In 1916, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Sold Hoffman of Detroit
$725.00 of old scenery from Saginaw.” Sosman & Landis had previously provided
scenery to East Saginaw’s Academy of Music. The refurbishment and resale of old scenery to a
new venue was commonplace at this time.
From the “Detroit Times,” March 28, 1916, page 3.
On March 26, 1916, the “Detroit Free Press” announced,
“Amusement Place of Large Capacity Takes Site Where Stands Old Abandoned House
of Worship.” C. A. Hoffman and Graham Hoffman were pictured next to the
proposed Colonial Theatre. The article continued, “Amusement place with
capacity for 2,289 is to be opened October 1. To build the first large-modern
theater in the near down-town section of Woodward avenue, the Detroit-Colonial
Theater company has been organized by the Hoffman brothers, vaudeville managers
and producers, and incorporated with an authorized capital of $200,000.
“A 30-year lease has been obtained of the northwest corner
of Woodward avenue and Sibley street on which now stands the abandoned Woodward
avenue Congregational church, a landmark in that section.
“C. Howard Crane, architect, has been engaged to draw plans
for the theater and has completed the specifications embodying a number of innovations.
The theater will have no gallery; but there will be a spacious balcony.
Something new to Detroit will be a larger open well on what is to be a
mezzanine floor, giving the auditorium under the balcony the appearance of
great height. This feature is found in the Strand theater, New York. The
capacity will be 2,289 including 204 box chairs. The style of architecture will
be colonial carried out in exterior and interior details, giving opportunity
for striking beauty and simplicity.
There will be a stage adequate in size for any act on the
large vaudeville circuits. There are to be 15 dressing rooms, besides special
quarters for musicians, electricians, and carpenters, and lounging rooms and
shower baths for stage performers.
The name Colonial has been chosen for the theater because it
is the pioneer showhouse of the district in which it is to be located, because
of the style of architecture desired an because as the promoters declare, ‘It’s
a good old American. – strictly American name.”
Clare A. Hoffman will be president and general managers of
the company, and Graham Hoffman secretary and treasurer. These young men of
long experience, in various capacities, with the theatrical and amusement
business, built and have managed the Palace Theatre of this city. They are the
management in the Hoffman Brothers theater enterprises including the new Palace
theater of Saginaw. The vice-president of the Colonial Theater company is Harry
J. Dingeman. The three named with Julius L. Krimmel and Mortimer Hoffman are the
company’s directors.”
Clare A. Hoffman, pictured in the “Detroit Times,” March 28, 1916, page 3.Graham Hoffman, pictured in the “Detroit Times,” March 28, 1916, page 3.
On Feb. 26, 1916, “The Moving
Picture World” announced, “Clare A. Hoffman has succeeded A. I. Marenette as
president of the Palace Theater Cp., of Detroit. Graham Hoffman continues as
secretary. Harry J. Dingeman has been elected vice-president and Frederick H.
Mears treasurer. These, with Mr. Marentette, form the directorate.
It was announced at the director’s
meeting held recently that the company, which has been paying 1 per cent,
monthly on a $200,000 full subscribed capital, will go to 2 per cent. March 1,
with the company practically free from debt. C. A. Hoffman has also been chosen
president, Mr. Dingeman vice-president and Graham Hoffman secretary of the Hippodrome
Amusement Co., of Saginaw, Mich., which has practically completed the financing
of a theater being erected on Gennessee avenue and to be opened about March 15.
The Hoffman Brothers Theatrical Enterprises has recently opened offices at 1437
Dime Bank building. They propose to erect other theaters in Michigan” (page
1330).
Sosman & Landis had been doing
business with the Hoffmans since 1914. On Feb. 15 of that year, the firm
delivered scenery to the Palace Theatre in Detroit (see past post #879). The
Hoffman brothers were the managers for the venue. Other Palace theaters with
scenery by Sosman & Landis included those in Chicago (1912), Minneapolis
(1914) and Fort Wayne (1914).
To be continued…
In January 1916, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “I had a fool’s
errand to Dayton, Ohio. They wanted a
plush curtain and telephoned for me to come immediately. The National Cash Register Company. They didn’t even apologize.” Well, the
company may have been a bit busy that January defending themselves in an anti-trust
suit. On Feb. 2, 1916, “The Times Recorder” reported, “The anti-trust suit
against the National Cash Register Company was dismissed in U.S. court here
today, the defendants agreeing to do all except to dissolve the company. The
company is enjoined from using any trade
secrets or from intimidating a competitor or acquiring control of a company
except on permission of the court”(Zanesville, Ohio, 2 Feb 1916, page 1).
From the “Dayton Daily Herald,” 26 Aug 1916, page 4.
Of the National Cash Register project mentioned by Moses, it
may have concerned auditorium.
Article on the new N.C.R. City Club Auditorium, from the “Dayton Daily News,” 3 Dec 1916, page 48.
In 1916, the National Cash Register City Club Auditorium
opened in Dayton, Ohio, on Dec. 2, 1916. Located at First and Ludlow Street, over
two thousand employees and their families gathered to celebrate the event. Although no formal program was planned for
the opening, company president J. H. Patterson, and the officers of the company
held an open house and formed a reception line. The “Dayton Daily News”
reported, “the organization at the factory had grown to such an extent that it
was impossible for the officials to have the close contact with the employees
that is possible in the small organization, and that in order that all might
have the opportunity to meet each other, this club has been established” (3 Dec
1916, page 48). Patterson outlined the purposes of the education features that
were to be part of club activities, “saying that every man in the employ of the
company will have an opportunity to improve his efficiency if he desires.”
The open house was held for two
weeks. In the evening, the N.C.R. film “The Troubles of a Storekeeper” was
shown, depicting the troubles of a merchant who used antiquated methods in
business, and how he remedied them with a cash register. This film has been
shown in numerous cities across the country. All merchants and clerks in Dayton
were specially invited to attend a showing at the N. C. R. City Club
Auditorium.
The new auditorium, or ‘Little
Theater” as it was sometimes called, was constructed of red brick and the
interior finished in gray. The floor of the auditorium was not raked, intended
to be used for not only dramatics, but also dancing and gymnastics. The small
stage included one interior and one exterior setting for amateur theatrics. The
intent was to share the auditorium with various societies and organizations.
Newspaper articles reported that the purpose of the club was to provide “a
down-town social center for employees of the company, where they may gather for
events of importance during the winter season.” Each Saturday night, cider and
doughnuts were furnished free of charge.
Continuing education was also
offered, with classes in advertising, bookkeeping, free hand drawing, business
letter writing, public speaking, printing, salesmanship and shop mathematics.
The classes were taught by N. C. R. employees and were not meant to interfere
with other educational institutions of Dayton. The “Dayton News” commented,
“The N. C. R. City Club accomplishes a two-fold purpose: It not only provides a
place for amusement and recreation, but also gives N. C. R. employes an
opportunity to better their present positions.” All employees were eligible for
membership in the club.
In addition to the classes, talks
were given by officials of the National Cash Register Co., and others, on
various topics. Motion pictures and stereopticon entertainments periodically
scheduled.
From, “Dayton Daily News,” 20 July 1916, page 24.From the “Dayton Daily Herald,” 15 July 1916, page 4.
Design in the ACME Studios sales book of a Red Cross Benefit backdrop installation.
