Part 361:Thomas G. Moses at McVicker’s Theatre in 1897
In 1897, Thomas G. Moses was listed in “Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide” as the scenic artist responsible for producing stock scenery collections at the Alhambra Theatre (Chicago, Illinois); Valentine Theatre (Toledo, Ohio); Loring Opera House (Riverside, California); Marengo Opera House (Marengo, Illinois); and Steinburg’s Grand Opera House (Traverse City, Michigan). Many of these venues were not mentioned in his typed manuscript, but the work occurred during the first half of the year. The second half of 1897 found Moses back in Chicago, painting for one of his favorite venues – McVicker’s Theatre.
At the beginning of 1897 Moses wrote, “The New Year found me grinding out the weekly production. Business continued good. Sosman and Landis would drop down occasionally and always seemed pleased with my productions. Jacob Litt happened to be in Cincinnati and saw the last performance of “Held by the Enemy” and the 1st performance of “The Banker’s Daughter.” Both complete in every detail – he was so highly pleased that he inquired of [David] Hunt who his artist was.”
On Litt’s return to Chicago he wrote Moses, asking his terms to be the scenic artist for a year at McVickers. Moses was engaged for one year, starting June 1, 1897 and was compensated $3,500 for that year. Today’s equivalent is a scenic art salary of $100,000. Remember that Moses would continue to take outside projects, as was his practice. Before he began at McVicker’s, however, Moses had to complete his work at the Pike Theatre in Cincinnati. Fred McGreer, his assistant, remained at the Pike and became their official scenic artist. McGreer would remain there for the next few years, gaining popularity as one of the country’s top scenic artists. Loitz would remain with Moses, loyal as ever, also returning to Chicago.
Of the McVicker’s venue, Moses wrote, “This theatre I had always admired, and when [Lou] Malmsha was the artist I never missed seeing all his big shows, and had many times dreamed of the day that I could hold a position like it. And here I was after all those years, the artist of the theatre, where my first instructor Malmsha had made so many hits.”
McVicker’s Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, where Thomas G. Moses was the scenic artist during the 1897-1898 season.McVicker’s Theatre program seating charts from 1909.
There is something poetic about Moses’ position at McVicker’s theatre in 1897, over two decades after beginning his career as a scenic artist in Chicago. There is something even more wonderful that I would become the owner of a 1909 McVicker’s Theatre program while attending USITT, as one was tucked away in a book that I purchased auction and estate sale this year. Tomorrow, I will start examining the shows that Moses was responsible for while at McVicker’s Theatre.
McVicker’s Theatre program that was tucked in the 1890 copy of Joseph Jefferson’s Autobiography (1909). My surprise purchase at USITT this year!1909 McVicker’s Theatre Program of “The Great Divide.”McVicker’s Theatre staff in 1909, listed in program that I purchased at USITT.
Part 360: Thomas G. Moses at the Pike Theatre, 1897
During the Pike Theatre’s forty-week season during 1897 and into 1898, Thomas G. Moses supervised the creation of settings for David Belasco’s society drama “The Charity Ball.” Moses, Ed Loitz and Fred McGreer also painted settings for “The Wife,” “Capt. Swift,” “Shenandoah,” “The Banker’s Daughter,” “Lottery of Love,” “Charlie’s Aunt,” “The Amazon,” “Trilby,” “Held by the Enemy,” and a few more shows. Moses recorded that it was a very successful season overall, writing, “The different newspapers gave our work splendid notice every week.”
Mid-season at the Pike, newspapers announced that the venue was no longer going to solely remain a vaudeville house (The Cincinnati Enquirer, 16 Dec., 1897, page 8). The house closed for the stock company to conduct rehearsals and “perfect all arrangements for its successful launching upon the field of comedy and melodrama that is to ensue at the theater.” David Hunt was the theatre manager who engaged James Neil as his stock company’s leading man and Edythe Chapman as the leading lady.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported, “For a holiday week and mid-season period the Pike presented a peculiar appearance yesterday. With the doors closed and not a light burning except a side reflector on the stage, the house was as dark and chilly as the day, when the new policy of the Pike goes into effect with the initial appearance of the Neil Stock Company in “The Charity Ball.” New scenery will be painted exclusively for the play and for all others that follow. For that purpose scenic artists will arrive from Chicago to-day. Thomas G. Moses, of the firm Sosman & Landis, one of the best scenic artists in the country, will be in charge of the work. In addition to the list of players in the stock company, as published in The Enquirer yesterday, the management of the Pike has engaged Miss Angela Dolores, formerly with the Girard Avenue Theater, Philadelphia, and a well-known actress in light comedy” (20 Dec., 1897, page 2).
Thomas G. Moses led a crew that included Fred McGreer and Ed Loitz. Moses recorded that he thoroughly enjoyed working at the Pike Theatre. Part as his reason was that he could return home every three weeks to spend a few days with his family. Of the project, he wrote, “I was anxious to do good work. It naturally meant long hours and hard steady work.”
