Category: Uncategorized

WOMEN IN SCENIC ART, part 3
As posted yesterday, this is the next line in the 1927 article that discussed women in scenic art:

“The work of Lillian Gaestner in the New Ziegfield and Gladys Calthrop in the Eva LaGallienne Company may, as a matter of opinion, be as unlike each other as you please, but it is real work.”

I delved into the career and work of Gladys Calthrop (1894-1980).

Gladys was a set and costume designer for theatre in both London and New York.

She was born Gladys Treeby in Ashton, Devon, the daughter of Frederisk Theophilus Treeby and his wife Mabel. Educated at Grassendale School, Southbourne, West Sussex, her parents sent her to finishing school in Paris where she met Army Captain Everard E. Calthrop from Norfolk. Treeby married Calthrop and had a son, Hugo, whose care was entrusted mostly to her mother. Hugo was later killed during fighting in Burma. Soon after Hugo’s death, she separated from her husband.

Gladys met Noel Coward in Italy during 1921 and they subsequently became friends. She commenced her theatre career in 1924, working for Coward on “The Vortex.” Staged at the Everyman Theatre in Hampstead, she designed both sets and costumes, later recalling, “It was the first play I had ever designed so I was terribly excited, though there was nowhere to paint the sets except outside the theatre in Hampstead High Street, and the costumes all had to be made in a kind of basement there.” This became the first of many collaborative projects with Coward.

She stayed in New York after “The Vortex” and became Artistic Director for Eva la Galliene’s Civic Reperatory Theatre. Her designs for Broadway included “Cradle Song” (1927), “This Year of Grace” (1928), “Bitter Sweet” (1929), “Autumn Crocus” (1932), “Private Lives” (1935), “Design for Living” (1933), “Conversation Piece” (1934), and many, many more. She continued to work as a designer until 1964, doing some work for film that included four Coward adaptations in the 1940s.

She also did some design work for film, including four Coward adaptations in the 1940s. She also published her first and only novel, Paper Pattern in 1940.

During World War II, she served in the Mechanical Transport Corps and by 1953, Calthrop illustrated the Noël Coward Song Book (1953). In 1980, she passed away at the age of 85

Here are a few examples of her design work.  I was unsuccessful in finding any scene painting examples.

 

 

By 1953, she illustrated the Noel Coward Song Book (1953). In 1980, Gladys passed away at the age of 85 years old.

 

This is the next line in the article that I started yesterday on women in scenic art:

“The work of Lillian Gaestner in the New Ziegfield and Gladys Calthrop in the Eva LaGallienne Company may, as a matter of opinion, be as unlike each other as you please, but it is real work.”

I want to put their nameswith faces and look at the various accomplishments of each woman.

The first mentioned is Lillian Gaestner. They actually misspelled her name in the article as it is Gaertner! She was one difficult woman to track down. She was a fire that burned brightly and then was quietly snuffed out by either circumstances or her husband.

Lillian V. Gaertner (July 5, 1906-?) was a painter, muralist, illustrator, decorator, scenic designer and costume designer, primarily working in New York City during the 1920s and early 1930s.

She is wearing high heels on that beam!

She was born in Manhattan Assembly District 9, New York City, in 1906 to immigrants Rudolph Gaertner (b.1874) and his wife Ida (b. 1878). Various publications list different countries for their origin -Germany, Bohemia, and Austria. Lillian had one sibling – Edward. Lillian’s talent as an artist were immediately recognized by Joseph Urban at the age of 14 yrs. old. At that time she was only eight years younger than Urban’s own daughter Gretl! Some even consider Lillian as his protégé. Regardless, Urban sent Lillian to study art in Paris and Vienna, under the direction of Josef Hoffmann (a Bauhaus designer who worked with Urban on other theatrical projects) and Ferdinand Schmutzer. Back in the New York, she studied with Urban and Emeline Clark Roche (1902-1995). Clark is fascinating in her own right and primarily worked as both a scenic and costume designer.

Lillian was commissioned to paint numerous murals at hotels, restaurants, clubs, office buildings, and other public spaces. In 1927, she even created a massive artwork for the Ziegfield Theater. Other notable murals were created for the Montmatre Club at Palm Beach, the Persian Room murals at the Plaza Hotel, the Maritime Exchange Building, the Hotel Pennsylvania, and the Essex House. As a scenic and costume designer, Lillian worked for Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera.