In 1916, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “On
February 15th, closed with the German Red Cross Kirmiss contract for
$7,500.00.” Moses was referring to the big Red Cross Society drive that took
the form of a German Street Fair in the Chicago Coliseum on April 2. In 1916,
charitable events were held throughout the United States for the German Red
Cross, with many using street fetes as a vehicle. I have uncovered very little
about the Chicago event, but it was similar to the one held in Cincinnati the
year before. “The Cincinnati Enquirer” described the event at the Music Hall on
November 18, 19 and 20 in 1915, reporting, “It will be a faithful reproduction
of the famous old German city of Nuremburg on the occasion of a typical
Kirmiss, the proceeds of the undertaking to be for the benefit of the
German-Austro-Hungarian Red Cross fund. The unusual attractiveness of the
affair will consist in placing in the north wing of Music Hall a replica of the
old city of Nuremberg, with its quaint tiled-roof houses and its famous
‘Bratwurst Gloeklein.”
Baltimore’s “Der Deutsche
Correspondent” included a history of the German Red Cross on 23 Nov. 1916 (page
4):
“The German Red Cross is an old established institution,
which has given capable services in times of peace whenever natural or
industrial calamities have compelled earnest and systematic relief action…At the
outbreak of the war, the German Red Cross, complete as it already was for
conditions then existing, was amplified and expanded into the magnificent
organization to which all classes of social life in the German Empire have been
proud to contribute, The advice and services of the greatest authorities in the
sciences of medicine and surgery at its command.
The
responsibilities of the German Red Cross are stupendous and the daily
continuation of the war in all its varied phases and territories has causes a
corresponding increase of suffering and of pitiful conditions for the relief of
which additional funds are urgently required and earnestly solicited.
Contrary to
general belief, the German Red Cross concerns itself not only with the succor
and care of the wounded and convalescent soldiers, but also with the relief of
innocent victims, reaching out a helping hand to the uttermost limits to those
who have borne the brunt of the war’s hardships. This includes not only the
soldier who has been disabled during outpost duty on the farthest front, but
also his dependent wife and children at home, who must be clothed, fed,
educated and provided with medical attention.
Thousands of volunteer workers who
had received instruction in first aid, together with a legion of highly trained
nurses have taken up the work of mercy in relieving the wounded, whether friend
of former foe, and in many homes today fervent gratitude is being voiced to the
German Red Cross for its skilled assistance in restoring loved ones to the
families’ bosoms; husbands and fathers and brothers who might have succumbed to
their wounds on the battlefield but for its timely aid.
The most advanced practices in
restoring to health the wounded and convalescent are employed. The facilities
of sanitariums and institutions for teaching the blind, the crippled and
partially helpless and the hopelessly invalided, have become available for
these unfortunates, Special training schools are maintained for those who have
had to use artificial limbs, so that they may not become totally incapacitated,
thus giving them an opportunity of again becoming useful and independent
members of society.
By Nov. 16, Chicago’s “Day Book” reported, “Berlin. – German
Red Cross and the Ass’n of Patriotic Ladies have received $50,000 from the U.S.
branch for relief to families of soldiers” (page 31). At the end of 1916, the
German Red Cross Society received $200,000. This figure was included in a December
30 article in the “Chicago Tribune.” The article included a list of gifts and
bequests during 1916 by Chicagoans:
“It is not an exaggeration that the donations and bequests
to charity, educational and religious institutions, art music and the public
welfare in general in the United States during the year 1916 will reach nearly
a billion dollars. Among the items which will help to make up this huge total
are large sums raised by Americans for relief to war sufferers and help for war
makers. It is estimated that nearly $5,000,000 have been sent through the
principle agencies in New York and Boston, but to this sum should be added
those sent through other agencies in various parts of the country and the
numerous contributions, which have been made direct, and not through any
special fund. Supplies worth millions of dollars have also been collected and
sent in addition to cash donations. Of these war gifts Belgium has received
about $11,000,000, France nearly $4,000,000, Germany about $9,000,00, Poland
$2,300,000, England 1,125,000, Jewish sufferers $6,500,000, Serbia $320,000,
Russia $160,000, Armenians and Syrians $2,565,000, Lithuanians $138,000, Balkan
fund $500,000, Japan $11,000, Christmas gifts $400,000, Roumania $3,200,
Australia $30,000, Italy $62,000, and several smaller amounts have been sent
for ambulances, artists, surgical dressings, education, hospitals, etc. These
sums represent those sent by the Red Cross and larger relief organizations. The
increase of wages and bonuses paid by corporations to their employees amount at
least $400,000,000. Christmas charitable organizations and God Fellows have
added about $80,000,000 more to the grand total. The American board of
commissioners for foreign missions has broken all records with receipts of
$1,207,000 and $550,000 have been expended upon work among troops on the
Mexican border. As to personal contributions it is impossible to form any
estimate, except in a few prominent cases. John D. Rockefeller has donated to
different objects about $9,500,000; Andrew Carnegie, $3,000,000; Julius
Rosenwald $1,600,000, and Mrs. Russell Sage $525,000. The donations and
bequests for various purposes in this country have amounted to $764,077.99,
these including only large sums, which have been publicly announced. Of this
total donations have been $623,262,002; bequests, $140,815,797. The objects of
this beneficence are as follows: Charities, $657,042,700; educational
institutions $72,612,619; religious institutions, $20,243,735; museums, art
galleries and municipal benefits, $11,479,295; libraries, $2,717,450.”
As an undergraduate
student at the University of Minnesota, I created an index for Thomas G. Moses’
diary and scrapbook. It was part of an independent study course with Prof. Lance
Brockman. I spent countless hours trying to track down sources for the newspaper
clippings in Moses’ scrapbook, paging through crumbling theatre journals and scrolling
through reels of microfilm.
Fast-forward
three decades. I am sitting on the floor of my basement office, organizing my scenic
art files. A small slip of paper falls to the floor; it’s almost illegible
because the font is so small and I have no idea where I last set my reading
glasses. I take a picture with my phone to enlarge the print and quickly scan
the article; one name pops out – Little Theresa Sparks.
Her is the
article: “Little Theresa Sparks is another scenic artist who may be expected to
reach the top. Miss Sparks is now employed with Bodine-Spanger Studio, Chicago.
Two years ago she was given her first opportunity to demonstrate her ability
when then manager of the Halsizer Display Background Studio, Des Moines, Iowa,
gave her employment.”
I was
immediately transported back to Wilson Library’s basement, complete with hard
chairs, microfilm machines, and an endless stream of quarters. It was in the
basement of Wilson library that I carefully transcribed each line of the text from
Moses’ newspaper clippings. I didn’t own a computer at the time and would later
type up these notes. In hindsight, my handwritten transcriptions were the best
thing I could have done, as much of the information etched itself in my memory.
“Little
Theresa Sparks” was the earliest mention of an historic female scenic artist
for me. I realized there could be a hidden treasure trove of documents that
mentioned women scenic artists. There would be one – newpapers.com. So much history about women technicians has
been left out of theatre history books.
Theresa
“Tressa” M. Sparks was born in Jasper, Iowa on May 29, 1894. The 1895 Iowa
State Census lists the actual residence as Lynngrove in Jasper.” She was the
only daughter of William P. Sparks and Rosa “Rosy” Matheny. Both William and Rosy were also from Iowa,
with her paternal grandparents from Kentucky and Indiana, and her maternal
grandparents from Iowa and Virginia. William was a piano salesman and Rosy, a
seamstress. In 1905, the family was living at 1216 Third Avenue in Grinnell,
Iowa.
