White City Amusement Park, ChicagoWhite City Amusement Park, Chicago
In 1921 Thomas Gibbs Moses wrote: “White City work starts early in May and we had plenty of it.” Chicago’s White City Amusement Park was located at 63rd Street and South Parkway. In many ways it was Chicago’s answer to New York’s Coney Island. Named after the white lights that lined many of its buildings, there were other White Cities built across the country during the first two decades of the twentieth century.
White City Amusement Park at night.
Each amusement park offered ample opportunities for scenic artists and studios. Imitations of popular attractions, were repeated over, and over again, mainstays at each venue. For example, Luna Park’s “A Trip to the Moon” became White City’s “A Trip to Mars.” Most attractions and rides relied heavily upon scenic illusion and scene painting. Every year, Sosman & Landis completed projects for White City attractions across the country. Like grand circus spectacles, it was work that the studio depended upon.
Note the scenic art on the exterior for the Maid of the Mist attraction
Popular features at Chicago’s White City included “A Trip to Mars,” “Fire and Flames (the Chicago Fire),” “The Johnstown Flood,” “the Canals of Venice,” “Temple of Palmistry,” “Catacombs,” “The Third Degree,” “Infant Incubators,” “Midget City,” “Jewell’s Manikins,” and a whole host of other attractions and activities.
Devil’s Gorge attraction at White CityWar of the Worlds attractionFire and Flames attraction at White CityInfant Incubators at White CityMidget City attraction at White City
There was also a vaudeville theater on the grounds, stocked with scenery for vaudeville acts and concerts. Since the park’s opening in 1905, Sosman & Landis produced scenic elements for dozens of projects at the venue, most under the direction of Moses. During the park’s second season in 1906, an open-air amphitheater was erected with a seating capacity of 12,000. That year Soman & Landis delivered scenery for the outdoor spectacle, “The Last Days of Pompeii.” In 1909 Moses again recorded delivering scenery for another massive White City spectacle, “The Fall of Messiah.” From simple signs to outdoor displays, painted elements were in constant demand at White City.
Scenic studios accepted all kinds of projects to keep the shop doors open. They relied heavily upon a diverse clientele and a range of projects. In short, this diversification meant they could weather many storms, and survive economic downturns. War, pandemics, and other disasters may postpone theatre projects, but it did not necessary leave scenic artists without work. Legitimate theater was just one of many clients for a scenic artist. Amusement park attractions, charity balls, and other non-theatrical projects also required painted panoramas, platforms, props and scenic elements. Scenic studios were uniquely positioned to deliver themed environments for a variety of uses. In some ways, scenic studios followed the itinerant artist approach; accept any painting work that you can gets your hands on. Whether carriage painting, sign painting, ornamental painting, house painting, or drop curtains, all painting was good work.
In regard to White City projects in 1921, it is difficult to determine the exact work that Moses mentions in his memoirs. That year, there were many events held at the amusement park, including a series of professional ball games. However, White City advertisements during the spring of 1921 included a big entertainment at the Terrace Garden. On May 25, 1921, the “Chicago Tribune” published a notice in the Amusements section for “The Garden Follies.” This “Edition De Luxe” was called the “Spring Frolics, a riot of color and flash, beauty, fashion, song and dance” (Chicago Tribune, 25 May 1921, page 19). Advertised as a “a big outdoor feature” it was free to the public. There were both afternoon and evening performances on Saturday, Sunday and Decoration Day. Even Frederick Do Bell was part of the event with advertisements stating, “He’ll Make You Gasp!” Do Bell was a high wire artist, marketed as the “electronic wizard of the high wire.”
Variety acts in an outdoor setting suggest that vaudeville was adapting to the times too, taking their acts to a new level.
Two years ago, I was writing about events in the life and times of Thomas C. Moses in 1884. At the time, I was trying to track down information about Henry C. Tryon. Tryon had entered my storyline when he began working at the Sosman & Landis Studio during 1884, filling in for Lem Graham after Graham left to establish a scenic studio in Kansas City.
By 1885, Tryon, Moses and John H. Young went to West Virginia on a sketching trip. Moses described Tryon as “eccentric,” and recorded some pretty humorous episodes about the older artist. While searching for additional information about Tryon’s projects in Utah (this is before he returned to Chicago in 1884), I came across mention of Alfred Lambourne (1850-1926). Lambourne worked with Tryon at the Springvale Theatre Hall. In 1883 Tryon’s younger brother, Spencer, assisted the two while creating stock scenery for the venue.
As I searched for articles in historic newspapers and past publications, I located an interesting description of Tryon by Lambourne in “Reuben Kirkham: Pioneer Artist” by Donna L. Poulton, PhD. Here is a link to her book: https://www.amazon.com/Reuben-Kirkham-Donna…/dp/1599553805. Poulton’s book provided an excerpt from Lambourne’s memoirs that described Tryon.