A side note regarding her mural created for the Ziegfield theatre: Some of her mural artwork from this demolished building appeared in 2006. Ziegfeld opened this theater on 6th Avenue and 54th Street, where it became home of the “Ziegfeld Follies.” Designed by Joseph Urban, it was situated well out of the theater district and featured a unique “egg-shaped” auditorium. Lillian painted the 24’ wide by 14’ high mural (designed by Urban who titled it “The Joy of Life”). Her painting originally covered the walls and ceiling in the main auditorium and included brightly colored depictions of eastern hunts, banquets, and characters from literature, history and mythology. The theater was demolished in 1966 to make way for an office tower that now occupies the same spot. In 2006, an immense section of the original painted mural resurfaced. The link for this discovery is: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/01/prweb499705.htm

Lillian’s career continually soared throughout the 1920s. On January 18, 1930, Lillian married Harold B. Palmedo (1898-1983). Little is know of him and Harold certainly wasn’t a shooting star. Born in New York to Alrich (a stockbroker) and Emma Palmedo, he shared his childhood and early adulthood with two other had two siblings, Roland and Eleanore. Palmedo’s career is sketchy at best and his brother Roland was the great success of the family. The 1920 census listed Harold as living at home with his parents and working as a chemist in a manufacturing facility.

In 1931 the couple celebrated the birth of their first and only child. On January 27^th, 1931, Lillian was born to the Palmedos, then living at 240 East 79^th Street in New York.

Lillian continued her artistic career and mural painting. By 1934 she was celebrated for her murals in the Persian Room at the Plaza Hotel. Strangely, this same year, she moves to Milford, Conn. and starts showing dogs – Boxers.

It is at this point that the name “Lillian Gaertner Palmedo” starts to disappear. During this time, her husband becomes and early founder and first President of the American Boxer Club and she fills a space as a board member. Lillian’s mother Ida is the designated Treasurer. The greatest function that Lillian and Ida initially fill at the club is translating the German Standard and Austrian Standard for the dogs.

By 1939 the Palmedo’s win best of breed (Ch. Biene v. Elbe-Bogen se Sumbula). All their dogs were campaigned extensively by Harry Harnett, with Biene finishing her career with four Best in Show and still winning best of breed from the Veteran’s Class in 1941 – also a first. Also in 1939, The AKC Gazette column notes Lillian’s new role on the new Publicity and Promotions Committee.

By 1940, her daughter is living with grandmother Ida Gaertner in Mount Vernon City, Westchester, NY. In 1940, newspapers note that Lillian was living in New Milford, Connecticut. At this point in her life she constantly travels across the country appearing in various newspapers, showing their dogs and promoting her new clothing design (clothing created for owners to match their dogs). At this point, she is solely known as a clothing designer and dog fancier. Her painting career is no longer mentioned at all.

By 1942, she divorced Harold and appears to have faded from all printed record. The last mention of her in print that I could locate were divorce notifications in both New York and Reno, Nevada. No census records, death notice, memorial – nothing.

This is one of the more tragic tales. A woman with so much drive and potential gradually faded behind her husband’s name. Initially listed as Lillian Gaertner, then Lillian Gartner Palmedo, she eventually became Mrs. H. B. Palmedo. Lillian was redefined in from “Lillian Gaertner, one of New York’s most promising young artists” in the 1920s to “Mrs. H. B. Palmedo, clothing designer and dog fancier” in the 1940s.

I sincerely hope that she found much joy with activities at the American Boxing Club and attending dog shows. Wishing that she gladly abandoned all of her hard work, training, and artistic potential and left a promising career as a theatre artist and muralist. Maybe she continued to paint in any spare time that she could find and all of her works have yet to surface. It would be tragic to think that her husband’s passion for boxers, or marriage in general, caused Lillian to abandon her artistic career.

The following was published in the 1927 issue of “The Scenic Artist.”

“It is quite interesting to note among other elements that have invaded the theater within the last decade, the active interest that women are taking in scenic work.

For many years women felt themselves barred from taking a part in the painting of scenery, because it involved extreme physical stamina, which, excepting in rare cases, women do not possess.  However, being more or less tenacious, it is a foregone conclusion that women will work out their own salvation and this will perhaps, lie in the line of designing or art directing rather than the actual painting of scenes which take on large portions.

