of Pythias public production, “Damon & Pythias” during 1891. The fundraiser was held at an opera house in Topeka, Kansas, during 1891 where Brown resided with his young daughter. So popular was the amateur production of “Damon & Pythias,” that it repeated for the benefit of the fireman of Topeka. It opened at the Grand on November 20, 1891.
There was pre-show play before “Damon and Pythias,” titled “The Fireman’s Child.” The first in a series of short scenes depicted a house fire and a small child being rescued by a fireman from a window. The scenes used live flame.
Headline of an article regarding the repeat performance of “Damon and Pythias.” It was performed as a fundraising benefit by the Knights of Pythias for the local fire department in 1891.Fire broke out during the fundraising event featuring “Damon and Pythias” at the Grand in Topeka, Kansas, during 1891. The pre-show was “The Fireman’s Child.”
On November 22, 1891, the “Topeka State Journal” reported a small fire that broke out during the “The Fireman’s Child.” Here is the article in it’s entirety:
“IT WAS TOO FIERY. The Red Fire at the Grand Goes off All at Once.
An exciting accident occurred at the Grand opera house last night during the realistic fire scene which came dangerously nearing making the scene too realistic, by far. On the interior of the set representing the burning house were six men who were manipulating the flames, the crashing glass, the crackling of the flames,” and other features of the fire. They had only about eight feet square to work in. Mr. T. D. Humphrey was in charge of the red fire and got it well started. The flames were rolling out of the windows famously, when all at once two pounds of the treacherous powder, standing near in boxes, from which the covers had been carelessly removed, caught tire. With a puff and a roar, the flames soared up into the flies, and the scene on the interior of the house instantly became an exciting one. The glass smasher dropped his box, and the “flame crackler” fled. The fire leaped up against a parlor set standing near and it instantly burst into flumes. Manager Alton, who was on the stage, rushed to the hose lying near, ready for just such an emergency, turned on the water and in a minute had a , stream on the blazing scenery, which Speedily extinguished the fire. In the excitement the hose was accidentally turned on Mr. Bestor G. Brown, who was drenched, and all the grease paint was washed off of Mr. Humphrey, who had made up preparatory to going on in the play. Several Grecian soldiers loafing around were also soused. For a few moments there were a frightened lot of people on the stage, but when it was all over, they had a good laugh. Mr. Humphrey’s hands and arms were severely scorched. The audience, fortunately was not aware of the accident.”
In 1908, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Starting on Wheeling, W. Va. Masonic work, a good contract and I enjoyed the work. The Darius Palace and the approach to Jerusalem were very interesting things to do, and a dozen others with the same amount of interest for others to do.”
For the past two days, I have examined the subject of the scenes that Moses worked on in 1908 – Darius Palace and approach to Jerusalem. Today’s post is about the actual Scottish Rite building in Wheeling, West Virginia, where the scenery was delivered. In 1907, the Wheeling Scottish Rite Masons began the construction of a massive edifice, complete with a theater and scenery by Sosman & Landis. The Wheeling Scottish Rite was built on the corner of Fourteenth and Byron Streets in Wheeling, West Virginia. Previously at that location, was the residence on Mr. James Caldwell. Soon after his marriage in 1839, Caldwell erected a residence, which, with its garden and stable yard.
Scottish Rite Cathedral in Wheeling, West Virginia, that had scenery produced by Sosman & Landis in 1908. This building was destroyed by fire in 1915.Scottish Rite Cathedral in Wheeling, West Virginia, that had scenery produced by Sosman & Landis in 1908. This building was destroyed by fire in 1915.
The Sosman & Landis Studio’s work was short lived, however, as the Wheeling Scottish Rite Cathedral was destroyed by fire on March 4, 1915. Losses were estimated at $50,000. While looking for information to include in the timeline for the “Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre,” I read that the Wheeling Scottish Rite Cathedral was destroyed by fire on the morning of March 5 (“Santa Fe Scottish Rite Bulletin,” April 1915, Vol. II No 4, page 8).
The auditorium of the Wheeling Scottish Rite, pictured after a devastating fire during 1915.