Lambourne referred to his mentor as “that erratic genius, that Bohemian of Bohemians.” Of his training with Tryon, Lambourne wrote, “…I worked with Tryon about seven weeks. Not on the paint gallery of the Salt Lake theatre, but in one of our southern towns, where we had taken a contract, jointly, for furnishing a set of stock scenery. Those seven weeks were among the most exciting, and from the art standpoint, most profitable of my life. Tryon arrived in Salt Lake City, after a long and successful season of scene-painting in Chicago, and at the Tabor Grand, in Denver. Who, that knew the man, could ever forget that walk, that shock of unkempt red hair, that shrewd ingratiating smile and fun, the enthusiasm, or flash of anger in those steel gray Irish eyes. How distinctly I remember the low suppressed tones of his voice and the sparkle in the same eyes, as he once confronted me and uttered these words: “I have never yet met a man whose combativeness I could not overcome with my own.” However that may have been, we became fast friends and without surrender on either side.”First of all, I find it fascinating that Lambourne not only worked as a scenic artist, but also authored several fictional works. In fact, I have just ordered three of his short stories about scenic artists; original copies are difficult to track down. Lambourne was like many of his peers; nineteenth-century scenic artists enthusiastically wrote about their art, the times, loves lost, and popular stage personalities, providing brief glimpses of life behind the curtain line and the challenges faced by theatre artists.
Lambourne’s memories of Tryon’s combative nature adds a lot of additional color to Moses’s own recollections about Tryon. It is clear that Moses liked and respected Tryon; after all, they planned a sketching trip together in 1885. However, respecting and working with someone is often different than living and traveling with them. Moses provides a peak into Tryon’s personal habits. I previously posted the article that Moses wrote for the “Palette & Chisel Club” newsletter concerning his 1885 trip to West Virginia – see past posts parts 202 to 212 at www.drypigment.net. For now, I’ll start with Moses and Tryon’s departure from the Chicago train station in 1885. Moses wrote,“Henry Tryon and I started for West Virginia on a sketching trip. I had more bother and worry with Tryon than a hen with a brood of chickens; he was simply impossible. A very clever painter but he was not balanced – very temperamental. While he was more than ten years my senior I had to lead him to everything that we had to do for the trip. I went to the B. & O. R. R. Co. and endeavored to secure free transportation. I tried to show them the great benefit our trip would be to the advertising department, as Mr. Tryon expected to write an account for the Chicago Tribune. They had plenty of this advertising, but encouraged us by giving us half fare both ways. We were highly pleased to get this with the understanding that John Young was to follow at the same rate within the week. I had a struggle to get Tryon down to the depot at 5 P.M. – the train left at 5:10. While we were rushing for the sleeper, Tryon stopped – he must get into his trunk which I had checked early in the day. I informed him that we had no time – the baggage was being put on the train. He insisted, so I went with him at 5:05 to the baggage-car. He asked the baggage master to pull the trunk off the truck so he could open it. After much grumbling it was lowered to the platform. Tryon untied the rope, unlocked it and from the top tray took out a fifteen-cent package of Durham smoking tobacco; replacing the rope he informed the baggage-man he was through with it. The baggage-man had been watching him and when he saw what was taken out he made some remarks that would not look well in print. Tryon never lost his temper, so the remarks did not affect him. We had less than two minutes to get to our sleeper, the trunk was thrown on and away we went. I never mentioned the incident again and Tryon forgot it immediately.”
More entertaining tales about Tryon tomorrow.
Henry C. Tryon pictured in the “Inter Ocean,” Feb. 28, 1886, page 9.
For the past month, I have explored the lives and careers of various scenic artists who worked for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, and Tabor Grand Opera House in Denver, Colorado. Last week, before I left for Richmond, Virginia, I was in the midst of exploring Tabor Grand Opera House scenic artist Henry C. Tryon. Beginning his life as Henry B. Hoornbeck, he officially changed his last name to Henry C. Tryon in 1882. This is similar to the British actor Ebenezer J. Britton, who painted under the alias Harley Merry.
It is important to recall the timeline for both Leadville’s Tabor Opera House and Denver’s Tabor Grand Opera House. The Tabor Opera House in Leadville opened on November 20, 1879. By March 1880, H. A. W. Tabor announced that he purchased land in Denver to build another opera house. The new venue was named the Tabor Grand Opera House, and designed by Edbrooke and F. P. Burnham of Chicago. Keep in mind that these the architects provide another concrete connection with Chicago scenic artists of the day. The Tabor Grand Opera House opened on August 1, 1881. That year, newspapers across the country described the theater:
“The stage is constructed and fitted up on a scale that would cause envy in many Eastern theatres. The decorations in the body of the theatre itself are of the most beautiful description, and one can see at a glance that expense was not considered in the least” (New Orleans, 6 Dec. 1881, page 9). “Harry Miner’s Dramatic Directory” described the Tabor Grand Opera House: “Size of stage, 45×75; size of proscenium opening, 34×33; height from stage to grooves, 20; height from stage to rigging loft, 66; depth under stage, 12; traps, 6, and 2 bridges; number sets of scenery, 50.”
Henry C. Tryon painted for the Tabor Grand Opera House. Various newspapers and theatrical directories identify Tryon as the scenic artist there from 1881 to 1882. In addition to working in Denver during 1881, Tryon also painted in Cincinnati, Minneapolis, and Chicago. Like other scenic artists at this time, Tryon was constantly on the go and zipping across the country at an amazing speed to complete numerous projects.
