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Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

We started our second day cataloguing the remainder of rolled scenery at the Tabor Opera House.  Our focus was to complete the stack of rolled borders and small profile pieces along the back wall before starting the hanging scenes.  The biggest project remains the numerous interior set pieces along the back wall.

We had two projects occurring simultaneously that morning.  The first was cataloguing the scenery as stated above. The second was removing two broken battens from a rocky pass drop and a wood border.  When we unrolled drops the previous day, there were two with broken top battens. These ragged wooden edges were harming the painted compositions and should not return to storage “as is.”. Although not part of the project, I recommended that we remove the wood prior to re-rolling. It was the perfect time to address the problem as we were slightly ahead of schedule. It also gave the volunteers a chance to see how the sandwich battens were assembled, a great learning experience for all.

When the Kansas City Scenic Company shipped the painted settings from Kansas City, Missouri, to Leadville, Colorado in 1902, the wooden battens were not attached. This was a standard practice at the time. The paint fabric shipped in vertical rolls, with studio labels on the exterior edge, noting location and subject.  The fabric seams for each drop were also vertical; horizontal seams did not replace their early twentieth century predecessors until the 1920s. This is not to stay there weren’t any scenes with horizontal seams, but the major studios during the late-nineteenth and early twentieth century were using 36” wide bolts of cotton sheeting and vertical seams for the majority of the stock scenery installations. At the Tabor Opera House we located a few of the shipping labels to verify this – still visible along the side edge of the fabric written in charcoal. These labels included easy descriptors such as “Leadville Front Drapery” or “Leadville Sky B” (B is for border). The placement along the side of the drop meant that it was easily identifiable during shipping and installation on site.

The lumber also shipped with the company, even in areas abundant with sawmills. Scenery battens was constructed of white pine; the rounded edges allowed the drops to easily slip past one another during scene changes if they happened to bump into a neighboring line. Shipping labor insured quality, and quality is essential for a sandwich batten.  Poor quality wood will warp.

To attach the battens to the painted scene on site was a fairly easy process. The backside of each sandwich batten was nailed into the stage floor with cleat nails, forming an arrow-straight line that would not shift. The painted scene was then tacked to the board, face side up, and would become sandwiched with another pine board. The tacks were placed about 4 to 6 inches apart. The top part of the sandwich batten was then attached with screws or nails, thus sandwiching the fabric between the two boards. The completed batten was then pried up from the stage floor and the cleat nails hammered over.

After the sandwich batten was loose from the stage floor, ½” holes were drilled into it to accept the operating lines. In the case of the Tabor Opera House, many of the drops had three holes to accommodate the three operating ropes.

The biggest discovery of the day was that some of the scenery delivered to the Tabor Opera House (then Elks Opera House) by the Kansas City Scenic Co. was previously installed at another location.  While cataloguing several of the border drops, I noticed that there were five holes drilled for operating lines, yet only three needed for this venue.  They were too consistent to be mistakes, yet necessary because the length; each of these battens were over 40 feet, much longer than the proscenium opening.

Later that afternoon, we noticed that the painted grand border was also much wider than the proscenium. As the piece was gently lowered, a line snapped. Amazingly, we hear the wood crack, but batten did not break in half. Instead, the stage right side hung like a loose noodle, obviously unsupported by any operating line. After we lowered the painted border to the floor, we soon learned the cause for the line failure.  The operating line did not fail; it was a bridle that failed. Although there were five holes for operating lines in the top of the batten, there were only three operating lines supporting the piece. Holes numbered one and two, as well as holes numbered four and five, were bridled with well-worn ¼-inch manila rope. The operating lines are thicker.  The ¼-inch rope between holes numbered one and two failed.

At this point it was time to take a break and discuss options over birthday cake; yes, it was the executive director’s birthday.  Our final project of the day was removing the top sandwich batten from the grand border, so it could be safely stored until a new batten is attached. We were all grateful that the line failed when it did, as there is ample time to address the problem before the season begins. This would have been tragic mid-performance, or during a busy time. There was a crew on stage to handle the problem. Small blessings.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

My first day at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, was full of delightful surprises. After adjusting to the altitude the night before, I tried to show up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. On site that morning were a television personality and a photographer; this may be the last time I leave the house without caring what I look like. Our project will be featured as an early morning local news story on a Denver TV station tomorrow (Wednesday, February 5). A local photographer is also documenting the process this week, and this is a great addition to the Tabor’s archives. The momentum seems to be rolling, but much has to do with the executive director Mary Ann Graham-Best. She is a gem and has thought of almost everything, including the little oxygen bottles for those of us who are adjusting to the altitude.