Theresa Sparks, called “Tessa Sparks,” pictured in her 1913 high school yearbook.
Unbelievably,
I found a picture of Tressa. She was listed in the 1913 issue of “Grinnellian,”
Grinnell’s High School Year book. Active in debate, orchestra and the glee
club, she even make it the debate preliminaries that year. At Grinnell High
School, the drawing and penmanship instructor was Miss Bessie Wallace.
Wallace’s education was from the Iowa State Teachers College (1907) and Chicago
School of Art. This would have been
Tressa’s initial Chicago art connection. Tressa completed college, but was back
as Grinnell High School as an instructor of zoology, chemistry, and the Nature
Study Club. This seems to have been her first job.
Theresa Sparks, called “Tessa Sparks,” pictured as a high school instructor in 1917.
By 1919,
Sparks was living in Des Moines, Iowa, and was listed in the City Directory as
an artist rooming at the Hotel Pershing.
This is
likely where the article that I located fits in: “Little Theresa Sparks is
another scenic artist who may be expected to reach the top. Miss Sparks is now
employed with Bodine-Spanger Studio, Chicago. Two years ago she was given her
first opportunity to demonstrate her ability when then manager of the Halsizer
Display Background Studio, Des Moines, Iowa, gave her employment.” Note that
there is no big deal made about her gender.
The
Bodine-Spanger Co. advertised as “Designers and Manufacturers of Decorative
Backgrounds for Show Windows,” with their show rooms and studio in Chicago. They
placed advertisements during 1918 in the “Merchants Record and Show Window” (Vol.
42 and Vol. 43). Located at 116 Chatham Court, Chicago, George A. Smith was
listed as the Eastern Representative with offices in 1777 Broadway, New York.
In 1918, the firm partnered with the Koester School to give instruction in the
Decorative Painting that “made his studio famous in the Window Display Field.”
Mr. Bodine was credited as being the “originator of this style of decoration”
and would teach students how to mix paints, what paints to use, how to get all
the color combinations, how to make mottled effects, blending of colors,
stencil designs and how to do decorative landscape painting “in the modern
treatment by the Bodine method.” The company was initially called j. C. Bodine,
and later the Bodine-Spanger-Janes Co.
From “Merchants Record and Show Window.”From “Merchants Record and Show Window.”
The 1920 US
Federal Census lists provides a little more information about Sparks as she was
recorded in both Des Moines and Chicago.
In both instances she was, 25 yrs. old, single, and listed as an
“artist” working in the “studio” industry. In Chicago, she was boarding in
at 1423
LaSalle St (Chicago’s Ward 21). She was
also listed as living with her parents in Des Moines. That year William P.
Sparks was still working as a piano salesman, going house to house.
Something
happened by 1930, however, as Sparks returns to Grinnell with her parents. It
was likely the market crash of 1929. The US Census lists the family living as
living at 195 Third Ave. That year, Theresa submitted “none” for occupation,
whereas her father was now listed as a musical instrument salesman and her
mother as a seamstress.
The 1940
census still lists Sparks as still living at home with her parents, now ages 72
and 70 respectively. She listed no occupation after her return to the small
town of Grinnell, Iowa, in Poweshiek County. It appears as if she was taking
care of aging parents while living at 1216 Third Street, Grinnell, Iowa.
Sparks passed
away on June 15, 1970 and is buried next to her mother Rosa.
Theresa “Tessa” Sparks is buried next to her mother in Grinnell, Iowa.
Over the
past 3 ½ years, I have explored the lives of at least two-dozen women scenic
artists, with careers that spanned from the early nineteenth century to early
twentieth century; one even ran a studio.
These are individuals whose name actually made it into print, meaning
that they were but a small percentage of women actually working as scenic
artists for theater. I think of all those unmentioned souls, the one’s whose
mere presence may have been a liability to a scenic studio at that time.
As with
other scenic artists of the day, the women painted for a variety of venues and
were well skilled in many subjects. When you factor in the incredible social
pressures for women to give up any career upon marriage and focus on raising
children, it is amazing that a few dozen were still mentioned in the
newspapers.
While exploring the Triangle Club’s 1916 show “Safety
First,” I came across the name of a female scenic artist – Katherine Maxey. I
was fascinated that women did not perform in the play, yet one provided a
stylized drop curtain for the prologue.
Of the scenery for the production, “The Brooklyn Citizen” described,
“One innovation is in scenery. Instead of one set for the play there are three
distinct scenes, with a special drop curtain for the prologue” (3 Dec, 1916,
page 10). The design for the show was attributed to Bakst and the drop curtain
Maxey painted in the “Bakst style.”
Thomas G. Moses’ commented the scenery was “very odd.” Moses
was on site to supervise the scenery installation, suggesting that Sosman &
Landis delivered much of the scenery for the production. A few newspaper
reviews suggested the Princeton students produced the entire show, yet Maxey
was specifically named and not a student at Princeton.
Katherine U. Maxey was born on September 13, 1887, meaning
she was 28 years old when she painted the drop curtain.
The 1910 United States Federal Census lists Maxey as living
in Wheaton Ward 3, DuPage County, Illinois. Her occupation is listed as an “illustrator,”
working in the art industry. One of six children, she was the eldest of four
still living at home in 1910. Maxey’s father was Francis J. Maxey, listed as a
meat packer, and her mother Anna C. Regan, listed as a homemaker. At the time,
Katherine was 22 years old and her younger siblings were ages 16 (Dorothy), 14
(George R.), 10 (Roberta), and 3 (Paul).
I was surprised to discover that at the age of 19, Maxey was working as an illustrator in Chicago. On Feb. 17, 1907, the “Times Dispatch” reported Katherine Maxey was the artist for the March issue of “The Technical World Magazine” (page 34). She designed the cover art.
Katherine Maxey’s cover art fot the March 1907 issue of “The Technical World Magazine.”
By 1913 Maxey applied for a consular registration certificate to travel to Madrid, Spain. The purpose of her travel was listed as study without any elaboration. As an artist and illustrator, I suspect it was for artistic study.
In 1918, Katherine married Alfred Ray Patton (October 6,
1886-1926) in Evanston, Illinois. Their marriage was announced in “The Paxton
Record” on January 31, 1918 (page 4):
“Announce Marriage of Daughter.
The Record received Tuesday morning a card from Mr. and Mrs.
Francis Joseph Maxey of Evanston, Ill., announcing the marriage of their
daughter, Miss Katherine Wisula, to Mr. Alfred Ray Patton of Clarence, on
Saturday, January 20, 1918. They will be at home to their friends after the 15th
of April at their apartments in Wheaton, Ill. The groom, who is the son of Mr.
and Mrs. LaFayette Patton of South Button, is well known in Paxton, having
attended school here. The bride is a lady of unusual attractions and is in the
front rank of society in Wheaton. As an artist she ranks high and has taken
many premiums in this country and Europe in mural decorations and designs. Her
work adorns many art institutes in Madrid and other cities in Spain. It is with
pleasure that the Record unites with their friends in extending
congratulations.”
She now signed her art Katherine M. Patton, going by Katherine Maxey Patton.