Interestingly, another artist was credited with the Tabor Grand Opera’s drop curtain – Robert Hopkin (1832-1909). At the age of 49 yrs. old, Hopkin was a well-known artist all across the country, but primarily lived in Detroit. On March 5, 1881, the “Detroit Free Press” reported “Robert Hopkin, the artist, and his son William G., left for Colorado on Thursday to paint the scenery and curtains for three opera houses. Before leaving “Bob” remarked to a scribe of THE FREE PRESS, “the boy is up to the old man with the pencil, and ain’t much behind him with the brush” (page 1). Even year later, article about Hopkin would recall, “He decorated and painted the drop curtain and scenery for Tabor’s opera house at Denver, at the time one of the finest theaters in America.
I have written about Hopkin in the past, as well as his connection to Thomas G. Moses. Both Tryon and Moses worked as assistants to Hopkin Sr. in 1875 on a production of the “Naiad Queen.” Moses kept in touch with Hopkin, and also admired his artwork. In 1884, Moses visited the Tabor Grand while on a sketching trip with three other scenic artists: Edward Morange, Hardesty Maratta, and John H. Young. The four traveled from Chicago to Breckenridge, Colorado, to gather source material and hone their artistic skills. While on their trip, the visited the Tabor Opera House in Denver to see the drop curtain by their friend Robert Hopkins. The next year, Moses went on another sketching trip to West Virginia with Young and Tryon. Of the Colorado trip, Moses wrote, “We all attended the theatre, the famous Tabor Grand, and we found it all we had expected it would be, nicely decorated and fine woodwork. The Drop Curtain was very good: an old ruin with some poetical feeling that pleased everyone. It was painted by an old friend of mine, Mr. Robert Hopkins, of Detroit, Michigan. This is a favorite subject of his, having done a similar one in Detroit” (The palette & Chisel, Vol. 1, No. 3, March 1928). A photograph remains of Hopkins’ drop curtain for the Tabor Grand Opera House, now part of the Denver Public Library’s online collection.
Years later, the “Detroit Free Press” interviewed Robert “Bob” Hopkin and touched upon the drop-curtain for the Detroit Opera House (23 Sept 1906, page 51). The article reported, “Bob tells me that he grew up on the Detroit wharves, passed through an apprenticeship in mixing colors for decorators, drifted to scene painting, and finally made easel pictures. As he fished around in his boxes and albums for souvenirs of his early life, as last he brought up a faded photograph of the first drop-curtain of the Detroit Opera House. The theme was an allegorical landscape, surrounded by Corinthian columns, supporting a flat arch – an arch that builders have always said was impossible. But a fig cared Bob, the scenic artist, for these mechanical criticisms. He also showed me a drawing of the second curtain bearing the familiar lines: “So fleet the works of men back to their earth again; Ancient and holy things fade like a dream.” Hopkin’s drop curtains for both the Detroit Opera House and the Tabor Opera Grand Opera House used the same inscription below the ruins of a Greek temple.
The front curtain was often considered a project in itself, sometimes taking much longer than most other scenery delivered to a theater. Many nineteenth century articles identified artists who specialized in drop curtains. In 1894, the “Philadelphia Inquirer” reported, “The drop curtain is the most expensive piece of furniture in any playhouse. Managers are more solicitous about the care of a handsome curtain that almost any other appointment in their theatres. They are usually painted by artists of wide fame in a particular branch of art which they represent, whose charges for the work range from $1,000 to $3,000.” That amount is today’s equivalent of $29,000 to $89,000 for the front curtain.
So, consider the 1881 drop curtain painted by Hopkins for the Tabor Grand Opera; an incredibly expensive items for a theater, possibly one of the most expensive appointments at a performance venue. Theatre owners, artists and patrons understood the importance of this large-scale artwork; a drop-curtain set the tone for the interior and was a culmination of the painted décor.
Drop curtain painted by Robert Hopkin for the Tabor Grand Opera House in Denver, Colorado.
I return to the life and times of Thomas G. Moses in 1921.
That spring Moses and his wife Ella journeyed south for nine weeks. The primary
reason was work; Mitchell and Halbach hired Moses to decorate the Majestic
Theatre in Dallas. Other projects included scenery for the Dallas Shrine and an
upcoming design for the Little Rock Scottish Rite.
Moses later wrote, “On our return home we stopped in Kansas
City for a day, and a day in St. Louis, after an absence of nine weeks. I could sit down for only a day before I was off
to Fort Wayne for a contract for a vaudeville act, which we got.”
Postcard of the Fort Wayne Depot
A constant stream of activity defined Moses’ career was often
characteristic of late-nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century scenic
artists. Even those who represented a particular studio were often on the go,
as many projects still occurred on site.
As I track the travels of these artists I am astounded by the time spent
on the road. By 1921, Moses was working
for Sosman & Landis again, on annual contract. In 1918 he resigned as
president of the firm and sought other opportunities at New York Studios and
the Chicago Studios. He had previously
left the firm a few times before, always returning home to Chicago and the main
studio on Clinton Street.