We started the day with introductions and a brief orientation before heading upstairs to the theater. The upstage wall was packed with scenery and our first task was to unroll as many drops in front of the flat stock as possible, understanding that these were mainly painted border pieces, and may a drop or two.  A few flats were also piled on top of the rolls, compressing everything, so they were soon unloaded.

The first piece that we unrolled was extremely small, beautifully painted and likely from the original 1879 scenery collection.  The ornate gold and glass jewels suggested that this piece may have been the grand border for the Tabor Opera House before the Elks purchased the property and renovated the stage it in 1901. The Elks greatly enlarged both the auditorium and stage house, adding a fly loft to the building.

The remainder of scenery that we unrolled on that day dates from 1902. It is scenery by the Kansas City Scenic Co., contracted by Fred R. Megan. Megan would later become Thomas G. Moses’ future business partner, forming Moses & Megan Studio. It is a wonderful connection for my research and provides additional context for my writing.

Now you have to understand about the project’s environment. In winter, the Tabor Opera House is closed and bathroom facilities unavailable.  For our project, a construction heater was rented and a “jiffy on the spot” secured. With temperatures dropping into the single digits this week, I will be hard pressed to not walk the extra fifty feet to the gas station when nature calls. The stage house is quite warm, a balmy 54 degrees Fahrenheit. It is the perfect temperature for our task, not too hot and not too cold.

The volunteer crew is a delightful and I couldn’t ask for better help. The Silver Dollar Saloon across the street is providing lunches this week, and is it great to relax in another historic Leadville building that is nearby.  So far we are ahead of schedule. The only thing looming on the horizon at this point is a series of winter storms. Hopefully the weather system will end before me departure this Saturday.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

I last visited the Tabor Opera House in June 2018. The renovated building opened on Nov. 20 1902, featuring scenery by Kansas City Scenic.  For the next five days, I will be cataloguing the scenery currently stored in the stage area. With a crew of volunteers, we will carefully go through the collection piece by piece. Some of the drops are hanging, but the majority of pieces are stacked against the back wall. Here are a few pictures of their lovely front curtain.

Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

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.

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.”

To be continued…

Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

This is a bit of a recap about the Thomas G. Moses family as we enter 1916. Moses’ typed manuscript was compiled in 1931. The primary focus of his memoirs was theatrical projects, business travels, and eccentric clientele.  The 1931 work was based almost six decades of daily diary entries beginning in 1873. He intended his work to be called “Sixty Years Behind the Curtain Line.” In the end, it was entitled, “My Diary.” Seldom, does Moses mention his family. In many ways this is understandable, especially as it was meant to highlight his scenic art career, interesting projects and famous personalities. In1916, he mentions his family six times, unusual for his annual records; some years make no mention of family.

His began 1916 writing, “January 1^st, Ula and Rupert with the Kauffman family from the city took dinner with us.” Moses’ youngest son, Rupert, entered the theatre supply business too and worked for Sosman & Landis. The youngest of four, he was the last to marry in 1914.Rupert’s wife was Ula McNeill of Ames, Iowa.

Tom and Ella Moses had four children: William “Pitt” Moses (1879), Mary “Mamie” Titcomb Moses (1881), Lillian Ella Moses (1886), Thomas “Rupert” Moses (1889). By 1916, all were married.

During February 1916, Moses wrote, “George, Lillian and little George arrived from New York City to make Chicago their home.  February 9^th, a big family reunion.” Moses traveled extensively throughout his life, almost always for work or sketching trips.  As his children grew into adults, he lamented the lost time and wished for big family reunions, especially at holidays. The return of his daughter to Chicago must have sent waves of joy; they would be close to children and grandchild.  Lillian and George’s return coincided with another pregnancy. That fall, Moses wrote, “October 6^th, Lillian presented her husband with a pair of twins, boy and girl.”  By the end of the year, Moses recorded, “Our Christmas Family this year was Mary and William, Lillian and George and children, and little family of three, Rupert, Ula and Evelyn.” By this time, Evelyn was eleven years old. Two of his children and four children were now living in Chicago, making holidays and other family events even more special. Only the eldest son’s family was missing that year.

William “Pitt” worked for the natural gas industry. Family visits were few and far between.  In 1900 Pitt moved to New Jersey where he remained for the remainder of his career.  During the summer of 1906, “The Oak Park Leaves” reported, “Mr. and Mrs. W. Pitt Moses of Trenton, N.J., are the proud parents of a baby girl, who arrived Sunday, July 29.  The father is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas G. Moses of 233 South Euclid avenue” (4 August 1906, page 10). As the first child to become an adult, Pitt followed in his uncle Frank Moses’ footsteps. In 1900, he moved to Trenton and worked at the gas plant in New Jersey. Three years later, he married Stella Martin of Trenton. Moses’ youngest son, Rupert, entered the theatre manufacturing business with his father.  The girls were married and became homemakers.  Lillian married George Salzman in 1910. Mamie married William Hanover in 1911. Last, but not least, Rupert married Ula McNeill of Ames, Iowa in 1914.