A scene from “Held by the Enemy”A scene from “Held by the Enemy”
Moses described, “Held by the Enemy” in detail. He wrote, “James Neill was a leading man, and Edythe Chapman leading lady. I worked out some color schemes by harmonizing my interior color decorations with Miss Chapman’s best costumes. There was one interior that I didn’t and here is the reason. Mr. [David] Hunt found fault with my neutral coloring and said one day, “Why don’t you make some positive color decoration like pink or green?” I had the first act of “Held by the Enemy” on the frame – a southern interior. I said, “Alright, I will make this a pink wall and cream colored woodwork.” “Fine,” said he. I did so. I did not consult Miss Chapman as usual. The scene was set. I was in front as usual during the performance. Miss Chapman entered. I saw her look up the scene and almost fall back. She had on a shell pink, deep flounced and a very full hoop skirt. I nearly fainted. I was sick. I rushed back at the close of the act and found her in tears. As soon as she saw me she said, “Oh, why did you do it – didn’t you know I was going the limit on my dress?” She had forgotten that I did not consult her, as I usually did. I pointed to Mr. Hunt. “There is the one I tried to please.” Hunt then realized he was wrong and I had been right all season. I painted out the wall color the next morning, for it simply killed Miss Chapman’s dress, as there was so much of it.”
David Hunt, of the theatrical management firm Sosman, Landis & Hunt occasionally found fault with Thomas G. Moses. Throughout Moses’ typed manuscript, he recounts several stories about his various interactions with Hunt. Here is one such tale where Hunt chastised Moses for inserting a comic bit when it wasn’t requested as part of the stage design.
Moses mentions a painted detail from the play “Mizzowa.’” It took a little detective work to realize that he was referring to the Augustus Thomas play “In Mizzoura,” and the setting for Act IV. Moses saw a chance for a little comedy. He painted a sign on the farm fence reading “No shooting aloud.” Moses wrote, “One of the papers took it up and said scenic artists ought to go to high school and learn how “allowed” should have been used, instead of “aloud.” Of course, David Hunt also found fault. Moses had painted the “N” and “S” turned around. Moses continued, “I found that my comedy was not appreciated and that very few had even been very far in the country, where a sign of that description actually could be found. When I found I couldn’t convince them that I was right, I went back and said I meant it just as it read, not “allowed.” I was told the company had a salaried comedian and I needn’t “butt in.”
1916 script revision for “In Mizzoura.”
Here is some information about the 1897 touring production of “In Mizzoura.” The four-act play was advertised as “the story of the love affairs of the simple and generous sheriff, Jim Radburn” (Chicago Tribune, 4 January, 1897, page 3). Advertised as a rural comedy, it premiered at Hooley’s theatre during 1893. The title was based on the regional pronunciation of “Missouri.” A line from Act II provides an example: “…why, Kate, I care more for how you feel about anything than I do for anybody in the State of Mizzoura—that’s just how it is.”
The play premiered in Chicago on August 7, 1893 during the venue’s twenty-third season. Under the direction of George J. Appleton, the show starred Nat C. Goodwin and other famous personalities such as Francis Carlyle and William C. Beach. The production went on to appear at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on September 4, 1893.
Illustration from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 11 1894, page 27.Illustration from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 11 1894, page 27.
The stage settings for the production’s 1893 premiere were “painted from sketches made of the exact locality” by Ernest Albert and Walter Burridge, two good friends of Moses.
The touring production that Moses created scenery for was at McVicker’s Theatre in Chicago. The show starred Frank C. Hamilton, Charles G. Hall, and Jean Evelyn. The company of Hamilton’s Players numbered eighteen in all. The Evening Star reported, “All scenery, furniture and property used in this production are carried by the company, so that the most elaborate presentation will be given” (Washington D.C., 27 March 1897, page 24).
Here is a synopsis of the scenic requirements:
ACT I.—Living room of Jo Vernon’s house. Bowling Green, Pike County, Missouri. Time—Evening in June. The script detailed a setting that consisted of a dining-room, living-room and kitchen combined. A line of broken plaster and unmatched wall-papers marks the ceiling and back flat a little left of center. Doors right and left in 3. Door in right flat. Old-fashioned table. Dresser, low window with many panes, window-sash sliding horizontally—outside of door is pan of leaves burning to smoke off mosquitoes.
ACT II.—Blacksmith shop of Jo Vernon adjoining his residence. Time—Morning of the second day. The script detailed a setting that depicted the blacksmith shop, adjoining Vernon’s living-room. Forge. Door to living-room above forge. Bellows down stage below forge. Bench with vise at left. Big double doors. Trusses. Tub of water back of anvil.
ACT III.—Living room of Jo Vernon. Time—Evening of the second day (same as ACT I, but tidy. The script detailed a stage setting with doors closed and lamp lighted. Song in blacksmith shop before rise of curtain.
ACT IV.—Home and door yard of Jim Radburn. Time—The next Morning. Exterior of Radburn’s cabin-front, stoop and steps showing. The script detailed a setting with rail-fence partly broken down is across the stage at right and continues in painting on the panorama back-drop of rough country with stacks of cord wood. Many stumps showing. A mud road winds into the distance, a stile crosses fence.
“In Mizzoura” later became a 1919 silent film, directed by Hugh Ford and starring Robert Warwick.
To be continued…
Advertisement for the silent film version of “In Mizzoura.”Still from the film “In Mizzoura.”