In regard to Moses’ 1921 diary entry, he noted stopping by
Kansas City and St. Louis. This was
standard, as he kept close contact with fellow scenic artists, both friends and
competitors. For years, Moses stopped by the Noxon and Toomey Studio to visit
his good friend Patrick J. Toomey. Likewise,
there were several artists that Moses remained close to at the Kansas City
Scenic Co. The scenic art network was
essential during times of plenty, as one studio would draw on the resources of
another. For example, Kansas City Scenic
subcontracted Sosman & Landis in 1902 to deliver a large scenery installation
to the Elks Opera House (previously Tabor Opera House) in Leadville, Colorado.
The is when the past and present intersect. For the past
four years I have traced a network of scenic artists from 1870-1930, based upon
individual entries in the 1931 memoirs of Thomas G. Moses. I am daily astounded
at the scope of work produced by Moses during his career, 1873-1934. Until the
past twelve days, I have dutifully written 1 ½ pages each day about Moses’
life, work and colleagues. When I have
been on the road, I often transition from “Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar”
to “Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar,” describing a specific historic theatre
or scenery collection. From Sept. 20-27, 2020, I was in Leadville, Colorado, documenting a
historic scenery collection that was stored in the Tabor Opera House over a
century ago. The collection was primarily composed of historic pieces from
1879-1890, once used on the original stage before the Leadville Elks (BPOE) purchased
the building and renovated the stage. Upon returning to my office in Minnesota,
there would still be a month’s worth of research and writing to compile historical
analyses, conditions reports, replacement appraisals, and a collections care
and management program.
I posted many of my Colorado discoveries, with the intention
of returning to the Thomas G. Moses timeline on September 30 when I returned
home. Within two hours of my arrival in
Minnesota, we received a call from our eldest child about a medical emergency. By the next morning I was on the road again,
hoping to offer support while awaiting test results; we are still waiting for a
definitive diagnosis. On my 4+ hour drive, I planned for the worse and hoped for
the best. In the midst of everything, I was also planning the 14th
birthday celebration for our youngest child; I had scheduled my Colorado trip
to return with ample time to prepare for the event.
This brings me back to Moses’ mention of Fort Wayne in 1921.
This morning I decided that it was time to return to my blog; without writing
every spare moment I feel like a rutterless ship. Recognizing that I would likely never be able
to locate the specific show in Fort Wayne, I decided to search for a mention of
“Sosman & Landis” in Fort Wayne newspapers. Casting my net wide, they was a
mentioned in 1884, just as Landis & Sosman. The firm was competing for the
Masonic Temple scenery work, submitting a bid alongside Noxon, Halley &
Toomey, St. Louis; Kover & Sons, Cincinnati; and Moses & Co.,
Kalamazoo. The Moses & Co. is Thomas
G. Moses and Lemuel L. Graham; Graham being the future founder of Kansas City
Scenic Co. The irony is that I have been “living” in 1884 for the past two
weeks. While waiting for test results, I decided to start doing some
preliminary research on the Tabor Opera House attic scenery colleciton, tracing
down two artists and exploring their careers during the early 1880s. Keep in
mind that the original scenery for the Tabor Opera House was delivered in 1879,
with additional pieces being delivered in 1888 and 1890. In the meantime, the
Tabor Grand Opera House was constructed in Denver. Both H. E. Burkey and Henry
C. Tryon were associated with the venue; Burkey was also listed as a scenic
artist for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville.
As I traced the lives and careers of various Tabor Opera House artists,
Tryon kept popping back onto my radar; he and Burckey partnered for other projects
during this time too.
I have written about Tryon in the past, as he and Thomas G.
Moses not only worked together at Sosman & Landis, but also went on a
sketching trip to West Virginia in the 1880s. This brings me back to 1884, just
after Tryon painted scenery for the Salt Lake Theatre; at the time he was
listed as Henry C. Tabor, scenic artist of the Tabor Opera House, Denver. Between
1880 and 1884 Tryon published several lengthy articles on scenic art; I just transcribed
one from 1884 yesterday. It is one of the most comprehensive writings about the
trade and scenic art process, identified by region, that I have come across to
date. Last night, I was trying to figure out when to add this bit of
information into my blog. It seems that tomorrow is an appropriate time.
In 1921 Thomas G. Moses was working in Dallas, Texas, at the
new Majestic Theatre. His wife Ella was able to accompany him on the nine-week southern
trip; there were ample opportunities for sighting seeing and sketching
trips. That spring, Moses wrote, “A
short trip to San Antonio was thoroughly enjoyed by both of us. It was a very interesting place, being so
close to Mexico. It has taken over many
ideas in buildings and costumes. One
place we enjoyed more than the others was the large Brackenridge Park, which
was built in a Stone Quarry. Made
several sketches.”
Japanese Garden in Brackenridge Park, 1921 postcard.