Katherine Maxey Patton’s signature.
The next year, Maxey exhibited at the Thirty-First Annual Exhibition of Water Colors, Pastels and Miniatures by American Artists at the Art Institute of Chicago from May 15 to June 15, 1919. Her painting was “The Watertank.” At the time, Maxey’s address 718 Southwest Street, Wheaton, Illinois. The couple soon moved to California.
Her husband was only a year older and seemed to lead a
fairly average life. Born in Clarence, Illinois, his WWI Draft Registration
Cards lists that he was employed as an attorney with Chicago Title Trust. Described
as tall and slender, Patton had grey eyes and light hair. Sadly, the marriage
last less than a decade. On Nov. 30, 1926, Patton passed away in Pasadena,
California. No cause of death was listed. His obituary noted: “Alfred Ray
Patton, husband of Katherine Maxey Patton of Wheaton, Ill. Passed away Tuesday,
Nov. 30 at Pasadena, California. Son of Mrs. Ella Patton; brother of Ruth and Harry
Patton. Burial from Patton home at Paxton, Ill., early Sunday afternoon,
December 5th” (Chicago Daily Tribune, Dec. 3, 1926, page 37).
By 1930, Maxey divided her time between Pasadena and
Chicago, still working as an artist and interior decorator. From May 24 – April
15, 1931, “Katherine Maxey Patton” exhibited at the “Festival of Religious Art:
Religious Art by Artists of Chicago and Environs.” That same year, she was also
mentioned in an article about the American Association of University Women. On
August 18, 1931, the “Kenosha News” reported, “Two very interesting programs
have been scheduled to end the year’s work. The first will feature the
appearance of Mrs. Katherine M. Patton, National Academy of Art, Chicago, who
will speak on ‘Old and New Masters,’ April 19.”
There is little published during the remainder of the decade
about Maxey or her work. In 1937 she traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, a trip
that inspired a series of watercolor paintings. One of these paintings has survived
and was recently up for sale at auction.
Painting by Katherine Maxey Patton sold in at auction.
By 1940, Maxey had permanently moved to Pasadena, California,
listing her occupation as an interior decorator. She still continued to paint murals,
watercolors and oil paintings. Her name appeared in the “Decatur Daily” on
March 11, 1956, in an article about the décor in Harry Malone’s Bookmead home
in Decatur, Alabama. The “Japanese type handcrafter wall paper done by
Katherine M. Patton” was a feature of the dining room. Very little else is
published about Maxey as she grew older. However, in 1966, Katherine Maxey
Patton, along with Dorothy and Jean Maxey were listed as contributing funds for
the Pasadena Playhouse, to “Save the Pasadena Playhouse from fiscal ruin” (“Pasadena
Independent,” 10 Aug. 1966, page 64).
From the “Decatur Daily” (Decatur, Alabama) March 11, 1956, page 16.
In 1972 the “Star-News” reported, “Our society editor, Ruth
Billheimer, advises that a subscriber phoned to report that artist Katherine
Maxey Patton, who lives on Rio Grande and is a sister of the late actor, Paul
Maxey, heard crows in her pine tree carrying on and making a great ado.
Assuming it was a cat in the tree that was behind the raucous, she got out her
binoculars. Suddenly, reported the informant, there came a great crashing sound
from among the branches – and out flew and EAGLE. (Or condor, fugitive from the
Ojai fire?)” (Pasadena, August 28, 1972).
Maxey passed away in Los Angeles in 1984.
Painting attributed to Katherine Maxey Patton posted at Askart.com
I am reposting this installment,
as it has been a month since I switched over to “Travels of a Scenic Artist and
Scholar” on my way to Colorado.
In 1916, Moses wrote,
“Thanksgiving Day at Pitt’s, with brother Frank, which was a surprise to me,
and we had a fine time. Next day I had
to go to Princeton to see about installing the scenery for the Triangle
Club. The boys were highly pleased with
it, as it was very odd.”
The Triangle Club was a theatre troupe at Princeton
University. By 1916, the organization
had presented annual musical shows for about twenty years. That December, the club
presented “Safety First,” a comic opera burlesque by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The
show was also advertised as a futuristic farce. As an undergraduate at
Princeton, Fitzgerald wrote three shows for the club between 1914 and 1917.
In the article “Rah!Rah!Rah! The New Princeton Show,” there
was a little more information about scenery that Moses considered “odd.” The
article reported, “The type of scenery used has never been employed in any
musical comedies of this country. It was arranged by Bakst, designer for the
Russian ballet. Massive blocks of bold colorings have been employed throughout
so as to gain an effect of the greatest contrast possible. The effort was made
to make the actors themselves stand out more in the foreground, and the
situations realistic without aid form the stage setting” (The Theatre, 1917,
Vol. 25, page 80).
The article further described the production: “From the mystical prologue to the final satirical
drop of the curtain, [this] is a musical comedy which speaks rather of the twenty-first
century than the twentieth century. It is daring and done with finesse and
polish that relieves it of any touch of the outré. The show is a plea to waft
the audience to the land of the future – a land in which all our modern
absurdities have been carried to their logical conclusions indicating that
society should examine carefully each new idea before accepting it as bona
fide. The idea of the lyric should be to proceed more carefully, looking before
we leap, and thus practicing ‘Safety First.’”
The Triangle Club’s production of “Safety First” toured all
across the country that year. The cast of 65 traveled 3,000 miles and
performing in eleven cities. They traveled by special train referred to their “a
hotel on wheels.” On Dec. 3, 1916, the show played in Pittsburgh at the
Schenley Theater; it was the ninth of the eleven cities. Other locations included
Brooklyn’s Academy of Music, Baltimore’s Lyceum Theatre, and New York’s
Waldorf-Astoria. “Safety First” was reported to be “one of the most completely
equipped plays” produced by the Club (Pittsburgh Press, 3 Dec. 1916, page 15).
There is no mention of Sosman & Landis’ scenic contribution other that by
Moses in his memoirs.
The Triangle Club’s production of “Safety First,” from “The Theatre,” 1917, Vol. 25, page 81.
As with Purdue’s Harlequin Club, men played the female
roles. In girl’s parts Mr. W. M. Bowman played Betty Howard and Mr. W. J.
Warburton played Cynthia Mars.
The “Baltimore Sun” described the production on 17 Dec 1916
(page 31). The article included a picture of Paul D. Nelson, president of the
Princeton Triangle Club and leading man in “Safety First.” Here is the rest of the article from the
“Baltimore Sun:”
“On Wednesday evening the Princeton Triangle Club will make
its annual bow to the theatre-going public of Baltimore at Albaugh’s Lyceum
Theatre, Although an amateur organization, this well-known college dramatic
club has for years set a standard of professional excellence and the play this
year, entitled ‘Safety First,’ is reported as well up to that standard. The
play is a satire on modern conditions and a burlesque on some of the modernist
ideas. The action takes place in the futuristic art community of Arden and
deals with a counterfeit art school run by a former convict named Howard. The
lyrics, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, serve to carry on the general idea
conveyed by the show, that of satire and burlesque on certain foibles and fads
of the day – mostly feminism, futurism, and prison reform. One of the
characteristics of the show, and of all Triangle Club productions, is that it
is the work of undergraduates throughout. Not only are the play and lyrics
composed by students at the university, but the entire personnel of the company
is made up of undergraduates, including the cast, flirtatious girls, chorus and
pony ballet, orchestra and the lowly electricians, property men and ‘mistress’
of the wardrobe. The scenery and costumes are also designed by members of the
club.” The designs were the work of club
members, but the manufacture of the stage settings were delivered by Sosman
& Landis, installed under the supervision of Thomas G. Moses after
Thanksgiving Day in 1916.