Part 358: Thomas G. Moses and the English Opera House in Indianapolis
In 1897 Thomas G. Moses briefly left the Sosman & Landis annex studio. He journeyed to Indianapolis where he painted “a complete outfit” for a Valentine Theatre Company production at the English Opera House. Two years earlier, Moses painted a set of stock scenery for the company’s home, the new Valentine Theatre in Toledo, Ohio. For more information about his previous work at the Valentine Theatre, see installment #331.
Postcard of the English Hotel and Opera House in Indianapolis, Indiana.Photograph of the English Hotel and Opera House in Indianapolis, Indiana, where Thomas G. Moses painted scenery for the Valentine Theatre Company in 1897.
The English Hotel and Opera House in Indianapolis was expanded during 1896. The new venue was dedicated on October 26, 1897, and advertised as a “first-class theatre.” The price tag for the new theatre was $110,000, with the theatre block costing over $750,000. The New York Times reported, “The house, scenery, and curtain were painted by Thomas G. Moses of Chicago” (New York Times, 27 Oct. 1897, page 1). The venue’s stage was 35’ wide by 43’-6” deep. The proscenium was a series of receding arches, in ivory and gold. The stage was cut off from the auditorium with an asbestos curtain.
Proscenium arch and stage at the English Opera House in Indianapolis, Indiana.View of the auditorium from the stage at the English Opera House in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The English Opera House was another renovation project by J. B. McElfatrick & Sons during their prolific thirty-year period from 1880 to 1910. The firm designed, built, and renovated theaters across the country. McElfatrick also worked with George H. Ketcham for many of his venues that included the English Theatre, the Grand Opera House (Columbus) and the Valentine Theatre (Toledo). These three theaters all used stock scenery collections painted by Moses and his crew. At the English Theatre Moses painted the new scenery with his assistants Fred McGreer and Ed Loitz; he wrote, “I think we did some good work.”
Fred McGreer. From the Cincinnati Enquirer (15 April 1900, page 12)
While Moses was in Indianapolis, projects began rapidly coming into the Sosman & Landis shops; his absence was acutely felt in the studio. Of this time, Moses wrote, “Early fall found Mr. Landis and Mr. Hunt camped on my trail; offering me the Pike Theatre Stock Company work at Cincinnati for the season. They agreed to send down enough drops from the studio to complete my contract. I accepted $75.00 per week and went, taking McGreer and Loitz.” This was during the same time when David Hunt joined Joseph Sosman and Perry Landis to form Sosman, Landis & Hunt, a theatrical management firm. One of their venues was the Pike Theater.
Illustration of Fred McGreer supervising the painting of scenery at the Pike Theatre. Fred McGreer. From the Cincinnati Enquirer (15 April 1900, page 12)
Moses’ typed manuscript indicates that he never really got along with Hunt. In Indianapolis, Hunt took credit for a series of articles and illustrations that appeared about their shows at the Pike. In fact, Moses was submitting the illustrations and struck up a friendship with the well-known theatre critic Montgomery Phister (1853-1917). He wrote, “Hunt never knew that I did it – he flattered himself the paper was doing it.” Hunt was a big talker and disliked by many of the scenic artists.
James Montgomery Phister was engaged in newspaper work for more than 40 years as a writer, cartoonist, and dramatic critic. He was well known for a reputation of fairness and accuracy in his criticism. Born in Maysville, Kentucky, Phister graduated from Woodward High School and continued his education at Yale University. During the Spanish-American war he served as a war correspondent. Of his many tours through Europe he was the guest of the noted English actor Irving. When he passed away on July 9, 1917, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported, “Every doorman and every stagehand knew him and respected him. He enjoyed the friendship of such great figures of the stage as Sir Henry Irving, the Sotherns, Bernhardt, Duse, Alexander Herrmann, Dixey and all of the best in the profession of that in the mimic world. He was a thirty-second degree Mason and a life member of N. C. Harmony Blue Lodge of Cincinnati” (“Twenty Years Ago in Cincinnati,” 9 July 1937, page 4).
Obituary of James M. Phister in 1917, published in the Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) 10 July 1917, page 12.
Phister had also worked as a scenic artist early in his career and developed a fondness for Moses. One day, Moses and Phister decided to play a small joke on Hunt to put him in his place. Hunt insisted that he was an expert on everything, especially if he didn’t know what he was talking about. Phister told Hunt, “I think Moses uses too much raw umber.” Hunt later repeated this to Moses as his own idea. Moses responded, “Raw umber! What kind of color is that? I don’t use it at all.” Hunt was stumped and reported back to Phister. Moses wrote, “We had a hearty laugh over it.”
The colonial color dry pigment version of raw umber.
Part 357: Thomas G. Moses und “Das Deutsche Haus” in Indianapolis, 1897
Thomas G. Moses started the year 1897 still painting for Sosman & Landis at the Alhambra Theatre space. This was another of the company’s annex studios for their subcontracted work. When the Alhambra opened its doors for the season, the Chicago Tribune noted that Thomas G. Moses painted two “beautiful new curtains” for the theatre (15 August 1897, page 29). Moses recorded that his other projects at the Alhambra only consisted of “a lot of small time stunts” and nothing that would ever appear on Broadway. The studio was located in a rough neighborhood on State Street and Archer Avenue. The theatre had been dedicated on September 1, 1890. H. R. Jacobs retained management until April, 1897. His replacement for the next season was the one who requested that Moses paint the two new backdrops.