Brackenridge park made headlines that year, as American
newspapers focused on the success of San Antonio’s various beautification
projects and park system. The “Central New Jersey Home News” reported, “How
City Officials Beautified San Antonio by Unique Methods” (New Brunswick, NJ, 22
May 1921, page 11). The article noted, “Once in a thousand years you find a
person who possesses the gift of making much form little or nothing. Sometimes
it is a woman who can make a stylish dress from a piece of great grandmother’s
shawl and a yard of ribbon, in San Antonio it was Ray Lambert who made
Breckenridge [sic.] Park blossom like the rose – the whole rose bush, indeed –
and did it so economically that people still ask – ‘how did he do it?’”
The “Dearborn Independent” also included an article on the
park entitled, “Texan’s Magic Has Brought Beauty to City” (Dearborn, Michigan,
April 16, 1921, page 6). It provided a little more information about the man
behind the mission – J. R. Lambert. Here is an interesting section from the article,
as it gives some history:
“San Antonio was a wide-open town and J. R. Lambert on of
the best known bar keeps. Situated within 150 miles of the Mexican border,
within easy access of vast stretches of plains and prairies where wandered
countless herds of Texas long and shorthorns, San Antonio drew to her bosom the
sons of wild and wild stretches. Here they came to take a chance at faro or the
cards and drink whisky straight. In the midst of this oasis was J. R. Lambert’s
saloon and he stood behind the baar and served the spirit-loving throngs.
“Before he became a barkeep Lambert was a stone mason. He
saved his money and finally accumulated enough cash to buy the saloon. Like
many of his kind in those days Lambert also became interested in politics.
Politics and the saloon were bed-mates before the Eighteenth Amendment went
into effect. His power became felt in local election. He was a man to be
reckoned with in any local issue that was decided at the polls. His saloon grew
more and more prominent as Lambert extended his political power.
“There came a mayoralty campaign in San Antonio. It was a
biter contest and after the votes were counted Lambert’s candidate was a
declared the winner. And then Lambert, who had exacted no political reward
before, demanded one, He insisted on being appointed commissioner of parks and
plazas of the city of San Antonio. Since the mayor was morally bound to give
Lambert any political appointment he demanded, because of his services at the
polls, he had to comply. This he did reluctantly. There was much protesting,
much agitation, much denouncing. Giving a job like commissioner of parks and
plazas to a saloonkeeper was preposterous. Much in the way of political graft
had probably been attempted in San Antonio, but this was too bold, too brazen,
too horrid. The public wrath grew, the flame of public indignation swelled and
the mayo was denounced along with Lambert. But the mayor was firm and Lambert
kept his peace. The tumult subsided as such tumults always do. Lambert sold his
saloon and settled himself in a downstairs corner of the city hall and went to
work.
“Today J. Raymond Lambert, or Ray Lambert, is the biggest
man, as far as could be learned in one month’s time, in San Antonio. Forty-six
parks and plazas within the city limits testify to his greatness. In the opinion
of the writer he is the most efficient city official in the country today.
Lambert has been commissioner of parks and plazas of San
Antonio for a number of years and he will probably be able to continue as
commissioner just as long as he cares to. During all this time he has worked
within his power, regardless of time, energy, personal hardships and
self-denials and to save as much money for the public as possible. In both he
has been brilliantly successful.
San Antonio has her Missions and her Alamo, ‘the cradle of
Texas liberty.’ San Antonio has her old churches, a wonderful country club and
beautiful residential sections, but if you ask the average San Antonian what
point he considers of most importance and interest he will answer immediately,
‘Brackenridge Park. Have you seen the Japanese Gardens there?”
“Brackenridge Park is the palace ground of San Antonio’s 46
parks and plazas , and the sunken Japanese Garden the palace. Of the 592 acres
that are included in park and plaza allotments, Brackenridge Park is big and
complete, a remarkable city playground, but the Japanese Gardens lift it to
fame and the history of the gardens shows the creative genius of Lambert.
When Lambert became commissioner of parks and plazas,
Brackenridge Park was little more than a larger tract of waste land. It had few
possibilities. Many landscape gardeners would have passed it up. Some of the
experts said it would never do as a park. It contained an abandoned stone
quarry and a garbage incinerating plant, also abandoned. It presented a dismal
aspect. Not only was a large portion an eyesore, but most repulsive.
“Lambert gathered his laborers and got busy. He dismantled
the garbage plant and tore it down. He saved every part of it, stone and all.
After everything was piled up neatly, he sent his army of laborers into the
stone quarry and hauled out al the loose stone that remained. The quarry
cleared, he began building and after much hard work the Japanese Gardens were
created and the disgusting eyesore became a thing of unparalleled beauty in way
of landscape gardening.
In this garden are Japanese houses built of stone, lily
ponds and flower beds, rustic Japanese bridges and tropical foliage. There are
fishponds and shaded nooks. Stone steps wind down into the gardens and the
gardens are spotted with the same kind of steps and benches.
“The stone house, the large one, was built of the loose
stones picked up in the quarry. They also served for the steps and the benches.