Last week, I discovered another article about the fire published on April 7, 1915. Interestingly, it was posted at fireengineering.com:
“The Masonic Scottish Rite Cathedral at Wheeling, W. Va., was partially destroyed by fire on March 4th, with an estimated loss of about $50,000. The fire started in the basement and is attributed to rubbish. The fire was discovered at 12:20 A. M., and the alarm was sent in over the Gamewell system from a street box. When the department, commanded by Chief Engineer Edward T. Rose arrived, fire was coming out of the windows in the basement. The flames spread through an airshaft to the back of the stage in the main auditorium on the second floor and swept through that and the upper portion of the building, the first floor being damaged by smoke and water. The building, a four story structure, was less than ten years old, and was constructed with brick walls, wood joists and tar paper roof. All partition walls were hollow. There were few hand extinguishers in the building. There was in service one first size Ahrens-Fox engine, two third size Ahrens-Fox engines, one Silsby third size engine, one 85foot aerial ladder, and 9,000 feet of 2 1/2-inch hose. Three 6-inch and five 4-inch hydrants were available, the distance between them being 800 to 1,000 feet. The water pressure at the hydrants was 80 to 65 pounds. In all 11 streams were thrown, including three hydrant and eight engine streams. Three turrets and one cellar nozzle were used. The loss on building amounted to $30,000, and on contents to $20,000. The contents included scenery on stage, paraphernalia of the order, and a large pipe organ. Chief Rose is quoted as saying the fire demonstrated the danger of vertical openings and lack of fire stops, there being a large space under the roof without a fire stop of any kind. Chief Rose sounded a genera! alarm and a call was sent in to Martin’s Ferry and an auto truck responded. (https://www.fireengineering.com/articles/print/volume-57/issue-14/features/scottish-rite-cathedral-at-wheeling-partially-destroyed.html)
The Wheeling Scottish Rite immediately began plans for a new building in 1915, and by October 1916, the new Scottish Rite was completed, dedicated, and held the first reunion. I have uncovered very little about the original Scottish Rite, other than the opening was postponed. On March 18, 1908, the “Daily Telegram” reported “Postponed Is Dedication of Scottish Rite Cathedral as Interior Work Will Not Be Finished” (Clarksburg, West Virginia, page 1). The article continues, ”The new Scottish Rite cathedral, corner of Fourteenth and Byron streets, Wheeling, will not be dedicated until the latter art of June, as the interior work will not be completed until that month. Elliot & Winechell, contractor who built the Empire building and the county jail and sheriff’s residence in the city, are building the cathedral.
Fold-out postcard of the 1916 Scottish Rite in Wheeling, West Virginia, recently listed in an online auction.The 1916 auditorium. Fold-out postcard of the 1916 Scottish Rite in Wheeling, West Virginia, recently listed in an online auction.The bowling alley. Fold-out postcard of the 1916 Scottish Rite in Wheeling, West Virginia, recently listed in an online auction.The Scottish Rite room. Fold-out postcard of the 1916 Scottish Rite in Wheeling, West Virginia, recently listed in an online auction.The Ladies Room. Fold-out postcard of the 1916 Scottish Rite in Wheeling, West Virginia, recently listed in an online auction.The Blue Lodge room. Fold-out postcard of the 1916 Scottish Rite in Wheeling, West Virginia, recently listed in an online auction.
It was originally intended to hold the dedication exercises at the time of the spring convocation or reunion of the Consistory of the Valley of West Virginia, but he high officers of the society were notified by the contractors that it would be an impossibility to have it completed and ready for dedication by that time. The paraphernalia for the degree work has been already ordered from the manufacturers.
The spring convocation will be held in the old temple, on Market street Easter week, closing the usual Maundy Thursday banquet. The latter will probably be held in the Arion hall. There will be work in all of the degrees, and they will be exemplified at the old temple.”
Volland business records indicate that the new scenery was delivered by Toomey & Volland Studios of St. Louis, Missouri in 1916. I was surprised when I encountered a image of the 1916 drop curtain for the auditorium. The design reminded me of a Sosman & Landis version (c. 1898-1908) now used in Yankton, South Dakota. It is very likely that some of the scenery delivered for the new Scottish Rite stage was previously owned and painted by Sosman & Landis artists. The drop curtain is characteristic of Sosman & Landis designs, not that delivered by Toomey & Volland artists.
The 1916 drop curtain at the Wheeling Scottish Rite. Yankton Scottish Rite drop curtain delivered in 1910 by Sosman & Landis is similar to the one delivered by Toomey & Volland to the Scottish Rite in Wheeling, West Virginia, during 1908.
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 1John 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.”
A Visit to the Cheyenne Scottish Rite on June 17, 2018
The Scottish Rite Theatre is in the Cheyenne Masonic Temple, located at 1820 Capitol Avenue. This three-story building was initially constructed in 1901 at a cost of $45,000. In 1903, the building was gutted by fire. After receiving $35,000 from the insurance company, the interior was reconstructed. Our guide, Ron, explained that an addition to the building occurred during the 1920s and included the theater.
1901 Masonic Temple in Cheyenne, Wyoming before the 1903 fire.1903 Masonic Temple in Cheyenne, Wyoming, that was rebuilt after the fire.
In 1921, “The Billings Gazette” reported that Wyoming had 1906 thirty-second degree Masons, an increase of 245 members in twelve months. Furthermore, the secretary of Wyoming Consistory No. 1 in Cheyenne reported, “the total resources of all four bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite amount to $189,958.88” (17 Sept 1921, page 8). There were 2,090 members in the Rocky Mountain Lodge of Perfection; 1,961 members in the Albert Pike Chapter of the Knights of Rose Croix; and 1,961 members in the Cheyenne Council of Kadosh No. 1. At the time of the article, a new Scottish Rite Cathedral was being built in Cheyenne. Plans for this new Consistory building had been in the works since 1920, when the “Casper Star-Tribune” reported, “Tentative plans for the cathedral which Wyoming Consistory No. 1, A.A.S.R., is to erect at Capitol Avenue and Twentieth Street, have been approved. They call for a structure of Grecian architecture, with a frontage of 132 feet on Capitol Avenue, which will cost approximately $500,000. Aside from the fact that it will be the largest and finest fraternal society building in Wyoming architecture. Work on the building, it is planned and will begin next fall” (29 May 1920, page 9).