In 1916, Moses noted, “Pitt came out late September 1^st, but the growing danger of a new railroad strike made him uneasy and he had to go back after one day home.” This short visit would prompt Moses to visit Pitt and his family on Thanksgiving while he was out East for work.  He wrote, “Thanksgiving Day at Pitt’s, with brother Frank, which was a surprise to me, and we had a fine time.” By 1917, Moses wrote, “Pitt came out for a short visit and for the first time in twenty years, we had only the four children at home for a dinner.  They were not allowed to mention their families.  We sat each in their accustomed place.  We all enjoyed it immensely.  It carried us back many years when we were all much younger.  I wish we could do it every year.” 

Continued absences from family may lead to regret. I have to believe that this feeling haunted Moses for many years after his children were grown and only returning home for holidays.  He had missed so much while they were growing up. That dinner in 1917, when it was just the four kids and Ella, meant the world to him. He could have had it hundreds of times when the kids were little, but his chosen profession was not conducive to family life. 

To be continued…

Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1915, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “We had a pleasant Christmas with Mary and William, Rupert and Ula, and Ula’s mother from Ames, Iowa.” On Jan. 1, 1916, Moses wrote, “January 1^st, Ula and Rupert with the Kauffman family from the city took dinner with us.”

Before we enter 1916, I want to take a chance to review the year 1915.

It was the first full year of WWI, but the United States decided to take a neutral role. The same year of our stated neutrality, the RMS Lusitania was sunk on passage from New York to Britain by a German U-boat, killing 1,198 people. The United States remained on the sidelines, with the average citizen only reading of horrors occurring over seas.

In 1915, the United States House of Representatives rejected a proposal giving women the right to vote, and our country would remain in the hands of men for quite some time. Regardless of lacking any ability to participate in an election, women trudged on, establishing the Women’s Peace Party. The WPP, an American pacifist and feminist organization, was established in response to WWI. It later became the American section of the International Committee of Women for Permanent Peace (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom).

The United States occupation of Haiti began that July, the same month that the steamer “Eastland” capsized in Chicago; 844 lives were lost. Hurricanes hit both Galveston and New Orleans, leaving 275 dead in the wake of their destruction. Lassen Peak, one of the Cascade Volcanoes in Northern California, erupted, sending an ash plume 30,000 feet in the air and devastating the nearby region. The Imperial Valley earthquake shook southern California and the Pleasant Valley Earthquake shook north-central Nevada. Although the world seemed to be crumbling, the Rocky Mountain National Park was established for future generations to enjoy.

In 1915, the world population was estimated at 1.8 billion; 100 million people lived in the United States and more than half were under 25 years old. The average life expectancy for men was 47 years old. Half of all US families lived on farms, and the number of horses and mules on farms reached a century high that year. There were approximately 2 million cars, and not many places that one could easily drive a vehicle.

About 85% of men over the age of 14 worked in the labor force. The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year, with mechanical engineers earning $5,000/yr., dentists earning $2,500/yr. and veterinarians earning between $1,500 and $4,000 per year. A good accountant could earn $2,000/year. 18% of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic helper.

Two out of every ten adults could not read nor write.  Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school. 90% of medical doctors had no college education, having solely attended medical schools. 95% of all births took place at home. The five leading causes of death were diarrhea, heart disease, stroke, influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis. After infecting dozens of people, Typhoid Mary was quarantined for the rest of her life.

Only 14% of homes had a bathtub. Most women only washed their hair once a month, using Borax or egg yolks for shampoo. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Sugar was four cents a pound and coffee was fifteen cents a pound. Fuel for cars was only sold in drug stores. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph, but most Americans walked everywhere. There was no easy way to communicate long distance, as only 8% of homes had phones. A postage stamp was two cents.

Onward and upward, tomorrow I start exploring the year 1916 in the life and times of Thomas G. Moses.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1915, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Went to Lafayette, Indiana, to meet George Ade regarding a new show he is going to stage for the Purdue College.” Ades’s show was the “Eight Little Wives” and it featured an all-male cast; this was consistent with all previous Harlequin Club shows at Purdue. It was not until 1916 that women were first allowed to perform in Harlequin Club productions.