Of the scenery, “Brooklyn Life” reported, “the stage
settings were most attractive” (23 Dec 916, page 12). “The Brooklyn Citizen”
elaborated that there were “a variety of striking scenic effects” and stage
settings were “unique”…One innovation is in scenery. Instead of one set for the
play there are three distinct scenes, with a special drop curtain for the
prologue.” (3 Dec 1916, page 10). The drop curtain was provided by Miss
Katherine Maxey in the “Bakst style.” More on Maxey tomorrow.
By the 1950s, DuBois had returned to Kansas City, Missouri.
In 1954 DuBois was noted for painted a stage backdrop depicting “a reproduction
of the temple of Aesculapius on the island of Cos, off Asia Minor, where the
practice of medicine began with Hippocrates” for the Medical student center at
Kansas University’s J. R. Battenfeld Memorial Auditorium in Kansas City. (The
Kansas City Times, 5 April 1954, page 14).
DuBois also began working for the Great Western Stage
Equipment Co. and painting Masonic scenery. This brings the Great Western Stage
Equipment Co. into the storyline.
The Great Western Stage Equipment Co.
The Great Western Stage Equipment Company (GWSE Co.) was
founded by T. L. Greening, L. J. Adler, and Samuel F. Hann, after Greening
resigned from the Twin City Scenic Company. Established in Kansas City,
Missouri, during 1925, the first listing that I have located for the firm was
published in Topeka’s “The Stage and Screen” (Topeka, Kansas, 30 Nov, 1925,
page 5). The GWSE Co. Was listed as providing the scenery for Ted North’s North
Players production of “The Only Road” at the Grand Theatre. In 1927 the firm
delivered scenery and draperies to the Sedalia Theatre in Sedalia, Missouri
(Sedalia Democrat, 30 January, 1927).
From the Great Western Stage Equipment Co. collection, University of Minnesota Performing Arts Archives.From the Great Western Stage Equipment Co. collection, University of Minnesota Performing Arts Archives.
In 1930 there is a new individual is associated with the
company, Edgar L. Gossage of Pierce City. He was mentioned in the “Pineville
Democrat” as representing the firm when they were awarded the contract for the
Pineville High School (Pineville, Missouri, 14 Nov. 1930, page 1). Competitors
at the time included Oklahoma City Scenic Co. and John C. Becker Stage
Equipment Co. of Chicago.
From the Great Western Stage Equipment Co. collection, University of Minnesota Performing Arts Archives.From the Great Western Stage Equipment Co. collection, University of Minnesota Performing Arts Archives.
During the 1930s the Great Western Stage Equipment Co. was
located at 817 Holmes St., Kansas City, Mo. The company advertised in 1932
Patterson’s American Educational Directory (Vol. XXIX). This directory is about
as significant as “Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide” at the turn of the
twentieth century, providing insight into theatrical suppliers, as educational
institutions become a major clientele. GWSE Co. advertised alongside American
Scenic Studios (Buffalo, NY), B & B Scenic Studio (Cleveland, OH), Beaumont
Studios (NYC), Wm. Beck & Sons Co. (Cincinnati, OH); Robt. P. Carsen Scenic
Studios (Chicago, IL), Cincinnati Stage Lighting Co. (Cincinnati, OH); Conrad
& White Co. (Indianapolis, IN), Archie B.
Craig Scenic Studios (South Boston, Mass.), Herfurth Scenic Studios
(Cincinnati, OH), Kansas City Scenic Co. (Kansas City, MO), Lee Lash Studios
(NY), Novelty Scenic Studios (NYC), Pausback Scenery Co. (Chicago, IL), Queen
City Scenic Studios (Buffalo, NY), Rochester Scenic Studio (Rochester, NY),
Schell Scenic Studios (Columbus, OH), Schneider Studios, Inc. (NY), Sheck &
Co. (Cleveland, OH), Shields Studio (St. Louis, MO), O. L. Story Scenic Co.
(Somerville, Boston, Mass.), Tiffin Scenic Studios (Tiffin, OH), Twin City
Scenic Co. (Minneapolis, MN), and Wass & Son (Philadelphia, PA). Note the
two major studios that led the industry up to WWI are missing from this list – Toomey
& Volland (St. Louis) and Sosman & Landis (Chicago). The driving force that kept many studios busy
was dramatic productions and school theatricals that also began renting
scenery.
Great Western Stage Equipment Co. paint studio.
Very few GWSE Co. projects are mentioned in the newspaper
during the 1930s, as schools become their main target; there was really no need
to advertise in newspapers during the Depression. Contracted projects announced
in the newspaper includes a stage in Great Bend, Kansas (1938), a school in
Marysville, Kansas (1938) and a school in Hutchinson, Kansas. New alliances
were formed, and during 1938 Phil Thatcher, president of the Thatcher Supply
and Equipment Co of Topeka, Kansas, was representing the firm. On behalf of the
Great Western Stage Equipment Co, Thatches was bidding on stage equipment
(Marysville Advocate, 17 Nov. 1938, page 1).
1933 high school installation in Quincy, Illinois. From the Great Western Stage Equipment Co. collection, University of Minnesota Performing Arts Archives.
By 1939, the GWSE Co. placed a congratulatory note and
advertisement in conjunction with the opening of the Illinois Theatre in
Jacksonville, Illinois (Jacksonville Daily Journal, 8 May 1939, page 22).
Thomas L. Greening was still with the firm, listed as Treasurer and Manager at
817 Holmes Street. The incorporation date of 1926 was noted in advertisements,
offering scenery, electrical, draperies, stage rigging and accessories for
schools, colleges, theatres, movies, lodges, churches, pubic auditoriums,
outdoor theatres, traveling shows, display rooms, expositions and tent shows.
During the 1940s projects included the Home Theatre in
Oklahoma City (1946), the Go-Show theatre in Clinton, Missouri (1947), a school
in Tremonton, Utah (1948), and the South School in Neodesha, Kansas (1950). .
In Oklahoma City the GWSE Co. received a rather large project for a Cooper
Foundation theatre called the Harber (Daily Oklahoman, 1 July 1951, page 69).
By 1951, project load once again increased, along with the building boom
following WWII. The country was investing in education and entertainment; the
greatest generation opened their pocketbooks for their children and those who
would follow. Positions opened up at the firm, advertising for stenographers,
switchboard operators, bookkeepers, men who were mechanically inclined with
carpentry skills,
The company’s main focus remained schools and civic centers,
with projects in Lake Park, Iowa; Decatur, Illinois; Lubbock, Texas; Totonka,
Iowa; Independence, Iowa; Garden City, Kansas; Miami, Oklahoma; Waterloo, Iowa;
Moline, Illinois; St. Joseph, Missouri; Davenport, Iowa; Decatur, Illinois;
Freeport, Illinois; Rock Island, Illinois; Iola, Kansas; Alton, Illinois;
Carbondale, Illinois; Emporia, Kansas; and elsewhere. Frequent competitors
during this time were Texas Scenic Co., Texarkana Scenic Co., Northwest Studio,
and Metropolitan State Equipment.