End view of sandwich batten on Scottish Rite scenery in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Some of the scenery that is currently on the stage is identified as being delivered to “Scottish Rite Bodies. Masonic Hall. Cheyenne, Wyoming.” This information is stenciled on the back and front of some bottom sandwich battens. The stenciling on the back of some drops confirms the destination of Cheyenne, and is characteristic of standard Sosman & Landis Studio labeling during the first decade of the twentieth century.
Stencil on back of a Scottish Rite drop in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
That being said, there are three distinct collections when examining the stencil placement, yet two are consistent with Sosman & Landis. The three collections also are not a standard size, as some are much taller and some are much wider. Furthermore, many of the drops were obviously hung in another venue prior to their transport to the current stage. This is confirmed by charcoal markings indicating previous line numbers for another space. Finally, the painted surface of the collection is primarily consistent with the Sosman & Landis installations for current collections in Santa Fe, St. Paul, Winona, Tucson, Ashville, and Grand Forks. What is not consistent with Sosman & Landis labeling in Cheyenne is that for their painted profile pieces, meaning the painted flats accompanying many of the painted scenes are not identified with stencils. The ones in Cheyenne are not labeled at all beyond a few pencil markings. The design and construction is also not characteristic of standard Sosman & Landis profile pieces. They are also much brighter in color than the remainder of the collection too.
A profile piece, likely produced by Volland Studio of St. Louis in 1924.
Finally, the stage machinery also predates the 1920s addition and is characteristic of those installed by Sosman & Landis during the first decade of the twentieth century.
Now, here is where it gets interesting. Thomas G. Moses records that he supervised the painting of the Scottish Rite scenery for Cheyenne in 1911. Why did they know about Sosman & Landis in Cheyenne? Well in 1881-1882 Sosman & Landis also provided the stock scenery for the Grand Opera House in Cheyenne. They had a foothold in the community already. This helps confirm the majority of scenes that are distinctly Sosman & Landis designs with their standard stencils. However, Volland Studio records also indicate that they delivered Scottish Rite scenery in 1924, about the same time that the Scottish Rite held reunions in their new theater in Cheyenne. The painted profile pieces and the few scenes that are inconsistent with Sosman & Landis Masonic compositions and may be attributed to Volland Studio.
Detail from one of the drops likely attributed to Volland Studio due to the bright coloration and painting technique. This is more characteristics of the 1920s.Backdrop is likely by Volland studio artists in 1924. The cut drops are consistent with those created by Sosman & Landis Studio of Chicago during the first decade of the twentieth century.
What I have not had time to do is categorize the drops based on stencil placement, charcoal markings, composition, and other consistent characteristics that helps divide up the entire collection. Finally, there were even more drops stored at the Cheyenne Masonic Temple that had sat for decades, rolled up in an offstage area. Unfortunately they were disposed of a few years ago.
Scottish Rite scene in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Sosman & Landis StudioScottish Rite scene in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Sosman & Landis StudioScottish Rite scene in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Sosman & Landis StudioScottish Rite scene in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Sosman & Landis StudioScottish Rite scene in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Sosman & Landis StudioScottish Rite scene in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Sosman & Landis Studio
In short, I can confirm that the Scottish Rite Masons were using Sosman & Landis scenery in 1911 that was delivered to the Cheyenne Masonic Hall. And then there is the dead hung drop curtain against the back wall.
A peak at the dead hung drop curtain at the Scottish Rite in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
I was able to identify that it was a drop curtain due to the painted fringe and draperies. It also has identical bottom battens to the oldest scenery that is currently hanging. Yet, the front curtain would have been not wide enough for the current proscenium opening. Maybe it was kept for sentimental reasons. I would love to see what the composition is, as we were unable to see beyond the bottom two feet of the drop.
Part 368: The Machinery of the Grand Opera, 1897 (first section)
A few months back, I stumbled across an 1897 article, “The Machinery of the Grand Opera” by E. F. Keller. It provides a little more context for life and times of Thomas G. Moses during 1897-1898. This article is also is a good follow-up to “How Scenery is Made,” as Jos. A. Physioc worked at the Metropolitan Opera during the beginning of his career. This is the first of three posts:
A photograph from “The Machinery of the Grand Opera” by E. F. Keller, 1897.
“The great throngs of diamond-bedecked women and dress-coated men who gather from night to night in the enormous auditorium of the Metropolitan Opera House have little realization of the machinery, by which the magnificent stage pictures which pass like a living panorama, full of light and color, before their eyes, are produced. They see perfect groupings, great ensembles, perfect processions, and constant changes of scenery and lights, but it is not possible for them to comprehend the enormous amount of attention to detail and knowledge of the handling of masses of people and quantities of stage paraphernalia required for the bringing forward of these results.
A photograph from “The Machinery of the Grand Opera” by E. F. Keller, 1897.
The Metropolitan Opera House stage is one of the greatest in the world, and is certainly the most modern, in all its parts, of any of the big structures of its kind in Europe. When the building was partly destroyed by fire several years ago, it became necessary, among other things, to erect an entirely new stage, and this was done upon all the latest lines of invention.
The area occupied by the stage is one hundred and one feet in width and eighty-seven feet deep. The proscenium arch, which is fifty-five feet square, really gives but little indication of the great amount of space at the disposal of the scene shifters, carpenters, mechanics, electricians, scene painters, and property men who form the portion of the equipment of the establishment never appearing in sight of the audience.