By May, Moses wrote, “I again got that awful wanderlust, and as I was sub-contractor I had a perfect right to make any contracts I chose, as long as I gave Sosman and Landis their ‘bits.’” Moses continued, “I felt that I was an expensive piece of humanity to the firm as they had promised to give me all I could do – even if they had to rob the Clinton Street Studio to do it, so I felt my going would release them from worry.” Scenic artists received a weekly salary at Sosman & Landis only if there was work. Moses recognized that if Sosman & Landis had to “rob the Clinton Street Studio” to provide him with work, it really meant that he would be taking work away from his fellow artists. For the summer, Moses again left the employ of Sosman & Landis and Chicago. He ventured to Indianapolis where Fred McGreer and Ed Loitz joined him for few projects there.
Moses wrote that one of their Indianapolis projects was for the “German House.” Das Deutsche Haus was later christened the Athenæum. The venue was affiliated with the German-American community of the city who had raised the funds to create a large complex. The building was located at 401 E. Michigan, the fifth and largest hall constructed in Indianapolis by the German-American community.
Das Deutsche Haus, ca. 1900
Many German immigrants relocated to the United States following the failed Revolutions of 1848. They arrived to the city in large waves between 1848 and 1860. The immigrants formed a variety of singing and theatrical societies, as well as political groups and social clubs. As with other immigrant communities, these associations and clubs were specifically intended to preserve memories of their homeland and continue many of their familiar traditions. In Indianapolis during 1892 several German groups joined to form an association that would finance a home dedicated to preserving German culture and heritage. Two lots were purchased at the corner of Michigan and New Jersey Streets in an area of the city known as Germantown, or Lockerbie Square. The building was designed by Bernard Vonnegut of Vonnegut & Bohn. Vonnegut was a second-generation German-American living in Indianapolis at the time.
Gymnasium at Das Deutsche Haus, ca. 1908
His building design included an auditorium, gymnasium, restaurant, beer garden, and meeting rooms. The massive complex was constructed in phases between 1892 and 1898. The restaurant, the Rathskeller, is still open and remains one of the oldest restaurants in Indianapolis.
The Rathskeller Restaurant at Das Deutsche Haus is till open for business!
Construction for the East Wing of the complex began immediately in 1892 and was finished by 1894. Construction for the West Wing began in 1897 on the corner of Michigan and New Jersey Street; the directors of the organization secured a lot south of the existing building that was 202 feet square. The price tag for the proposed West Wing expansion was $80,000 and included a performance space. The second floor music hall featured a stage area that measured 98 feet by 59 feet (Indianapolis Journal, 19 April 1896, page 20). The proscenium opening was 33 feet wide by 27 feet deep. Moses’ mention of a painting project at the German House was likely the creation of scenery for the music hall stage in the West Wing expansion.
The Music Hall at Das Deutsche Haus was constructed during the West Wing expansion of 1897.
Also in 1897, the Musikverein (Music Society) was founded at Das Deutsche Haus. Their performances were featured in the music hall of the West Wing. The Musikverein included a variety if groups, such as their all-male choir, mixed choir and sixty-piece orchestra. The Wets Wing was decorated in the German Renaissance Revival style, incorporating a steep-pitched hip roof and a three-story brick tower with a curved mansard and spire.
During World War I, anti-German sentiment prompted the curtailment of many German social activities in the building. Furthermore, the old name of the Das Deutsche Haus was erased over the main entrance and the new name “Athenæum” inscribed in its place. The name change for the complex was celebrated on Washington’s birthday “at which Governor Goodrich assured the 700 members of his confidence and their loyalty (Logansport Pharos-Tribune, 23 Feb. 1918, page 12).
The 1918 name placed over the German House entrance, rechristening the building as the Athenæum.
Part 356: The Little Rock Scottish Rite Scenery from 1896, 1899, 1902 and 1923
Today, we return to the story of the Scottish Rite scenery collection that was produced by Sosman & Landis for Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1896. Some of his collection was expanded in 1899. When the new building was planned in 1901, a new scenery collection was purchased from Sosman & Landis to fit the larger stage. Scenery from the old building (1896-1899) was gifted to the New Orleans Scottish Rite in 1906.
In Little Rock, membership continued to increase, again necessitating a larger space. In 1923, this second collection (the 1902 scenery) was returned to Thomas G. Moses, president of the Sosman & Landis Studio, for credit on the purchase of a new scenery collection in 1923. The new scenery was for the massive Albert Pike Memorial Temple in Little Rock. Original backdrops from the 1902 Little Rock scenery collection were resold to the Pasadena Scottish Rite during 1925 for their new building. That same year, Thomas G. Moses joined the Scottish Rite in Pasadena; he was a member of their first class in the new building.
The 1902 Albert Pike Consistory building that was expanded in 1913.The Albert Pike Memorial Temple that replaced the 1902 Albert Pike Consistory building.