In 1956 there was a new division of GWSE Co., Great Western
Fabrics, offering half-price remnants for sale. They sold velvets, fine hand
prints and assorted fabrics for “pillows and many other uses, advertising “red
hot” bargains at 1324-1326 Grand in Kansas City (The Kansas City Times, 26
Sept, 1956, page 46).
From the “Kansas Daily Times,” 26 Sept, 1956, page 46.
It is around this time that DuBois begins working in earnest
for the company, focusing on new scenery for Scottish Rite theaters in the
Kansas City and the southeast. Fraternal
work begins to pour in, but DuBois is nearing the end of his career. Although
the scenery for a handful of Scottish Rite theaters represents a lifetime of
experience as a scenic artist, isn’t with the company long.
Sketch for a Masonic scene, from the Great Western Stage Equipment Co. collection, University of Minnesota Performing Arts Archives.Finished piece by Maj. Don Carlos DuBois, representing the Great Western Stage Equipment Co for the Scottish Rite Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri.
DuBois passed away on 26 March 1964, and is buried at Forest
Hill Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri.
Then came the big fall for the Great Western Stage Equipment
Co. In 1968, Newspapers all over the country announced “Price Fixing Charge
Filed.” Here is the article:
“WASHINGTON (UPI) – The Federal Trade Commission Thursday
provisionally accepted a consent order prohibiting two Midwestern stage
equipment companies from conspiring to fix prices and allocate territories and
customers. The order cites Great Western Stage Equipment Co., Inc. of Kansas
City Missouri, and its president Edgar L. Gossage, and the Metropolitan State
Equipment Co., Inc. of Omaha, Neb., and Donald W. Beck and Carl W. Winter,
resident and vice-president respectively. The firms sell, manufacture and
install stage curtains, rigging, lighting apparatus and other stage equipment.
The complaint charged that all the parties participated in a conspiracy under
which Metropolitan and Great Western agreed not to compete with each other in
certain areas. It also said Great Western and Gossage had prevented competitors
from bidding effectively on proposed projects by manipulating terms and
specifications. Under order, Great Western and Gossage are forbidden to prepare
terms or specifications of proposed stage equipment projects wit the purpose or
effect of denying competitors fair opportunity to submit competitive bids” (The
Springfield News-Leader, 21 June 1968, page 14).
In the 1970s there are only a few mentions of the company.
In 1976, the Great Western Stage Equipment company advertised for a drapery
workroom supervisor (Kansas City Times, 15 Feb 1976, page 65). They placed an ad
for a seamstress at their Great Western Textiles division that same year
(Kansas City Times, 20 Feb 1976, page 22).
Then news about the company went silent until the 1990s, when it was
mentioned again in the touring exhibit, “Theatre of the Fraternity,” featuring
Masonic designs produced by the company as part of an exhibit about Scottish
Rite theatre.
Prof Emeritus C. Lance Brockman assisted in the acquisition
of the Great Western Stage Equipment Company collection for the University of
Minnesota Performing Arts Archives. This is the first collection that I
catalogued as a recipient of an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program grant.
The Great Western Stage Equipment Co. collection primarily contains Masonic
designs. However, there are many commercial theatre designs with a Great
Western Stage Equipment Co. stamp in the Twin City Scenic Co. Collection, also
in the Performing Arts Archives.
Don Carlos DuBois moved from Kansas City to Atlanta in 1921
and founded the Atlanta Scenic Co. On Sept. 27, 1922, the “Atlanta
Constitution” reported providing scenery for the third act of “Iolanthe” at the
Atlanta Theatre. The article described it was “a stage setting of rare
beauty…showing the ocean in the background with an ocean liner steaming across
a harbor” (page 4). The Atlanta Directory listed Don Carlos DuBois as a scenic
artist living at 4, 72 Hurt.
By 1924, DuBois became one of five faculty members added by
Stuart Beebe and Gus Forbes to their to Atlanta School of Stage Arts (The
Atlanta Constitution, 27 July 1924, page 28). DuBois was in charge of classes
on stage settings and color schemes. As an instructor and company president,
DuBois was at the top of his game and took the region by storm. Atlanta Scenic
Studio advertisements offered “Artistic” stage settings, practical stage
equipment, and velour curtains.
Atlanta Scenic Co. ad in the “Atlanta Constitution,” 29 April 1925, page 21.
During the summer of that year DuBois’ scenic studio was
gaining ground. They began competing against Sosman & Landis in earnest and
it was the perfect time to win contracts. Sosman & Landis had closed the
year before, with Thomas G. Moses and Fred R. Megan purchasing the name of the
studio. The studio giant was on shaky ground and could no longer effectively
compete against many regional studios.
From the “Atlanta Constitution,” 18 Jan 1927, page 8.
The two companies competed for a southern contract to
provide scenery and stage equipment at Birmingham’s Municipal Auditorium
(Birmingham News, 26 June 1924, page 30). The work was awarded to the Atlanta
Scenic Company and included “the placement of scenery, curtains, rigging, etc.
for the new municipal auditorium” (Birmingham News, 4 July 1924, page 9);
Atlanta Scenic Co. designed, painted, and installed four new sets for the venue
(Birmingham News, 1 Oct. 1924, page 4). Of Atlanta Scenic Co. and its
president, the “Birmingham News” reported, “Mr. DuBois is known as one of the
foremost scenic artists in the country. He furnished the Atlanta auditorium and
many other auditoriums in the South and has handled the work of hundreds of
school auditoriums.”
From the “Birmingham News,” 19 Oct, 1924, page 56.
Advertised as the “finest municipal auditorium in Dixie,”
the “Birmingham News” described the new auditorium on October 19, 1924 (page
56). They quoted DuBois: “We had the honor to supply the velour drop, the
asbestos curtain, the stage settings and the operating equipment for drops and
scenic effects, including 65 sets of lines. Inspired by the beauty, dignity and
magnitude of this building, we have given Birmingham our best and are proud of
the distinction of having our work in your auditorium. We create and
manufacture artistic front drops, refined stage settings, practical stage
equipment and velour curtains for all kinds of theatrical, school and municipal
work.”
The Birmingham Auditorium featured scenery by Don Carlos DuBois’ firm the Atalanta Scenic Co. From the “Birmingham News,” 19 Oct, 1924, page 56.
By 1925, the Atlanta Scenic Co designed furnishings for the
new picture theatre in Atlanta’s West End Theater, providing red velvet
draperies, noted as combining “a pleasing blend of shapes and colors” in this
500-seat venue (Atlanta Constitution, 24 Nov. 1925, page 22). At this same
time, they delivered stage settings and draperies for the big Macon auditorium
in Macon, Georgia. Of the work, the “Atlanta Constitution” commented, “The
stage settings and draperies for these theaters were designed and placed by the
Atlantic Scenic company…they have a fine force of artists and skilled workmen.