In addition to the room at both sides of the visible stage, there is a great deal of space above and below which is constantly utilized. It is ninety feet from the level of the stage to the rigging loft – which is sometimes called the gridiron in the language of the theatre. There is the clear limit to which scenes may be hoisted without interference when they are pulled above the line of sight of the occupants of the audience room. Below the stage surface there is clear depth of twenty-eight feet to the base of the sub-cellar. By this double arrangement, above and below, sets of scenery and other articles may be either lifted up or lowered down, as the exigencies of the case may require.
Surrounding the stage, at the height of thirty-six feet, is the first fly gallery, upon which the men who handle the scenery are stationed. In the Metropolitan there are two other fly galleries above this one. Here the ropes are coiled or fastened, as may be necessary, and a great many of the changes of scenery are carried out.
The half of the stage nearest the audience is made in sections – some times called traps – that are easily removed for the production of scenic effects. The rear half of the stage is built in bridges, eight or ten feet broad, and crossing the entire width. These are supported by steel trusses readily hoisted by counter-weights to any desired height up to twenty-three feet above the floor level.
They are a great improvement over the old system, partly on account of the readiness with which they are lifted and fastened at any desired point, and partly for the reason that they are as firm and secure as the stage itself.”
A photograph from “The Machinery of the Grand Opera” by E. F. Keller, 1897.A photograph from “The Machinery of the Grand Opera” by E. F. Keller, 1897.A photograph from “The Machinery of the Grand Opera” by E. F. Keller, 1897.
Part 362: Thomas G. Moses’ and “Shenandoah” at McVicker’s Theatre
Thomas G. Moses was the scenic artist at McVicker’s Theatre in Chicago during the 1897-1898 season. McVicker’s Theater was built by James Hubert McVicker in 1857. It was remodeled by 1864, then destroyed by fire in 1871. McVicker rebuilt and reopened the following year. By 1883, the venue was remodeled, but again destroyed by fire in 1890. For a third time, McVicker’s Theatre was rebuilt, reopening in 1892. In 1898, McVicker’s widow sold the theater to Jacob Litt for a term of ten years. Litt had managed the venue prior to becoming its proprietor. He hired Moses for his first season after purchasing the venue.
Jacob Litt purchased McVicker’s Theatre in Chicago during 1898. At this same time he hired Thomas G. Moses as his scenic artist for the venue.
Moses and Litt had worked together on other projects over the decades, including the Academy of Music in Milwaukee during 1886. Litt leased numerous theatres across the country and many endeavors became lucrative successes. By 1898, Litt said, “I have a hard time keeping the different companies straightened out as I have over 250 actors and actresses on my salary lists just now. I am going to make McVicker’s a producing house as much as possible” (Chicago Inter Ocean, 27 August 1898, page 6).
McVicker’s Theatre
At McVicker’s Theatre, Moses created the scenery for Litt’s grand revival of “Shenandoah.” The production was staged during the second half of the 1897-1898 season. Bronson Howard’s Military drama previously appeared at McVicker’s in 1890 and was reported to be “a phenomenal success” for this fort appearance. The Chicago Inter Ocean reported that with the second burning of McVicker’s Theatre in 1890, the “Shenandoah” scenery was “transferred to the Auditorium to complete its great run” (Chicago Inter Ocean, 28 Feb., 1897, page 37). The Chicago Tribune noted that “The play ‘Shenandoah’ did not suffer by the McVicker fire for, large as the audiences were during the 100 nights at the theater, they were almost as large again at the Auditorium” (31 August 1890, page 30). After the Auditorium, the show toured to St. Louis.
Advertisement for “Shenandoah” at McVicker’s Theatre (Chicago Tribune, 13 May 1898, page 5).
The 1898 “Shenandoah” production opened at McVickers during May and ran until the end of July. In June, the battle scene from the show was performed as part of the midsummer entertainment for a Chicago Press Club event. Smart idea. The Chicago Tribune reported that this entertainment was arranged “through the kindness of Manager Jacob Litt (5 June 1898, page 11).
Advertisement for “Shenandoah” published in the Chicago Tribune (7 July 1898, page 5).
In his typed manuscript, Moses described his painting of the “Shenandoah” settings in detail. He wrote, “For the production, Otis Skinner played the lead, supported by a full company with at least a dozen horses. We built up the stage for a big battlefield, and worked all other scenes inside of it. I couldn’t find an authentic picture of Shenandoah Valley, so I faked it. One night there was a crowd of old G.A.R. men and after the performance they asked my permission to go up on stage and look over the battlefield. Mr. Litt went with them and listened to their comments of the big cyclorama drop backing. They pointed out the very house where they all stopped for water, etc. Litt introduced me and afterwards said, ‘You made a big hit with those chaps with your accurate drop.’ I was pleased and told him it was a fake, that I just composed it. He could hardly believe it. Of course, I had some idea of the general character of the mountains and farmhouses.”
For me, it is fascinating to examine the personalities that Moses interacted with from year to year. His relationship with Jacob Litt is mentioned in installments #123, 216, and 255. He is a brief mention of Otis Skinner and where he was at in his career when he starred in “Shenandoah.”
Otis Skinner later became a popular film star.