I was contacted by a Little Rock Mason for many years about the 1923 scenery collection. He worked at the Scottish Rite and would periodically call to get advice, enquiring about everything from backdrop repair to mural restoration. This gentleman had no theatre experience, artistic training, nor rigging knowledge. During every conversation, we would talk about the history of their collection. We would discuss the significance of the backdrops, and I would place them within the context of both Masonic history and theatre history. Each time during a conversation he would say, “Wow. I just wish that I could convince my boss to bring you down and talk to the membership about what we have here.”
In every telephone conversation, my Little Rock Mason would consistently explain that his superiors had no intention of hiring anyone to help fix the scenery; he was going to have to figure out how to do it by himself if they wanted to use a damaged one for the next reunion. So we would game plan for what was possible on his end, as he would be working alone. “They really don’t understand the stage or what needs to be done here,” he repeatedly explained to me over the years.
The Albert Pike Memorial building stage. Picture posted online. Note that a drop is being worked on and the one ladder would be the one that my friend used to lower the scene all by himself.The Albert Pike Memorial building auditorium.
He acquired my name and number from the “boys in McAlester.” It was one of the many times that he was desperately reaching out for help and seeking advice after a backdrop ripped. Through the grapevine, he discovered that the Scottish Rite in McAlester, Oklahoma, had hired a “little gal from the north” to “fix” their scenery. They passed along my number and he gave me a call.
A backdrop from the Albert Pike Memorial building. Picture was posted online. Notice the central fold in the fabric running vertical along the scene. This suggests that their was a pucker in the fabric when it was attached to the batten after a repair.
Each time I picked up the phone, I planned to be occupied for an hour or so, hearing about his scenery problems and all of the administrative obstacles. I envisioned a white-haired gentleman who still was full of “piss and vinegar.” He was skeptical of the “higher-ups” and wanted to do his best, as he loved their scenery collection and the backstage area. I learned a lot about the administration in Little Rock from his unique point of view. Over the years, I passed along as much information as possible to do adequate job, especially as he would be working alone without any additional sets of hands. The work was going to happen anyway, so he might as well have some guidance, albeit was from a few states away.
A backdrop from the Albert Pike Memorial building. Picture was posted online. This is the treasure chamber for the 15th degree.
They were only a few things that ever made me cringe when chatting on the phone. The most memorable was his describing how he could remove a backdrop from the lines all by himself. He put large eye screws in the stage floor and secured the lines to them, as he slowly unhooked each of the three pick points and removed the backdrop. Eek. I envisioned what the Little Rock stage floor must look like – large holes from the eye screws everywhere. He explained that it was a less than an ideal situation, but there was no one else to help and his employers refused to hire anyone to help with the repair. Once again, his situation depicted that those who understand the significance of historic scenery collections are often not in charge. In fact, these Masonic historians, or stewards of the backdrops, are devoid of any type of support or financial assistance when a backdrop is damaged.
A backdrop from the Albert Pike Memorial building. Picture was posted online. The is the hell scene for the 18th degree.
I know that the current 1923 collection has been extensively patched and handled over the years. Their collection won’t last forever and my friend has since retired. Hopefully, his replacement cares as much about their historic scenery collection as his predecessor.
Thomas G. Moses started preliminary negotiations for the resale of the Little Rock scenery to the Pasadena, California, in 1921. Moses would later join the Fraternity and become a member of the Pasadena Scottish Rite. I want to take a moment to explore why he possibly spent so much time trying to relocate the old Little Rock scenery to Pasadena. Furthermore, why would he join the Scottish Rite in Pasadena and not Chicago, especially when he was dividing his time between Chicago and Oakland? I believe that he preferred the degree work of the Southern Jurisdiction; the designs were more familiar to him. In 1926, Moses wrote, “I feel that we are a trifle shy on the proper designs for the northern jurisdiction, which are somewhat different from our southern, of which we have done by far the most.”
Moses also had an artistic connection and an emotional attachment to the 1896 Little Rock scenery collection. As a member of Pasadena, he would continue to see not only some of his best work, but also that of his good friend and mentor, David Austin Strong, another Sosman & Landis artists who Moses credited as the “Daddy of Masonic Design.” I think it was much more than making a dollar on a used scenery collection, or even trying to offload some old product. I believe that Moses carefully considered which Scottish Rite that he would join, and what painted scenery he would want to see during degree work. He also donated fine art to the Pasadena Scottish Rite when he became a member.
So, the original Little Rock scenery still hangs above the Pasadena stage and is used. Although it has been repeatedly tampered with over the years, and added to by other studios, the remnants of late-nineteenth century art are visible, as well as the individual paintings of Moses and Strong.
Today’s scenery at Pasadena, Yankton, Salina, and Austin all share one thing in common; they are some of the earliest installations in the Southern Jurisdiction and all have backdrops painted by Strong. His work is some of the most beautiful scenic art that I have ever encountered and he was credited as being the last American scenic artist to represent the Dusseldorf school. Walter Burridge affectionately referred to Strong as “Old Trusty.” Fellow scenic artists heralded Strong’s skill, his “facile brush,” and his “quality of opaqueness” (Chicago Tribune, Dec. 18, 1892).
An example of what I believe to be David Austin Strong’s work. This is a detail from a Little Rock drop currently hanging in Pasadena.An example of what I believe to be David Austin Strong’s work. This is a detail from a Little Rock drop currently hanging in Pasadena.