The mural decoration for the Macon auditorium is one of the largest and finest
pieces of stage work ever done in the south, being 10×60 feet. The work was
done by Don Carlos DuBose [sic.], president of the Atlanta Scenic company, and
Wilbur G. Kurtz, one of the foremost artists in America in this line. The
handsome decoration is over the proscenium arch and portrays the salient
features of Georgia’s history and in the central group are seen figures of
Macon’s industrial progress, religious and educational advantages [Ferdinand
DeSoto’s visit in 1540 until WWI]. The Atlanta Scenic company is doing much
favorably to advertise Atlanta by the fine work they are doing in schools,
churches and theaters all over the south. The builders of new buildings of all
kinds that have in mind adding beautiful decorations of any kind are calling
this firm in to add that artistic touch that gives a pleasing finish to the
completed building. Schools and small theaters in all parts of the southeast
know that this firm can fit them up with the stage settings, curtains, draperies
and scenes and beautiful small and large sets may be seen underway at all times
in their busy studio. Mr. DuBose [sic.] stated Saturday that many of the
architects in the south were kind enough to recommend their work and any
prospective builders have lately been calling on them and giving contracts for
various kinds of decorations and that men from his studio were busy out in
Atlanta while the home forces were executing designs of that nature here that
could be sent anywhere as he further stated that a cordial invitation was
extended to all interested people to call and see them or give them a ring t
Ivy 2116 and any information will be cheerfully given.” (23 Nov. 1925, page 12). Here is the link to
the Macon City Auditorium where the mural still exists: https://www.maconcentreplex.org/auditorium/about-us/
In 1926, the Atlanta Scenic Co. delivered scenery to Tallahassee’s
Florida State College for Women and the new Florida university building and
Gainesville’s new Florida University building (Atlanta Constitution, 26 July
1926, page 8). DuBois was quoted again: “We have done much work in the south
the past three years in that territory between the Potomac and the Mississippi,
and without an exception we have done some very fine work in every
place…another nice job was the Georgia State College at Milledgeville, where we
furnished a complete stage equipment and beautiful curtain. We consider this
the best college stage, bar none, in the state of Georgia. We also refer with
pride to some work we have done in Athens, Bartow, Claxton, Elberton, East
Point, Register, Brunswick, Waycross and Wadley, Georgia. The firm also
outfitted the stages in theatres and schools in many places in the southern
states, among them being Raleigh, Asheville, Fayetteville, Elizabeth City,
Saint Pauls, Forrest City and Spindale, North Carolina; Easley, Laurens and
York, South Carolina; Brewton, Ensley, Georgiana and Woodland, Alabama;
Nashville and Johnson City, Tennessee; Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, St.
Petersburg, Fort Lauderdale and Haines City, Florida. Beautiful full stage
equipments and velour stage curtains are in progress of work now and some just
completed for Saint Mary’s college, at Raleigh, N.C.; high schools in Marion,
N.C.; Salisbury, N.C.; Birmingham, Ala.; Shaw, Miss.; Midville and Cuthbert,
Ga., and the stage and equipment for Macon’s municipal auditorium. Stage
equipment for the Atlanta Municipal opera; Agnes Scott college, and West End
theater are all well known to Atlantans, yet few knew that this good grade of
work is being done on the Gilmer street side of the auditorium. In addition to
doing public stage work this firm has been decorating private homes, clubs and
lodges.”
On Jan. 18, 1927, the firm placed an advertisement in the
“Miami News” congratulating the Tivoli Theater management on the successful
opening of their playhouse (Miami, Florida, 18 Jan. 1927, page 8). It noted,
“It has been a pleasure to associate with the management of this fine new
theater in our business of supplying all stage hangings and scenery.” That
year, Atlanta Scenic Co. also manufactured and installed the stage settings at
the Arcade Theatre in West Palm Beach (The Palm Beach Post, 7 Oct. 1927, page
9).
As an interesting aside, DuBois was formidable chess player
and member of the Georgia-Florida Chess Association. In 1927, he attended the
sixth annual convention of the Georgia-Florida Chess Association. By 1929, The
“Arizona Republic” reported that Don Carlos DuBois of Atlanta, Georgia, placed
third in the correspondence school chess tournament sponsored by the
Southeastern Chess association (Phoenix, Arizona, 19 July 1929, page 11)
By 1930, the US census listed a Don Carlos DuBois living in
the Militia District 532 DeKalb, Georgia, 1667 Camell Road, but this is where
it gets a bit confusing. Don Carlos DuBois II and his son were both active in
the military and worked as scenic artists for the Atlanta Scenic Co.
Don Carlos DuBois III (B. Feb. 14, 1913 in Cleveland, Ohio)
was a graduate from the Riverside Military Academy (Atlanta Constitution, 12
March 1833, page 26). In March 1933, DuBois III married Cecile Marie Martin,
who also lived in Atlanta, and the couple settled there. It is difficult to
determine whether father or son is credited with a particular project, unless
it is specified. In 1933, Atlanta Scenic Co. provided the stage settings for
Joseph Selman’s production of “Br’er Rabbit,” adapted by Harold Selman from
“Uncle Remus Creeturs.” The dramatization was by J. Roddy Miller from Joel
Chandler Harris’ Uncle Remus stories (Index-Journal, Greenwood, South Caroline,
7 Nov. 1933, page 2). This was likely the son, but it remains unclear. Sometime
during the 1930s, the Atlanta Scenic Co. closed, but I have not found the exact
date. Many scenic studios closed during the depression as projects diminished. By
the 1940s, Don Carlos DuBois II registered for the draft, listing his employer
as ALCO-Gravure Corp and no longer representing the Atlanta Scenic Co. Before
the war, the elder DuBois had also returned to military work.
The 1940 US Census listed DuBois was an officer in the U. S.
Army. 2nd engineer br. Justice Precinct No. 8. Bexar, Texas. His
home was still listed as Atlanta. On Dec. 19, 1943. The “Atlanta Constitution”
published an article about DuBois and Wilbur Kurtz (page 22):
“MARIETTA, Ga., Dec. 18.-Illustration of bomber parts and
interpretation of blueprints are a new
trend in art and design, but it’s a way which artists Wilbur Kurtz, ‘Gone With
The Wind’ technical and art director, and “Don Carlos DuBois, a retired Army
officer, have found to adapt themselves to the war effort. Former classmates at
art school Kurtz and DuBois now are converting their efforts and principles of
drawing learned in school to visual training processes at the Bell Bomber plant
here. They have changed their brushes, pallets, and props for blueprint
pencils, scaling rulers, and dimensional tools. Just out of art school in
Chicago, both artists attempted scenic painting. DuBois went to New York and
made his first successful back-drop in the production “Girl of the Golden
West.” Kurtz, however, returned to the south, where he concentrated on southern
scenes and history, the latter being his accomplished hobby.
“At the outbreak of the war, DuBois, a World War veteran,
renewed his commission as major in the Engineer Corps, and was attached to the
Delta Service Command in Cairo. Recently, he was retired, and did the next best
thing – applied for work in a war plant. Kurtz, after his success as technical
advisor on the movie version of ‘Gone with the Wind,’ returned to Georgia to
work in the art department at the Bell Bomber Plant. He intends to return to
his art studio at the end of the war.” He did return to theatre work, but for a
different company – the Great Western Stage Equipment Co.
Don Carlos DuBois and Wilber Kurtz illustrated bomber parts during WWII. From the “Atlanta Constitution,” Dec 19, 1943, page 22.
I cannot conclude the history of the Kansas City Scenic Co.
without mentioning one of the firm’s more significant artists – Maj. Don Carlos
DuBois.