Otis Skinner (1858-1942) was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and raised in Hartford, Connecticut. His older brother Charles Montgomery Skinner became a noted New York theatre critic and journalist, while his younger brother William became an artist. Encouraged by P. T. Barnum, Skinner played various bit roles in stock companies during the 1870s until he built up his repertoire and began touring with Augustin Daly by the mid 1880s. In 1889 he was performing with the Edwin Booth and Helena Modjeska troupe. By the mid-1890s, Skinner became recognized as a star in his own right. It was during this period when Moses painted the settings for his show “Shenandoah.”
By November of 1898, “Shenandoah” began a return engagement at McVicker’s Theater. The Chicago Inter Ocean advertised that the production was “attracting an audience that crowded the house to its doors” (Chicago Inter Ocean 14 November, 1898, page 7). However the return engagement starred Maurice Barrymore in the leading role, not Skinner.
Advertisement for the return engagement of “Shenandoah” at McVicker’s theatre during November 1898, starring Maurice Barrymore. From the Chicago Tribune, 22 Nov 1898, page 5.
Part 338: Thomas G. Moses and the Belle City Opera House in Racine, Wisconsin
In 1895, Thomas G. Moses recorded that he negotiated, “A good contract for Racine, Wisconsin, Opera House” and the project lasted a few weeks. He was referring to the renovated Belle City Opera House in Racine. Moses previously worked in Racine at the Belle City Opera House during 1883. He painted a second set of scenery for the same venue after it was renovated (see installment #184). While painting for the Belle City Opera House in 1883, Moses also painted scenery for the Blake Opera House, another venue in Racine. The Blake was located on 6th Street and managed by W. C. Tiede.
The original Blake Opera House (1882-1884) in Racine, Wisconsin. Thomas G, Moses painted scenery for this venue in 1883.
The local newspaper commented about Moses’ work in 1883 for the Belle City Opera House, “The scenery at the Opera House is handsome in every particular, Mr. Moses, the gentlemen who designed and painted it deserves the highest commendation” (The Journal Times, 3 Feb 1883, page 2).
His work for the Blake Opera House was equally admired. The Journal Times (Racine, Wisconsin) reported that “Thomas Moses, the scenic artist, who painted all the handsome scenes at the Blake Opera House, departed for Illinois to-day. During his stay here Mr. Moses has made many warm friends, who wish him every success, wherever he may go” (14 March 1883, page 2). That message must have meant a lot to Moses. It also says a lot about his personality and character. To have such a warm farewell message published in a local newspaper after a relatively short stay it quite something. Time and time again, it appears as if the people genuinely liked Moses as an individual.
Unfortunately, the following year all of his painting was destroyed when the Blake Opera House burned to the ground in 1884, just two years after it was constructed. It was a very short life for the 1200-seat venue and is often overlooked by historians.
Detail of front curtain on a Belle City Opera House program. This drop was possibly painted by Thomas G. Moses.
By 1895 when Moses returned to Racine, the Blake Opera House’s manager, W. C. Tiede, was managing the new Belle City Opera House. It must have been a pleasant reunion for Moses and Tiede when he arrived for work. As to the specifics of Moses’ scene painting for the Belle Opera House in 1895, it is unclear whether Moses painted stock scenery or supplemental pieces for a specific production.
As with almost all of the theaters that Moses provided stock scenery for in 1895 this venue was a theater located on the ground floor. The renovated Belle City Opera House, located at the intersection of State and Main Streets. It opened on February 11, 1890. The address was 211 Main Street. It original building was constructed in 1876. The 0pening was reported in the Racine Country Argus, “Racine people will always patronize a first-class entertainment, now that they have a good house to go to. The Belle City Hall, as remodeled, makes a fine little Opera House, only a few improvements being necessary to make it as good as any, and the people appreciate it” (January 6, 1876). This venue ceased operations by 1883.
The renovated opera house had a seating capacity of 1,200. At this time, Racine’s population was approximately 30,000. The theater was illuminated with a combination of both gas and electrical lights (volt 110). The proscenium opening was 30’-0” wide by 28’-0” high. The depth of the stage from the footlights to the back wall was 32’-0.” Distance between the sidewalls was 60 feet and the distance between the fly girders was 45 feet. The height of the grooves from the stage was 18’-0” and could be taken up flush with the fly gallery. The distance from the stage to the rigging loft was 50’-0.”
Postcard depicting the original Belle City Opera House, renamed the Racine Theater in 1906.
The Belle City Opera House was across the street from a more prominent theatre. The competitor was known by a variety of names, including the Bate Theatre, Orpheum Theatre, RKO Theatre, and Main Street Theatre). On August 16, 1906 the Belle City Opera House was also renamed to the Racine Theatre. It was rechristened again on May 14, 1914 as the Rex Theatre and became known as a vaudeville house. Eventually the entertainment turned toward cinema. By 1959, the building was transformed into a bowling alley. In 1978 it was demolished to connect State Street and Lake Avenue.
The original Belle City Opera House was renamed for a second time in 1914 when the entertainment venue became the Rex Theatre.A view depicting the Rex Theatre, originally the Belle City Opera House. Notice the fly loft on top of the building.