I am currently in Pasadena Scottish Rite to repair the crucifixion backdrop at the Scottish Rite; it ripped in half and plummeted to the stage. A few years back, I completed a similar repair in Grand Forks when their Hell scene split in two. The Pasadena version, however, is almost beyond repair as there is other extensive damage throughout the composition. My flight arrived quite early this morning, after a series of delays, so the day is starting out a little slow.
Luckily for me, there will be some “dry time” while I am on site completing the repair. I intend to look for more clues indicative of the studio practices at Sosman & Landis from the late-nineteenth- through early-twentieth century. If anything, I have promised Rick Boychuk some detailed rigging pictures as I believe that the system may be from the 1902 Albert Pike Consistory in Little Rock.
Part 349: The Albert Pike Consistory in Little Rock, Arkansas – 1896
Thomas G. Moses takes credit for the 1896, 1902 and 1923 scenery installations for Little Rock, Arkansas. We know this from a 1929 pamphlet advertising Moses’ alliance with Armstrong Studios; it was similar to a resumé, listing his past projects and customers. In it, the 1896 Little Rock scenery was listed as the first of fifty-five Scottish Rite installations supervised by Moses between 1896 and 1929. The 1896 Little Rock collection is not the first Scottish Rite scenery installation in the United States, nor in the first in the Southern Jurisdiction. It was the first Scottish Rite collection under Moses’ lead at Sosman & Landis.
In addition to the fifty-five Scottish Rite scenery installations, Moses also supervised the scenery production for seven Shrines, fourteen Commanderies, and nine M.O.V.P.E.R Grottos. This was solely a list of his Masonic theatre projects, and it didn’t account for any other fraternal or commercial projects. If you factor in Moses’ extensive painting for opera houses, social halls, dramatic stock companies, touring shows, amusement parks, world fair attractions, coliseum shows, charity balls, circus spectacles, theatrical stars and theatrical producers, the range of work completed throughout the course of his career is staggering.
If one also considers the significance of certain productions and installations produced by Moses from 1874 until 1934, his work takes on even greater importance. Many of his shows identify key moments in the development of American Theatre from the late-nineteenth century through early-twentieth century. When looking at the scope and quality of his work, Moses becomes an instrumental figure in the evolution of not only scenic art, but also stage design.
In terms of the Masonic scenery for Little Rock in 1896, Moses had worked on other Masonic projects at Sosman & Landis during the 1880s and 1890s. However, he wasn’t responsible for them, only working along side other artists. I believe that he trained under David Austin Strong, the one that Moses refers to as “the Daddy of Masonic Design.” Little Rock was Moses’ first solo flight as supervising the creation and a delivery of a Masonic collection. Interestingly, the 1896 scenery installation for Little Rock was not the only Scottish Rite scenery collection installed in a Southern Jurisdiction theater that year, another scenery collection was produced Oakland, California.
To provide some historical context for the Little Rock scenery, one must consider that the Scottish Rite in the Northern Jurisdiction had been staging degrees for a few decades. I traced the theatrical interpretation of degree work in the Northern and Southern Jurisdictions for my doctoral dissertation “Shifting Scenes on the Scottish Rite Stage: Designing for Masonic Theatre, 1859-1929” (University of Minnesota, 2009). Although I have uncovered many more examples of early Scottish Rite stages throughout the country, the first examples occurred in the Northern Jurisdiction. Why? In a nutshell, there were rival Supreme Councils, each competing for membership and theatrical performances of the degrees were extremely appealing to the membership. Furthermore, staged degree work was marketed to Blue Lodge Masons as a superior ritual experience, especially in Ohio and Indiana. They were full of visual spectacle and incorporated scenic elements that had a track record of popular appeal. Some of the earliest degree productions included moving panoramas; they depicted the backing for a sea voyage, passing picturesque islands and weathering stormy seas.
1886 Scottish Rite scenery for Cincinnati, Ohio, painted by E. T. Harvey.Scottish Rte theatre in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1886, with a scene painted by E. T. HarveyAdvertisement for 1886-1887 season in a Clancy Stage Hardware Catalogue. Harvey painted the Cincinnati Scottish Rite scenery at Heuck’s New Opera House. The collection replaced a previous scenery collection destroyed during a fire.
During the early experimental period with Scottish Rite scenery, a small stage was often added to an existing lodge room. These areas were not necessarily active performance spaces, but featured scenic illusion, or tableaux, to illustrate a particular event described in the degree. The stage was not always positioned in the East behind the Master’s Chair, as I previously thought. Some were placed in the symbolic West or North. One example was in Winona, Minnesota, during the 1880s, where the Masonic stage included four sets of scenery in the north. This particular location also speaks to another aspect – a lot of theatrical experimentation occurred along the geographical division between the Northern Jurisdiction and the Southern Jurisdiction.
Albert Pike, Grand Commander of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction from 1859-1891.