“The stones, now fast, line the lily ponds, and the quaint
fishponds with their rare goldfish were made from the dilapidated vats found in
the incinerating plant. The roof of the bog house is made of thatched palm
leaves. There are many palm trees in San Antonio. You find them in all the
parks and plazas. Lambert had his men collect then and, instead of destroying
them, they were hauled to the Japanese Garden where they served for roofing. It
is said that the only expense of the garden, outside of labor, was for wire
used in attaching the palm fronds. And the quaint-looking steeple at one edge
of the garden, the one covered with vines and looking so artistic in the
distance? Why, that was the chimney of the incinerating plant, the only part of
the plant that Lambert left standing when he dismantled the building. At night
the gardens are lighted with thousands of globes and to view this spot from a
place that was once the edge of the
stone quarry, gives a sight that will be long remembered.”
There is a fantastic paper by Susanna R. Katz and Anna A.
Fox -“Archeological and Historical
Assessment of Brackenridge Park, San Antonio, Texas” (1979). The two identified
15 prehistoric site s and 27 historic sites and features within the boundaries
of Brackenridge Park. They noted the sites reflect a variety of activities
which have been carried out over a period of several thousand years; here is
the link: (http://www.car.utsa.edu/CARResearch/Publications/ASRFiles/1-100/ASR%20No.%2033.pdf)
In 1921 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Made a side trip to Little
Rock to settle on the Scottish Rite Temple.
I hope to be able to close the contract very soon. I enjoyed the trip as I saw some very
interesting old buildings.” He later returned to Little Rock that summer,
writing, “I spent a week and closed the contract for $9,548.00.” This was a
verbal closure and all preliminary; the final contract would not be signed
until 1923.
Scottish Rite scenery projects were massive and sometimes
took years to land, and months to actually paint. Masonic stock scenery
collections were often more than twice the size of that delivered to a commercial
theater, ranging from 80 to 120 drops with dozens of set pieces. Masons did not
always understand what they were purchasing or receiving, so the numbers went
up and down as specific settings were added or removed during contract negotiations. I am beginning to realize that there were few
Scottish Rite Masons who understood the complexity of what was delivered or how
to effectively use it. During the early twentieth century, the company selling
the product often sent a representative to help stage and run the scenery during
the first Scottish Rite reunion. Masonic stagehands were instructed in the
appropriate handling of drops and the set up for stage effects.
By the time Scottish Rite Valleys purchased a second set of scenery,
often from the same firm, there was no longer training offered with the
installation. In some ways this is understandable; members were familiar with using
painted settings for degree work. However, as time passed much information became
lost in translation. It is like playing a game of telephone with a bunch of
older white men, some hard of hearing; important information gets dropped and
what made sense in the beginning becomes something entirely different. Even the origins of the scenery become a
little murky or completely lost.
Backstage at the Little Rock Scottish Rite, picture in a 1904 Reunion program.
In 1921, Thomas G. Moses wrote that he secured
a scenery contract with the Dallas Shrine. In addition to supervising Shrine
settings being built in Chicago, Moses was also negotiating a new scenery
installation for the Little Rock Scottish Rite Theater. Of the upcoming
projects, Moses wrote, “ “I have plenty to do on Masonic models and I am afraid
I will have to get some help.”
This Dallas project was for Hella Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Moses recorded that Sosman & Landis
“furnished a big set for the Shrine which was done in Chicago.” This means the
actual construction and painting for the setting was completed in Chicago; the
setting was shipped to Dallas that spring. In April, the Hella Shrine Temple hosted
the Shrine Director’s Association of North America annual convention. The
painted setting was possibly for use at that event.
Hella Temple Fez
On 27 March 1921, “Galveston Daily News” announced “Six
Hundred to Attend Dallas Shrine Meeting” (page 8). The article continued, “Dallas,
Tex., March 26.- Reports received by the arrangements and reception committee
for the convention of the Shrine Director’s Association of North America, which
meets in Dallas April 7 to 9, are to the effect that about 600 delegates will
attend. The directors are meeting in Dallas in the third annual convention for
the purpose of checking up of the curriculum of events encountered along the
desert sands over which the novices travel at each ceremonial given by the
Shrine Temples in North America. The meetings in Dallas will not be open to the
general membership of Hella Temple, but will be confined exclusively to the
directors and the committees in charge. Hella Temple will be host to the
convention and will entertain the visitors while in Dallas. James E. Forrest is
president of the association.”
On the last day of the convention, Frank H. Cromwell, of Ararat
Temple, Kansas City was chosen president of the association (Austin
America-Statesman, 9 April 1921, page 1)
In 1921 Thomas G. Moses wrote,
“Did two watercolors for Mr. Hoblitzelle, which I trust will be pleasing to him
and his wife.” This was immediately after Moses painted the asbestos curtain
and decorated Hoblitzelle’s new Majestic Theatre in 1921.
Karl Hoblitzelle pictured with his new Majestic Theatre in 1921.
Much has been written about Karl
St. John Hoblitzelle, namesake of the Hoblitzelle Foundation.