Thomas G. Moses’ recorded painting for a variety of venues during the 1893 Columbian Exposition. One of his projects included scenery for Dr. F. Ziegfeld’s Trocadero. That would be Flo Ziegfeld’s father! Ziegfeld Sr. advertised the Trocadero as the “International Temple of Music” and featured a variety of musicians. However, it soon became a “high-class vaudeville theatre” under the management of his son. Ziegfeld Sr. was the first president of the Torocadero and also the General Manager. Thos. W. Prior was his assistant manager. Prior later managed the Schiller Theatre and then the Garrick Theatre.
The first few months in the history of the Trocadero were fraught with disaster. Their sophisticated music policy provided many artistic successes, yet consistently lost money to the tune of $3,000 each week. Furthermore, their first performance venue burned to the ground. Located in the armory of the First Regiment, Illinois National Guard on Sixteenth Street and Michigan Avenue, the Trocadero was entirely destroyed by fire on April 29, 1893.
The destruction of the first Trocadero performance space. From “The Inter Ocean” (Chicago, Illinois) on Sun, Dec 3, 1893, page 29.
In this disastrous turn of events, all of the Trocadero Amusement Company’s scenery and costumes went up in flames (Green Bay Weekly Gazette, May 3, 1893, page 7).
Program for the second Trocadero performance venue at Battery D on Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street.Program for the second Trocadero performance venue at Battery D on Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street. This is before F.Ziegfeld Jr. becomes the manager.
Their next venue was located a short distance to the north in the Battery “D” armory on the lakefront at Michigan Avenue and Monrose Street. In the second armory they continued to feature international musicians, such as Voros Miska’s Hungarian Band, Hans von Bülow’s Orchestra and Military Band, and Iwanoff’s Russian troupe of singers and dancers (Detroit Free Press, 27 April, 1893, page 5). All the while, the Ziegfeld Corporation continued to lose money at Trocadero.
The second Trocadero performance space in 1893 at Battery “D.” This scenery was possibly created by Thomas G. Moses.
After the fire and on the verge of bankruptcy, the company’s board of directors decided to make a radical change in their performance policy. Ziegfeld Jr. became the sole manager and vaudeville acts entered the picture.
A newspaper advertisement before the Trocadero features vaudeville acts.An advertisement for the Trocadero. This is after the Ziegfeld Jr. manages the venue and includes vaudeville acts.
Newspapers reported that “High class music, which was finely presented, but found too few patrons, gave place to vaudeville. This change produced an instant difference in results, and the handsome profits on the business week by week made it possible not only to avert the threatened intervention of a receiver, but to recover all the losses and place a balance to the credit of the enterprise” (The Inter Ocean, Dec. 3, 1893, page 29). By December of 1893, the substantial profits facilitated the Trocadero to reopen in a new home on Jackson Street. It was another remodeled armory on Jackson Street between Wabash and Michigan Avenues. The seating capacity was 1,600 with two balconies, twenty-five boxes, a parquet and orchestra circle. A large restaurant was located in the basement with smoking and retiring rooms on each floor. The stage was to be “roomy and built with special reference to vaudeville performance” (Chicago Tribune 19 November 1893, page 25).
Dr. F. Ziegfeld Sr. was born in northern Germany. A talented pianist, he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory under the direction of Moscheles, Richter, Plaidy, David, Wenzel, Paperitz and others. Graduating in 1863, he not only declined an offer from a leading Russian conservatory, but also left Europe entirely and moved to the United States. By 1867 he had founded the Chicago Musical College for the purpose of “furnishing a symmetrical and thorough musical education” (Chicago Board of Trade, page 291).
1902 advertisement for the Chicago Musical College, established in 1867 by Dr. F. Ziegfeld.
The institution was a school of music, acting, elocution of modern languages, and opera. After the great fire of 1871 destroyed many of the college rooms, property, and library, Ziegfeld reopened the school in another location. So the fire that destroyed the first Trocadero’s performance space was only a stumbling block for Dr. Ziegfeld in 1893.
Ziegfeld Jr. entered the musical scene in 1885 when he worked as the assistant treasurer for the Chicago College of Music. At the time, he was noted as a “very popular and talented young businessman,” later rising to celebrity status as the Broadway impresario and creator of the Ziegfeld Follies. The Follies ran from 1907 to 1931.
In Chicago during 1893, the elder Ziegfeld opened a nightclub to obtain business during the Columbian Exposition. His venue promised “the comforts of European Music Halls.” To help his father’s nightclub succeed after fire and near bankruptcy, Ziegfeld Jr. hired and managed strongman Eugen Sandow.
Eugen Sandow
Ziegfeld Jr. convinced Sandow to terminate his previous contract with Abbey, Schoeffel and Grau. The Chicago’s Sunday Inter Ocean featured Sandow as “The Strongest Man” and “a Prussian of Perfect Physique” (June 25, 1893, page 25). It was rumored that wealthy ladies paid extra money to sneak backstage after the show and feel his muscles. After a two-month engagement at the Trocadero in 1893, Sandow left for New York and European engagements, touring throughout the U.S. in Ziegfelda show called, “Sandow’s Trocadero Vaudevilles.”
1894 poster for The Sandow Trocadero Vaudevilles under the direction of F. Ziegfeld Jr.