One thing to also constantly keep in mind is that Albert Pike, Grand Commander of the Southern Jurisdiction from 1859-1891, did not approve of the degree work that was produced as melodramas. In other words, he supported historical reenactments for each degree to educate the membership, but not the staged dramatization. His writings suggest that he did not appreciate an elaborate stage show with theatre sets, costumes and lights; in other words, melodramatic interpretations of Masonic lore. Pike condemned the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction’s performance of staged degree productions during in 1882. In his Allocution, Pike stated, “The Rite in this Jurisdiction is a Rite of instruction, and not of scenic pomp and stage-show.” Pike’s condemnation of elaborate degree productions continued, “I can not conceive of a more useless occupation than the arranging and performing of degrees, neither the effect nor the purpose of which is to make men wiser or better, but which are acted as melodramas, to gratify an aesthetic taste and please the imagination, like the pageantry of cardinals and orioles.”
That statement makes it pretty clear that Pike did not envision an audience of Masons watching a Scottish Rite stage show in lieu of the actual degree work. It would be the same as having a Mason attain all of the Scottish Rite degrees on the same day; it was cheating. He specified a timeline for Masons to fully comprehend the teachings of the Scottish Rite. The degrees were to be savored and not rushed through like an assembly line. The theatrical interpretation of a degree was to support the ritual, not replace it. One day to Masonry may be the perfect antithesis of all of Pike’s teachings. I doubt that he intended for men to find a short cut. With a greater understanding that Pike despised the melodramatic staging of each degree, one might see the irony when the Albert Pike Cathedral with a theatre stage for degree work was built just five years after Pike’s death. It just goes to show how appealing degree productions were and how quickly an institutional memory can be erased.
The Valley of Little Rock contracted M. C. Lilley & Co. to plan and construct a theater stage in 1895. M. C. Lilley subcontracts the painted scenery installation (and likely the rigging) to Sosman & Landis. Moses returned to the studio and supervised the painting of this “special work” in 1896. During the 1890s, membership surged throughout the Southern Jurisdiction and the country continued a westward expansion. Other Scottish Rite Valley’s throughout the western region would follow suit –Wichita, Guthrie, McAlester, Salina and others. There were a few keys players in the area that will be discussed tomorrow.
Part 348: Thomas G. Moses’ Return to Sosman & Landis in 1896
By 1896, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “In July Mr. Landis dropped in to see me about going back with them, as I was not doing too well. I agreed with the understanding that all my helpers would be taken care of, excepting [Harry] Vincent, who went East where he made a hit. I hustled my unfinished contracts and joined the Sosman and Landis Studios again.” This speaks to Moses’ character as an individual and businessman; helping out those in his employ secure work as he closes the doors on his own business. I wonder how many business owners do that now; thinking about the many employees who show up to work only to see a note on the front door that the business has been closed.
This is the second time that Landis was able to bring Moses back to the studio after branching out on his own. Landis was the salesman after all, yet knew how to handle artists. But there was something more to it when Landis asked, although I am not quite sure of what it was. Maybe he was simply a good salesman, accentuating the future benefits that Moses would receive after joining the studio again. Maybe he acknowledged that there would be problems in any workplace. Regardless, Sosman & Landis offered Moses stability and the opportunity to advance. Whatever it was, Landis’ offer to return was accepted by Moses and he was actively working in the Sosman & Landis annex studio again by late summer of 1896.
Moses would not stay for long, but soon depart to embark on another business venture in New York– Moses & Hamilton. Like the others, it would not last. He returned for the third and final time to Sosman & Landis in 1904. That year, Sosman was the one to ask for Moses’ return; Landis’ failing health caused him to leave the company and Sosman was overwhelmed with administrative activities. I have always thought that Moses returned to help out the Landis family more than Sosman. He would remain quite close with Landis’ son throughout the remainder of his career.
In both 1896 and 1904, Sosman & Landis needed Moses’ help to run one of the two studios. Neither Sosman nor Landis was a young man, even in 1896, and I wonder if there wasn’t a promise made to Moses about his someday running the company. In the following decades, Moses would lament his leaving Moses & Hamilton, as well as New York in 1904. He regretted walking away from and tutelage of Roswell M. Shurtleff, sketching trips in the area, and the Salmagundi Club. Moses continued to miss his friends and the artistic community in New York.
Upon Moses’ return to Sosman & Landis in 1896, he was immediately swamped with work; they needed him desperately to run their annex studio – again. Moses wrote, “I had so much special work to do and it was hard to handle in the Studio. We rented the frames at the Alhambra Theatre and I worked there during the Fall and Winter.”
“Special work,” is repeatedly mentioned in Moses’ typed manuscript, but never defined. My research suggests that “special” work referred to Masonic projects. Moses painted the first scenery collection for Little Rock in 1896, a Sosman & Landis subcontracted project from M. C. Lilley & Co.
1896 Little Rock Scottish Rite building. Photograph included in “General Pike’s Poems” (Fred W.Allsopp, 1900).Scenery created by Thomas G. Moses for the Albert Pike Consistory in 1896. Photograph included in “General Pike’s Poems” (Fred W.Allsopp, 1900).
It was also the first of three scenery collections for the Albert Pike Consistory in Little Rock. Moses takes direct credit for the 1896, 1902, and 1923 installations. The 1896 Little Rock collection is not the first Scottish Rite scenery installation in the United States, nor in the Southern Jurisdiction. It was the first Scottish Rite collection that Moses took responsibility for at Sosman & Landis Studio. He also listed it as the first of fifty-five Scottish Rite installations that he supervised between 1896 and 1929 on his resumé.