The following write up about Hoblitzelle
is included as part of the foundation’s history (https://hoblitzelle.org/about):
“Karl St. John Hoblitzelle was born in St. Louis in
1879. While serving as an event manager at the St. Louis World Fair in his
early 20s, Karl Hoblitzelle met performers and concession operators who
indicated the south, in particular Texas, lacked venues to showcase their work
and talent. Upon the fair’s closing in 1903, Karl Hoblitzelle came to
Dallas, Texas with $2,500 and began to build a chain of vaudeville
theaters. At its peak, Interstate Theater Company held 160 theaters across
Texas and the Southeast. These theaters were soon transformed into movie
houses, and the success of this entertainment business created financial
resources which he invested in the growing oil and gas, real estate, and
banking industries in Texas.
Karl Hoblitzelle married Esther Thomas in 1920, a Broadway
starlet who had performed under the name of “Esther Walker” and come to Dallas
to perform at one of the theaters. Both were active in the social, civic,
and cultural activities of Dallas, and did not have any descendants.
Prudent management of their financial assets resulted in the
accumulation of significant wealth, which upon the death of Mrs. Hoblitzelle in
1943 and Mr. Hoblitzelle in 1967, became the corpus of Hoblitzelle Foundation.
It was likely that Moses first
met Karl St. John Hoblitzelle at the St. Louis World’s Fair. Moses attended the
event with his wife Ella, checking on several attractions delivered by the
Sosman & Landis Studio for the event. Moses frequently gifted a painted to client’s
he considered good friends by the end of a project. It is no surprise that
Hoblitzelle was the recipient of two watercolor paintings. I wonder where they
are now?
Thomas G. Moses visited Minnesota in January 1921. Of the
trip, he wrote, “Took a short trip to Louisville to get measurements for data
for a big picture set, coming directly back and going to Le Roy, Minn., where I
closed a contract for a decoration of a big pavilion used for dancing at the
Oak Dale Farm. I found some zero weather
and had to go several miles out of town to the farm in an old bob-sled.” Moses
later wrote, “I found the Le Roy job still hanging fire, so I had to go up and
superintend the installing. Everyone
pleased. We certainly got a good effect
out of the ceiling panels.”
Dancing pavilion at Oakdale Farms near Le Roy, Minnesota.Dancing pavilion at Oakdale Farms near Le Roy, Minnesota.
Le Roy was in the southeast corner of Minnesota, just a mile from the Iowa state line.
Postcard of Le Roy, MinnesotaPostcard of LeRoy, Minnesota
The dancing pavilion project was quite a project. At the time, Oakdale Farm near Le Roy, Minnesota, had a reputation for being the largest establishment of White Leghorns near that place. Stopping here to comment that it is hard not to visualize the cartoon character of Foghorn Leghorn. I guess that I am a product of Saturday morning cartoons.
Foghorn Leghorn was a popular character on Saturday morning cartoons in America during the 1970s and 1980s.
By 1920, Oakdale farm comprised
80 acres and was stocked with 4,000 and 5,000 birds (New Ulm Review, 13 Oct.
1920, page 12). Each year, Oakdale Farms hosted an annual exhibit advertised as
“More Fun Than a Circus! – More to See Than a Fair!” (Star Tribune, 3 Aug 1921,
page 8). Advertisements announced, “Start early and make this a real picnic.
Good places to park your car, and you’ll certainly enjoy the trip. 25,000 people
expected, and there is room for all. Picnic tables free on the ground and
arrangements have been made to serve cafeteria style at a nominal charge all
those who do not care to bring their own picnic dinners. Plenty to eat for all.”
I bet chicken was on the menu. There was “something ‘doing’ every minute!” that
included aero-planes, vaudeville, band concerts and lectures.
From the “Star Tribune,” 3 Aug 1921, page 8.
The 1921 advertisement also noted, “You will have an opportunity to ‘star’
in our motion pictures. The William A. Lochern Film and Slide Co. of
Minneapolis are sending down their most expert crew to take picture for us of
the crowds. We expect to show the film in every locality possible afterwards. Don’t
miss getting in on this picture.”
On July 17, 1921, the “Star
Tribune” included a picture of the dance pavilion announcing, “Oak Dale Farms
Famous for Chickens” (page 33). The caption noted, “People who spend their
vacation at the Oak Dale farms in Leroy, Minn., will have enough to eat. One of
the farms is a famous poultry ranch and hatches out 50,000 chicks every month;
if they cook them as well as hatch them, and it is said the do. Dancing in the pavilion
should be postponed until some time after dinner. The other farm has gained
notice for its stock. The photograph shows the corner of the dance pavilion at
the farms.” This was a big enterprise that also functioned as a tourist
destination.
“Oakdale Farms, Inc.” made the
newspaper multiple times in 1921. On August 21, 1921, the Star Tribune”
reported, “Liens on Thomson Farm Break Records….Austin, Minn., Aug. 20. – All
records for liens against an individual estate were broken here today with the
filing of 56 liens, totaling $19,018.43, against Oakdale Farms, Inc. owned by
R. J. (Cy) Thomson, embezzler of $1,890,000 from George A. Hormel & Co. The
liens filed do no include those filed against Oakdale Farms at Le Roy, but are
against property here and in Blooming Prairies. Liens against the LeRoy farms
are filed in Cresco, Iowa. The amounts range from $621 to $3,956.49” (21 Aug
1921, page 11).