Other vaudeville acts at the Trocadero included Marlo and Dunham (horizontal bar performers), Abachi & Masuad (acrobats), the Great American Amann (protean artist, facial artist and mimic), Papinta (the serpentine dancer), George Adams (the clown), Harry La Rosa (the Equilibrist), John Le Claire (the Comedian), Iwanoff and his Royal Russians,Effie Stewart, Carmencita, Eunice Vance, Lottie Gibson, and the Great Santini Brothers. Later, Sandow continued performed on a vaudeville bill with the musical comedy star Billy B. Van, the French clown Mon. O’Gust, and the aerial acrobats called the Five Jordans.
Photo of the Trocadero Vaudevilles, ca. 1896. The caption is “Sandow, the Strong Man, upholds his title on a typical vaudeville bill which includes Billy B. Van, musical comedy star; The Great American Amann, protean artist; Mon. O’Gust, French clown, making his American debut; and The Five Jordans, whose aerial act required a short delay so that the placing of a large net would preclude any accident befalling that graceful, daring performance” (Bernard Sobel, “A Pictorial History of Vaudeville,” (New York, 1961, 51).
There are no details about the scenery that Moses painted for the Trocadero. As he was a well-known landscape artist, it is possible that he created the beautiful pastoral backings for the various international performances during the first half of 1893. The lovely scenery behind Hans von Bülow’s orchestra and military band could possibly be the work of Moses.
Detail of the second Trocadero performance space at Battery “D.” This scenery was possibly created by Thomas G. Moses.
And from Gene Meier…voila! It was across from the Chicago Fire Panorama. It’s great to have smart and inquisitive friends.
View of the Trocadero, as pictured in “One Hundred Years at the Art Institute: A Centennial Celebration” (Vol. 19, No. 1). Pictured in the chapter “From the Archives: Photographs of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1893-1933.” Compliments of Gene Meier.
Grace N. Wishaar painted scenery for a variety of venues along the west coast after leaving New York 1902. In Seattle, she was photographed painting with Sheridan Jenkins, the scenic artist for the Third Street Theatre. The following year, she began working in California. Even though she married for a third time in 1906, she continued to paint under her maiden name. Her first two husbands were Whitney Irving Eisler (1897) and Oscar Graham Peeke (1902).
On August 14, 1906, Wishaar married her third husband, John Bruce Adams. However, the marriage was short lived and in 1907 the Oakland Tribune reported, “Mrs. Grace Wishaar Adams is in Matrimonial Trouble” (July 17, 1907). Adams deserted Wishaar and left a lot of debts in her name. At the time her marriage with Adams ended, she was painting all of the scenery at Ye Liberty Playhouse and Idora Park.
In California, she also worked at San Francisco’s Majestic Theatre and few other performance venues in San José. One of her greatest supporters was Harry W. Bishop (1872-1928), considered to be one of “the pioneers of California theatredom” (Oakland Tribune, 15 June 1928, page 33).
Harry W. Bishop’s obituary photo from 1928. Bishop employed Grace N. Wishaar as his scenic artist at Ye Liberty Playhouse in 1904.
Bishop was the adopted son of Walter M “Bishop” (1849-1901), otherwise known as Walter Morosco, the proprietor of Morosco’s Royal Russian Circus.
Harry W. Bishop’s obituary reported that he “began his career as a showman in San Francisco and ended it brokenhearted and poor as a sometime real estate operator.” But the story couldn’t be that simple. Oliver Morosco adopted Walter and Leslie Mitchell, orphaned sons of Sir John Mitchell and Dora Esmea Montrose of Utah. Some sources reported that Walter ran away from home at the age of 17 to join the circus as an acrobat.
After Walter left his circus career, he took over the Howard Street Theatre in San Francisco and started his new venture as a producer and manager. He later took over the Burbank Theatre in Oakland, as well as the Union Hall and the Grand Opera House in San Francisco. It was at the opera house that Harry W. Bishop began his career and Oliver Morosco was the treasurer. Fire destroyed the historic opera house in 1906, two years after he constructed another theatre – Ye Liberty Playhouse.
Harry W. Bishop’s Ye Liberty Playhouse (Oakland, California) where Grace N. Wishaar was the scenic artist (1904-1909).
Harry W. Bishop opened Ye Liberty Playhouse in 1904, boasting the first revolving stage in the western United States. By 1905, Bishop managed the San Francisco’s Majestic Theatre, Central Theatre, the American Theatre and Bell Theatre. In Oakland, he managed Ye Liberty Playhouse, where Wishaar began as his scenic artist. Bishop would later build what became known as the Fulton Theatre too. His obituary reported that “he won a reputation as a star-maker and while his productions, both dramatic and stock, concert and musical were famous, he was not in the commercial way. Throughout his career he remained a dreamer and his sole use for money was to return it to the theatre in the way of more lavish productions and finer casts until the profit was reduced to a minimum.”
Bishop was ahead of his time, not only offering Wishaar the opportunity to paint at his theaters, but also offering other women positions as ushers and ticket takers. There was another aspect to Bishop that I find fascinating as it would have greatly affected the venue where Wishaar worked. Bishop was an inventor, filing for patents relating to theatre design and stage construction.