Don Carlos Boyes was born on Dec. 24, 1883, in Seward City,
Nebraska, son of Carlos Eugene Boyes (1841-1924) and Elsie Melissa Clark
(1854-1941). His mother was the daughter of Rev. E. L. Clark, and from one of
the earliest pioneer families in Seward whose 1865 arrival was by covered
wagon.
Don Carlos was one of four children born to the couple. His
siblings were Burdette Boyes (1974-1941), Elsie Pearlette Eugenie Selman
(1876-1945), and Myrtle Esther Boyes, (1878-1958). Pearl Boyes Selman became a
famous Shakespearean actress known throughout the south, later settling in
Atlanta. Like her brother Don Carlos, she moved to Chicago to study theater.
Pearl attended the Chicago dramatic art school before joining the Avon Shakespearean
players and touring southern theaters.
The Boyes family. Don Carlos Boyes (later DuBois) is in the back row, center. His wife Mildred is on his right.
Don Carlos Boyes changed his name, becoming Don Carlos DuBois
II. I have yet to discover the time or his reason. His name change reminds me
of Harley Merry, president of the Protective Alliance of Scene Painters of
America in 1896. “Harley Merry” was his painting name. His real name and stage
name as an actor was Ebenezer J. Britain (also Britton). In 1922, Don Carlos
DuBois also billed himself as a French artist, but that is the only mention I
have discovered (“Atlanta Constitution,” 5 Feb 1922, page 9).
Don Carlos DuBois also billed himself as a French Artist, from the “Atlanta Constitution,” Feb 9, 1922, page 5.
In 1900, DuBois II moved from Seward City, Nebraska, to
Chicago, Illinois, where he lived with his uncle, Damiel Bain (b. 1871). Bain
worked for the Lumber industry and DuBois attended art school. DuBois was 17
yrs. old at the time. From 1902 until 1905, DuBois was a student in the Art
Institute in Chicago. It is unclear whether his scenic training also began at
this time. He continued his studied overseas, taking classes in Rome and Paris
from 1905-6. Upon his return to the United States, DuBois worked with E. M.
Gross, another scenic artist, in New York. Between 1907 and 1909, DuBois
continued to work as a scenic artist. One notable project during this time was
the Cleveland Hippodrome.
He met and married, Mildred Herman, in 1908 (9 Sept 1885-15 Dec 1971). Mildred was and actress by trade and their wedding took place on Feb. 19, 1908, in Cuyahoga, Ohio. Mildred was also an immigrant, with public records noting her homeland as both Poland and Germany. She was the daughter of Carl Herman, a German, Efrosina Franslau, a Russian.
By 1910 the couple was living in Kansas City, with DuBois
listed in the city director as a scenic artist, living at 299 W. 16th
Street. From 1910 to 1921, DuBois worked for the Kansas City Scenic Co. In 1914
the couple moved to 214 E 34th Street and resided there until 1918.
Their address remained in Kansas City until 1921 when they moved to the
southeastern United States, settling in Atlanta where DuBois founded the Atlanta
Scenic Co.
In 1921, DuBois was listed as a 2nd Lieut., belonging to the 110th Engineers, Missouri National Guard Headquarters at Kansas City, Missouri. He was included in the Roster of National Guard Engineer Officers, Nov. 30, 1921.
From the “Kingman Daily Courier,” 7 Dec. 1887, page 2.
By 1890, the
Kansas City Scenic Co. was mentioned in connection to a new opera hall project
in Little River, Kansas. The “Little River Monitor” reported, “The carpenters
work on the new opera hall is going on at a lively rate. Canfield & Co. are
doing the work in good shape, Messrs. Tschudi, Dunn and Oldham, of the Kansas
City Scenic company, are painting a set of scenes for the hall, and are doing a
fine job. The mammoth drop curtain is a beauty. It is ornamented with the
business cards of our merchants and others, and will be first class in every
particular” (16 June 1887, page 3).
Tschudi was a scenic artist who had worked in Kansas City since 1883.
I am going to take a moment and explore the life of John U. Tschudi, another immigrant who arrived in America during 1857. In 1881, Tschudi is first mentioned as being the scene painter who received the contract for the Whitley Opera House in Emporia, Kansas. He worked alongside J. W. Morris the stage carpenter. They put in a complete set of scenes and the latest improvements in stage equipment. By 1882, Tschudi was twenty-two years old and advertised as sign painter in Emporia. However, his advertisements soon announced that he was a fresco, scenic artist and sign writer (Evening News, Emporia, Kansas, 31 July 1882, page 4). He requested that people leave their sign orders at Moore’s Drug Store in town (The Evening News, 31 July 1882, page 4). Tschudi shipped ornamental signs across the country, even to Colorado and was associated with the Whitley Opera House (Emporia Daily News, 27 July 1882). As with many young and talented scenic artists, Tschudi soon partnered with Foreman, a stage mechanic and they delivered scenery to the Garfield Opera House in Kingman, Kansas (Kingman Daily Courier, 7 Dec., 1887, page 2).
Of his early
life, Tschudi explained his background to a reporter in 1896, “I was born in
Switzerland in 1852, but am an American artist. I came to the United States in
1857. My father was an artist in France and I, only one of eight children, am
an artist. I was fond of it from childhood. When I was a boy I sometimes got
punished for drawing comic sketches on the walls, and I would neglect my
lessons to draw those pictures and frequently get kept in school on that
account. (Daily Lexington, 24 Aug 1896, page 3). Other newspapers expanded,
“After school days he studied with has father and assisted him with his work
and soon developed such artistic taste in landscape painting that his father
concluded in 1868 to send him back to France to finish his studies. ‘After five
years,’ says Mr. Tschudi, ‘I returned to America and took a fancy to large
work, and consequently went to theatrical scene painting, and have since that
time worked in many of the finest theaters both in this country and abroad. My
father was the famous fresco artist under the old masters in France for ten
years. His work can be seen in France, Italy, Switzerland and America at the
present time. He died in his 69th year in New York” (Daily Leader,
Lexington, Kentucky, 15 Aug, 1896, page 3).
When asked why he
never changed the spelling of his name, he responded, “ I have no reason to be
ashamed of it, as it is famous in Swiss history being the name of one of the
oldest families on record and was borne by artists, generals and men of high
rank, and at the present time there are a number of recognized artists in the
family.”
In 1887, the
“Wichita Star” reported “A reporter was shown the number of samples from
scenic-artist work from the brush of Kansas City Scenic Artist company, in
which company figures, as an artist, Mr. J. W. Tschudi, formerly of the city.
The work is artistic and ranges throughout the entire term of scenic work.
Landscapes, rocky passes, woods, streets, palaces, parlors, chambers, kitchens,
hovels – in fact every known term of scenic effects were painted in the highest
style of art (22 March 1887, page 4).
In 1888, Tschudi,
was working on his own and noted as being “beyond all doubt, the thorough,
classical scenic artist in Kansas. His fine conceptions of mountain and sea, of
glen and valley, of hill and dell, when spread upon canvass by his deft hand,
are gems of beauty on which the eye fondly hangs. The COURIER heartily commends
Prof. Tschudi to the managers of the Greensburg Opera House. By 1895, Tschudi
was advertised as “one of the country’s finest artists,” and was delivering
sizable scenes to the Phillips opera house in Richmond, Indiana (Richmond Item,
28 Aug 1895, page 3).