This mention on Moses’ diary shows the variety of projects
that came into a scenic studio, ranging from rural Minnesota dance pavilions to
metropolitan coliseums. In 1921, Sosman & Moses also delivered scenery to
the Acadia Dancing Hall. These firms delivered painted scenes and decorations
all over the country to stay afloat. My
greatest question was why a poultry producer south contracted a Chicago scenic
studio, rather than one in the Twin Cities. However, there was the mention of
Oakdale Farm’s connection to Hormel in Chicago, also a client of Sosman &
Landis.
In 1921, Thomas G. Moses wrote that early in January they
closed a contract with Mrs. John Alden Carpenter for a fashion show.
From the “Chicago Tribune,” 31 Jan 1921 page 5.From the “Chicago Tribune,” 14 Jan 1921 page 15.
Moses had previously worked with Mrs. John Alden Carpenter
on a Boardwalk show at the Chicago Coliseum in 1919. His scrap book included
newspaper clippings pertaining to the event. On showed Moses at work with Mrs.
Carpenter nearby. Of the 1919 event, Moses wrote, “Early in February we put the
fashion show on, and it was quite a success.” I have written about this project
in the past. On Nov. 24, 1919, the “Chicago Tribune” announced, “New Ocean
Ready to Roll at Boardwalk.” The article continued, “Mrs. John Alden
Carpenter’s painted ocean is finished it the last wave and all ready to roll up
under Atlantic City Boardwalk at the Coliseum on dec. 6, when the bazaar for
the benefit of the Passavant Memorial Hospital building fund is opened. The
ocean and all other decorations have been designed by Mrs. Carpenter, who
evolved the idea, bringing the board walk to Chicago, and are being executed by
Thomas G. Moses” (24, 1919, page 7).
Of Mrs. Carpenter’s fashion show, the “Chicago Tribune”
reported, “Mrs. John Alden Carpenter has decided to capitalize her skill in
interior decorating but not for herself. She has elected to contribute her
artistic ability as a gift for needy children. In future she will charge for
services, but the money will go to the Illinois Children’s Home Aid Society.
Mrs. Carpenter’s first’ professional’ job will be the decorations for the Fashion
Show, to be held in First Regiment Armory Feb. 9 to 19, by the Chicago Garment
Manufacturers’ association, the wholesale milliners’ association, the Chicago Furrier’s
association. The check for her services will be sent directly to the children’s
society. The transplanting of the Atlantic City board walk to Chicago’s Coliseum
last winter was the work of Mrs. Carpenter, who also did the decoration for the
Pageant of the East, for the Ten Allies ball in Madison Square Gardens in New
York, and for Russian section of a pageant given for the Red Cross of Long
Island. Everything in women’s wear for spring and summer, from hats to shoes,
will be exhibited in little French shops along a street that will be an exact
replica of a street in Paris” (14 Jan. 1921, page 15).
On “Designer of gowns and millinery, carpenters and
painters, 150 beautiful models, and manufacturer and whole salers are rushing preparation
for the Fashion Show and Merchants’ Fair to be held in the First Regiment
armory, Feb. 9 and 19, inclusive. Mrs. John Alden Carpenter, who designed ‘Le
Boul Miche,’ the boulevard of French shops to be erected in the armory, daily goes
to 417 South Clinton, where the shops are being built and painted, and
personally directs the work. The beautiful models selected for the nightly promenade
to display Milady’s wear, are being fitted to the coats, suits and gowns and
other apparel they will wear. It will require quick work to get the boulevard
of shops erected in the armory, as the automobile show will not get out of the armory
until Feb. 7, and then fashion show opens two days later. The show is under the
auspices of the Chicago Garment Manufacturers’ association” (31 Jan. 1921, page
5).
Mrs. Carpenter has stuck in the back of my mind since 2017
when I came across the image of Mrs. Carpenter and Moses. It was not a new
image, or a new name to me. When I compiled two indexes for Moses’ scrapbook
and diary as an undergraduate, there was an entry for Mrs. Carpenter. When I
expanded this index to 127 pages in 2006 (I was on maternity leave), I came
across her name and picture again.
Mrs. John Alden Carpenter pictured next to Thomas G. Moses. A clipping from Moses’ scrapbook, source unknown.
What I found so remarkable about the undocumented newspaper
clipping in Moses’ scrapbook is the inclusion of the paint table. There are a
few things to notice about Moses’ paint table in the picture. There is an abundance of “pots” – containers
for the dry pigment paste when painting a drop. This also ties into the name “pot
boys,” mentioned by Sosman & Landis employee John Hanny. Pot boys was
another name for paint boys. Hanny
explained that pot boys were given this name because they filled the pots of
paint with pigment. These are not individually mixed colors for the composition,
but pots for pure colors; they function like dollops of paint on an artist’s
palette – a really big artist’s palette. This may be the only image of a paint
palette used by Moses during his career from 1873-1934.
Paint table used by Jesse Cox, currently on display at the Theatre Museum in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.Paint table used by Jesse Cox, currently on display at the Theatre Museum in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.