Women as a rule, have an excellent color sense and the knack of lending those almost indefinable touches which make a setting look as tho’ it was actually being lived in and not a make-believe room.”  When in addition, they equip themselves with the necessary technical knowledge, they have every reason to expect not only to reach a high place but to retain it.

The women members of our craft are making a wonderful showing, and certainly, none of them can be classed as athletic, yet they are an extremely valuable asset to our craft.  Effeminacy is sickly, disgusting and degrades anything it touches – and it has no place in art. Feminism is sound healthy and refining – There is no sex in art.  Feminism means among other things – Tact, Temperament and Tenacity.  These are needed and wanted.”

Image from “Theatrical and Circus Life; or Secrets of the Stage. Green-Room, and Sawdust Arena” (St. Louis: M.S. Barnett, 1882)

John Hendricks Young was born in Grand Rapids, Mich. in 1858, and began his artists career in fresco painting. His experience with scenic art and design began in 1880 and continued until his death in 1944. Moving to New York in 1895, he designed over 70 shows for Broadway, including some impressive original productions including “Babes in Toyland” (1903), “Forty-five minutes from Broadway” (1906), “Little Nemo” (1908), “Higgledy-Piggledy” (1905), “Ziegfield Follies” (1907,1908, and 1913) “Broadway to Paris” (1912), “Robinson Crusoe, Jr.” (1907, 1908, 1916), and “Sinbad” (1919). His information can be found in the Internet Broadway database

https://www.ibdb.com/

Reviews comment on Young’s “originality of conception and boldness, vigor, and expression of action in execution.” I have been unsuccessful in locating any examples of Young’s art. It seems that all he left behind was his studio, a four-story office building in New York City designed by Arthur G. C. Fletcher in 1904. The building still remains at No. 536 West 29^th Street, now home to the fashion company Lopez Knudsen, Inc. The building is clad in beige brick, with a double door at street level to allow the large frames of painted canvas to be moved out. The 2nd & 3rd floors have large studio windows on the right side, with a smaller rectangular window on the left side of the 3rd floor, and a terra-cotta plaque reading “JOHN H. YOUNG STUDIOS 1904” on the 2nd floor, above the doorway. The top floors has a similar window on the left side as the 3rd floor, and a large, round-arched studio window on the right, providing plenty of northern light to the interior spaces.

Thomas Moses recalls first meeting Young in Grand Rapids, Michigan as they secured his services to be one of three painter’s to decorate a large church in Jackson, Michigan. Moses, Young and an Englishman named Tom Brown were mistakenly referred to as the “Three young Roman Artists.” This was when Moses was working for Mr. Wardus in 1876 and an early lesson in life as Wardus took the earnings, leaving Young and Moses penniless.

Moses and Young worked together again at Sosman and Landis beginning in 1882. Their many sketching trips often included two other artists Hardesty Maratta (mentioned yesterday) and Ed Morange (of Gates & Morange Studio). All travelled across the country from West Virginia to the Rocky Mountains, including Pike’s Peak, Denver, and Breckenridge.

Young eventually moved to New York where he became quite busy and successful. Meeting up with Moses again in 1900 when as they both designed and painted scenes for “Quo Vadis.” While in New York, Moses and Young continued their sketching trips, now adding Harry A. Vincent to their group.

In 1905, Moses and Young had their last project together. They worked on old mill scenery at Luna Park for Ed Thompson; Young did all the properties and

papier-mâché work. Young isn’t mentioned again until 1922 in Moses’ reminiscing.

There is very little insight into what Young was like or his personality, other than it had to have been favorable to account for the numerous sketching trips over the years with Moses. The only small tidbit of Young’s life outside of the theater was his garden. Moses fondly commented on Young’s flower garden as “a hodgepodge mixture of growing things.” He remembers that as a joke, Young had bought a lot of seeds that had been accidentally mixed.

Attached are images of Young’s 1904 Studio as that is all that seems to remain in an online search until I start tracking down black and white production photos from his career in New York! The photographs were taken and posted by Tom Miller to his blog “Daytonian in Manhattan.”