Degree Class photo with scenery produced by Thomas G. Moses in 1896. Sosman & Landis installation pictured in an 1899 Fall Reunion program.
Part 347: Thomas G. Moses during the First Half of 1896
Thomas G. Moses continued to financially struggle during the first half of 1896. Scenic art projects included a production of “Mountebank” for Frederick Warde; a production of “Sea King” for J.H. Shunk (Chicago, proprietor of the Calhoun Opera Company); a production of “Santa Maria” for Camille DeArville, “the Queen of comic opera”; a theatre installation in Anderson, Indiana; stock scenery for the Hopkins Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri; and a small project in Toledo.
Thomas G. Moses painted the scenery for “Santa Maria,” starring Camille D’Arville in 1896.
By early May, Moses traveled to Boston where he painted a production of R. A. Barnet’s “The Merry-go-Round. ” It was a project for Harry Askins. Of the production Moses wrote, “I was fortunate enough to make a hit in Boston. The show was fairly good.” The Boston Post reported the show as “a brilliant burlesque of contemporary local interest by R. A. Barnet, which will be given a colossal spectacular production,” featuring 150 people with 500 costumes (17 May 1896, page 10). The production team for “The Merry-go-Round” included William A. Seymour (stage producer); Thomas G. Moses (scenic artist); Mme, Seidle (costume designer); W. E. McQuinn (Musical Director); Gustave Sohlke (Ballet Master); Joseph Halliday (mechanical effects); and J. G. Estee (Properties), and others.
Thomas G. Moses painted the scenery for Harry Askin’s “the Merry-Go-Round” in 1896 (Boston Post, 17 May 1896, page 10)
During his absences from the studio, Moses left Ed Loitz in charge. Loitz was his long-time assistant and friend. In reality, he was Moses’ “right-hand man” for almost every project that he accepted. Whether working at Sosman & Landis or not, Loitz remained loyal to Moses and accompanied him on many adventures. He would still be working with him in 1923. However, in the scenic studio, Loitz was no Moses. When Moses was away, production slowed down. Furthermore, Moses’ stylistic flare was absent from the final product when he was on the road.
As with many studios, one name was on the work, but the painting was competed by many hands. That is one of the significant feature that made the Fort Scott Scottish Rite collection so unique; in 1924, it was solely painted by Moses on site – no big studio crew. In most cases, a Scottish Rite collection was composed of dozens of backdrops in a very limited timeframe, thus necessitating many people simultaneously working on the project. There are very few of these Scottish Rite collections that can solely be attributed to one scenic artist and a stage carpenter. They provide a unique glimpse into the past when individual artists were forced to complete a massive project by themselves. You can tell on certain drops when they were running out of steam.
Other 1896 shows that weren’t recorded in Moses’ typed manuscript included “The Bells.” The Times Herald reported, “Manager [Ira J.] LaMotte has given Mr. Clay Clement a superb scenic production of ‘The Bells,” painted by Thomas G. Moses with costumes by Schoultz & Co., so that a complete production in every detail can be expected” (7 Nov. 1896, page 7). Moses also painted the scenery for “The New Dominion” that toured with “The Bells.” The St. Louis Post – Dispatch commented that both plays were painted “from the brush of well-known scenic artist, Thomas G. Moses” (31 August 1896, page 2). The St. Joseph Herald reported “The company carries a car load of scenery from the brush of Thomas G. Moses of Chicago” (St. Joseph, Missouri, 29 August 1896, page 3)
Moses also painted another “Ben-Hur” set in 1896. A Tennessee newspaper article described how the Women’s Board of the Tennessee Centennial were preparing for the production of the grand spectacular at the Vendome (The Tennessean, Nashville, 10 May 1896, page 9). The article reported, “The scenery used is from the brush of the celebrated scenic artist, Thomas G. Moses, of the Schiller Theatre, Chicago, and the subject of the play itself offers spectacular effects the best opportunity of any amateur production ever had in Nashville.”
The description of this particular production is especially delightful, as it provided a sense of Moses’ designs:
“The play will begin in the lonely desert where the Magi meet, Joseph and Mary will appear at the Joppa Gate, and the Wise Men will arrive at the Damascus Gate in search of him who is born King of the Jews. The appearance of these men before Herod and all the Bible story will be vividly presented.
The scenes will again shift, and Ben Hur will be introduced in all the beauty and strength of his youth. The succeeding scenes will carry him through the thrilling experiences of the tale, from the home of happy companionship to the sad position of a galley slave.
The famous chariot race will be introduced, and this part is almost unexcelled in scenic pantomime. The reuniting of the separated families will be shown, ending with the dramatic farewell to Iras. The production will close with a beautiful transformation scene, Iras’ Dream of the Nile. In this closing view is represented $10,000 worth of scenery and costumes, and taken together with the many pretty faces of Nashville’s society girls, it will be the most gorgeous spectacle to gaze upon.”
Although the amount of scenery produced by Moses and his crew during the first half of 1896 seems somewhat staggering, it was simply not enough for him to survive on his own. Sosman & Landis had been keeping a watchful eye on their former employee and decided to approach him that July. They were still short one man and Moses was now desperate. It seemed to be a good time to bring him back on board for a reasonable price.