In 1908 Bishop filed for a patent. His invention was “to provide a theater structurally arranged to permit the elevating or lowering of the main stage; to provide a vertically movable stage, horizontally ‘revoluble,’ and means for accomplishing this action; to afford a stage adapted to be bodily raised or lowered and simultaneously revolved if so desired, or lowered, and have a portion of its area revolving in one direction while another portion is rotating reversely.” Bishop stated that it was also “desirable to raise or lower certain scenes, suspended from or secured to the rigging-loft.” It goes onto describe that the principal advantages of his invention was in “the possibility of setting up all the scenes each completely, on the surface of the stage, the area of which may be divided into scenes as desired, and of suspending all the drops, hanging pieces, ceiling borders, ceiling pieces and border and other overhead lights that may be used, for all the scenes each completely, from the gridiron or rigging-loft, and of then revolving the stage and the rigging loft in a horizontal plane so that each scene is, in its proper sequence, aligned proximate to the proscenium.” He proposed that there was incentive “to devise a theatrical structure that will admit of building or setting scenes of as nearly normal and natural effect as is possible to attain, by elevating or lowering all of the visible matter within the proscenium.
Harry W. Bishop’s patent filed in 1908.Harry W. Bishop’s patent filed in 1908.
Here is the link: https://www.google.com/patents/US1136860?dq=ininventor:%22Harry+W+Bishop%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi1772s46fYAhWM5YMKHXT_Du8Q6wEIMTAB
In 1914, Bishop also engineered a new and improved proscenium opening and structure. The ultimate purpose of his invention was “to produce upon the mind an impression of the picturesque, unmechanical production and to eliminate the rigidness given by architectural ornamentation common to arch work and prosceniums.” This was enhanced by “providing a curtain movable just behind the rear edge of the frame and which may be decorated with a scene harmonious and introductory to the arrangement of property on the stage so that when the curtain rises the transition is a continuation of the introductory scene on the curtain.” Lights were placed in a concavo-convex contour at such a depth that it projects somewhat in front and behind the wall.”
Harry W. Bishop’s patent filed in 1914.Harry W. Bishop’s patent filed in 1914.
Here is the link: https://www.google.com/patents/US1008886?dq=ininventor:%22Harry+W+Bishop%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwievLW83afYAhWe8oMKHYRTC0gQ6wEIODAC
In 1918, Harry W. Bishop lost the majority of his fortune including his home in the exclusive Piedmont residential district. Wishaar had also lived in Piedmont with her family. A decade later Bishop passed away, leaving his widow Florence and five children: Mrs. George Stimmel, Lester K., Walter K., Dalton, and Beverly Bishop. By 1928, Wishaar was still in Europe and continuing on with her own adventure that had begun in 1914. California remained far behind her.
After painting the Alvin Theatre in Pittsburg, Thomas G. Moses briefly returned to the studio. Almost immediately he was sent back on the road again. This time, he traveled to Joliet, Illinois, for another painting project. Although the project is unidentified in his typed manuscript, I believe that Moses was in Joliet to create scenery for the newly constructed opera house.
Image of the new Joliet Opera House. Some of the opera house’s history can be found in “Joliet” by David A. Belden.
In March 1891, the first Joliet Opera House was destroyed by fire. As in many towns, the owners wasted no time before rebuilding. The new opera house opened the following year in 1892 at the same location, on the corner of Chicago and Clinton Streets. Patrons entered the theater through the arched entrance on Clinton Street, just below the exterior stairs. A decade later, the Joliet Public Library was constructed on the west side of the opera house.
The original Joliet Opera House had opened in 1873 at a cost of $60,000. The venue hosted a variety of hosted a entertainments besides theater and opera. Other events ranged from burlesque shows to religious revivals. During the financial panic of 1873, the popular “Parlor Music Club” gave benefit performances to raise money for the city’s poor.
In the summer of 1890, an expansion project was unveiled to provide more seating and an improved stage area. The loss of the building to fire was blamed on the local fire and water departments. They were criticized as the fire department was slow to arrive on the scene and indecisive about handling their equipment. Furthermore, insufficient water pressure at the hydrants compounded the problem, making it almost impossible to fight the fire effectively. The local newspapers also reported that fire chief arrived long after his men, and then directed what little water was available to the wrong areas of the building.
A few city councilmen also criticized the fire department, saying that the men looked fine on parade or playing checkers, but some new toot little about extinguishing fires. Later an investigation committee reported that the fire department was blameless and the responsibility was placed on a pump at the waterworks that had lost vacuum and failed to provide sufficient water during the blaze.
The space for the new auditorium was designed by architect G. Julian Barnes, and built from local Joliet limestone.
Moses’ diaries record that one evening in Joliet he met an actor in their hotel. They took up scenic art as a topic. The actor was well versed and made a bitter attack on Sosman and Landis, saying that they only did small houses – nothing big. Moses replied, “I think you are mistaken, I know they did a number of theatres on the Pacific Coast and they are now doing the Alvin in Pittsburg.”
The actor didn’t know Moses and replied, “Oh! Well, they could only do a few as they only had one artist that could do them, and that was Tom Moses.” The actor only knew Moses by reputation. Moses played along and said that he didn’t think “Moses was capable of holding down one of those big jobs,” explaining that they were all done in the studio. The actor continued to stick up for Moses. He enjoyed it for a while, then handed him his card. In the end, the actor laughed and they both had a smoke on the joke.
To be continued…
For more information about the history of Joliet, see “Joliet” by David A. Belden.