UPDATE: Tom Miller contacted me this spring about having posted some of his pictures from a 2011 blog without crediting him five years later. He originally posted the exterior images of John H. Young’s home in 2011 with minimal information about the artist. My bad. I contacted him to apologize and immediately rectified the error. Part of the problem was my inability to navigate this webpage at the time, hence why all of the photos are just tossed at the end of text. As I gained my footing over the years, I figured out how to add titles, captions, etc. to my pictures. They are certainly not perfect, but typically I try to credit my source and provide a direct link. This is not an excuse, but a reason why some of my early blog posts look “rough.
My post, “John H. Young, Scenic Artist” was first created when I was still navigating this system and months before I started my series  “Tales of a Scenic Artist and Scholar.”

The silver lining at the end of this tunnel is that Miller and I have been in continued correspondence and he has rewritten his 2011 blog post, sharing the revised link with me today. Here is his new post with images: https://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-1904-john-h-young-studio-536-west.html

It is wonderful about his rewrite, is that there is more information about John H. Young! Great job, Tom!

For the record, here was the link to Miller’s old post with minimal text, yet stellar images: http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2011/02/1904-john-h-young-studio-building-no.html

Early day for me as I have yet to go to bed. I am saving myself just a little time in the next few hours. Here are my thoughts:

Edgar Alwin Payne (1882-1947)

Payne was born in Washburn, Missouri, near Cassville in Barry County – this is near the Arkansas border. He had early ambitions of becoming an artist and would eventually become one of California’s leading landscape painters.

In 1900, he still resided with his parents, two sisters, and five brothers. During this time he began a career as a house painter, sign painter, and muralist. Payne studied briefly at the Art Institute in Chicago (lasting only two weeks), and continued to remain primarily self-taught for the remainder of his career.

Fortunately, he became part of Chicago’s Palette and Chisel Club where Thomas Moses was an active member! Whether this was before or after working in the theatre is unknown. However, Payne sought employment as a scenic artist! While in Chicago, Payne continued to both paint for the theatre and create murals for in provide and public buildings. By 1909 he ventured to California for the first time, painting in Laguna Beach and in San Francisco.

By 1912, he married a commercial artist, Elsie Palmer (1884-1971). He had initially met Elsie in San Francisco during 1910. However, she had taken a job in Chicago by 1911 and he followed her there. SWEET MAN! They were both drawn to Europe, and he travelled to paint Alpine scenes, colorful ships, and the seascapes of France and Italy.

By 1914, Payne saw the arrival of their first and only daughter, Evelyn. It changed their lives forever! During this same year, Payne also journeyed to the Sierra Nevada Mountains for the first time. It became his destiny. By 1917, Payne earned his first major commission with the rail road. It brought him to the unique landscape of the southwest – where he would capture Navajo Indians, arid canyons, and colorful landscapes with a paint brush.

The Santa Fe Railroad (brain child of William A. Simpson) was responsible for Payne’s stay in this region and ultimately offered a variety of opportunities for other inspirational artworks. Eventually, Payne returned to Chicago to create a murals for the Congress Hotel, covering several floors and hallways of the hotel with his artwork (11,000 square feet!).

The following year in 1918, Payne and Elsie made their “permanent” home in Laguna Beach, also organizing an art association where Payne became the first president. In California, Payne captured coastal landscapes and windblown trees near Laguna Beach or Monterey, venturing out to nearby areas to constantly sketch and continue artistic endeavors. By 1922, the trio (Payne, Elsie and Evelyn) took a “painting tour of Europe” trip that lasted until 1924!

They returned, first staying in Chicago, then Laguna Beach, and finally in New York City by 1926. The family was always on the go! Traveling across the country and all over to Europe, they enjoyed the harbors of Brittany, France, and Chioggia, Italy. Finally they headed home in 1928, by way of Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada.

After the financial collapse in 1929 and the subsequent depression, the Payne family returned to Southern California. While Moses and Payne were both living in California during 1931, they still interacted and enjoyed dinner – although Moses longed to join the fine art world of Payne and many of his past assistants.

By 1932 Payne and Elsie purchased a studio home in LA. It was during this time that their daughter, Evelyn, would marry. Unfortunately, Elsie and Edgar would also separate the same year. Edgar moved to Hollywood, and there he would continue to paint his favorite subject alone – the Sierra Mountains.

His obsession would lead him to produce a documentary film, “Sierra Journey.” His impressionistic landscape scenes were mostly painted in the plein-air style, often taking packhorses with supplies into the mountains to sketch, paint, study, and learn. In this favorite realm, he painted lofty peaks and pristine lakes for generations to enjoy. Payne Lake was even named in his memory.

Finally, in 1941, Payne wrote “The Composition of Outdoor Painting,” a comprehensive book on composition and composition forms, explaining landscape painting techniques, color, repetition, rhythm, and value. One of his famous passages from this publication is, “A painter needs to study, meditate and experiment and practice interminably in order to produce a painting that would have nobility in its concept, variety, rhythm, repetition, unity, balance and harmony in its composition.”

After a 14-year separation, Elsie returned to Edgar in 1946, learning that he had cancer and stayed with him until his passing in Hollywood, California, on April 8, 1947. There is a bronze relief sculpture of Edgar at the Laguna Beach Art Museum, done by Elsie in 1952. She championed his work until her own health drastically deteriorated by 1959. Elsie eventually moved in with her daughter Evelyn in Minneapolis during the spring of 1969. Elsie passed away on June 17, 1971.

Throughout his life Payne received numerous awards and exhibited across the country. His works can be found in numerous private collections and museums, including, but not limited to, the Laguna Art Museum (Laguna Beach, California), the Chicago Art Museum, the Southwest Museum of Los Angeles, and the National Academy of Design Collection.

But most of all, yes…he was a scenic artist too! I am glad that I chose to learn more about him today!

Mural for Peoria City Hall

Mural for Peoria Public Library (now in Lakeview Museum)

Another work in Peoria at the Library

Other artworks of Peyarud.

In 1922, Thomas Moses recalls working with Harry A. Vincent, Frank Peyraud, Victor Higgins, John H. Young, Edgar Payne and many other well-known artists. He writes:

“As I look backward over the names of the successful ones, I wonder what I would have done had I been gifted with the same amount of talent.

So it goes on, year after year, and you keep just a little bit ahead of the game, just enough to convince your friends that you are really a good fellow and that you haven’t abused their confidence.

But you are bound to look backwards and wish for the “Land of Beginning Again”

I wish that there were some wonderful place,
Called the “Land of Beginning Again”
Where all our mistakes and our heartaches
And all of our poor, selfish grief,
Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door
And never put on again.
(Louisa Fletcher Tarkington)”

An absolutely lovely sentiment and how close this hits to home!

My initial intent was to add a few images of each artists work, so I did a little research about the above mentioned artists that Moses referred to as the “successful ones” – cross-referencing the information with my database. Upon looking at their stories, legacies, and artworks, I think that I will present each one independently.

Today, I start with Harry A. Vincent (1864-1931).

Vincent appears in various articles and manuscripts, including Edward Fournier’s who recalls Vincent in 1927. Vincent was one of Fournier’s “pot boys.”

Brief side note on this title…I have stumbled across the designation of “pot boy” quite a bit lately, having never heard it before this year. It is another name designated to paint boys as it refers to one of their duties – keeping the “color pots” on the palette full. Keep in mind, not all paint boys advanced to artists as not every studio honored an apprentice system and just hired young boys to provided cheap labor (BIG surprise).

Vincent was born in Chicago in 1864 and started life as a scenic artist and was an artist for many other venues. Again, painting to make money with whatever came their way! He really leaned towards fine art and teaching though, teaching at the National Academy of Design in NY, the Art Institute in Chicago, the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburg and the Academy of Fine Arts (Pittsburgh). Vincent was also a member of the Salmagundi club (New York) with Moses and many others, winning the 1907 Shaw Prize and the 1916 Isador prize.

Crossing the country, he continued work as a scenic artist and exhibit fine art. Finally in 1918 he was elected as an Associate for the National Academy of Design (NY). As with most late-nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century scenic artists (that I have studied), their fine art complemented their studio work. Plus, I believe that there is a practical training and study when one paints small and paints large – really large. The artist gathers the best tools and techniques from both worlds to artistically learn and grow in every aspect.

In 1893 at the age of 31 yrs. old, he applied for a position with Moses at Sosman and Landis Studio, but by 1898 decided to leave for NYC. In New York, he works for Gates & Morange. In some cases, Moses urges people not to enter the field of scenic art and continue on a path toward fine art – noting the physically strenuous work of the studio.

One example of Vincent’s scenic art work was for the “Flag of Truce” for William Haworth. For this project, he painted with A. J. Rupert, Thomas Moses, and Frank Peyraud, plus a number of other artists and assistants.

Attached are some examples of his fine art work.