George Ade (1866-1944) was a well-known author, playwright, and newspaper columnist, born Kentland, Indiana. Ade’s focus while attending Purdue was science, but he became increasingly interested in the theater. After graduating in 1887, Ade became a newspaper journalist, working for the “Lafayette Call” in Indiana. He then moved to Chicago and worked for the “Chicago Daily News,” expanding the scope of subjects that he wrote about. Ade described the daily life of Chicago’s citizens, with first in his regular column being “The Chicago Record.” His writing incorporated street slang and a variety of encounters in the Windy City. Ade was well-known for his “Fables in Slang” (1899) and “More Fables” (1900), earning him the nickname, “Aesop of Indiana, “ He initially gained additional famed with his “Stories of the Streets of the Town.” Here is a link to some of his works online: https://americanliterature.com/author/george-ade

Ade’s work as a playwright began in earnest with the 1901 Broadway productions of “The Night of the Fourth” and “The Sultan of Sulu.” Other popular Broadway productions penned by Ade included “Peggy From Paris, ““The Country Chairman,” “Sho-Gun,” “The College Widow,” “The Bad Samaritan,” “Just Out of College,” “Artie,” “Father and the Boys,” “Mrs. Peckham’s Carouse,” “Mars Covington,” “The Pair Co-Ed,” “The Old Town,” “The Slim Princess,” and “Leave it to Jane.”   Ade also wrote several one-act plays, some of which became popular films, such as “Our Leading Citizen,” “Back Home” and “Woman-Proof.”

By 1909, Ade remembered his alma mater, becoming a member on the Board of Trustees at Purdue University. He would remain a Trustee until 1916, becoming active in many other alumni-supported activities. He was also a longtime member of the Purdue Alumni Association and former president of the Mark Twain Association of America. His financial continued contributions toward Purdue University supported the construction of Purdue’s Memorial Gymnasium, Memorial Union Building, and the Ross-Ade Stadium.

In regard to the play that Moses designed scenery for in 1915, newspapers reported, “LAFAYETTE, Ind., January 8.- The play to be produced by the Harlequin Club, of Purdue university, this year, will be written by George Ade, according to an announcement made by J. J. Johnston, manager of the club. Mr. Ade, who is a Purdue alumnus, has written several first by the Purdue Harlequin Club, among which were “The Fair Co-Ed,” “The Junior in Command” and “The County Chairman.” Mr. Ade is working on the play, but the name has not been announced” (Indianapolis Star, page 15).

“The Indianapolis News” reviewed the production on 20 April, 1915 (page 2):

“Harlequin Club Presents George Ade’s Play Before Large Audience at Lafayette. ‘Eight Little Wives,’ the ninth annual production of the Harlequin Club of Purdue university, was presented for the first time yesterday at the Victoria Theater before a capacity audience. The play proved a great success, receiving more praise than ever was bestowed on previous first night performances of the Harlequins. There are eighty-five students in the production and the costumes and scenery are unusually elaborate. George Ade. Purdue 1887 is the author, and the music is by Alfred G. Wathall, with interpolated numbers by George Ade Davis [George Ade Davis was George Ade’s nephew who wrote music for his uncle]. The play is an adaptation of Mr. Ade’s musical comedy success, ‘The Sultan of Sulu.’

“George Herbert, the veteran coach of the Harlequin Club directed the production, and J. J. Johnson, manager of the club assisted. The leading role in the musical comedy is taken by R. H. Dwiggens, a freshmen at Purdue, who proved himself the cleverest comedian ever seen in a Harlequin Club production. As Ki-Ram, the sultan of Sulu, he was on the stage most of the time, the part being that played by Frank Moulan in the professional production. G. H. Smith, as Major Jefferson Rice, had another important role, as did H. J. Rosenthal as Lieutenant William Hardy. H. S. O’Brien, captain of the Purdue football team last fall, appeared in the role of Hadji, private secretary to the sultan. M. S. McNay was the Datto Mandi of Parang. J. A. Pierce, as Wakeful Jones, salesman, and K. W. Hurst as Dingbat, captain of the guards, were good in minor roles. F. Ledder and R. J. Mitchell as the Nubian slaves injected a large share of the best comedy. As usual in Purdue Harlequin plays, the male students essayed the roles of the women. D. J. Bellinger, as Henrietta, the major’s daughter, was well made up, as was B. L. McCullom, as Chiquita, the sultan’s favorite wife. They sang and danced and their gowns were visions of loveliness. L. R. McKnight had the role of Pamela Jackson, the woman judge advocate, and presented a realistic picture of the suffragette type. W. K. Dodd, as Galula, the ugly wife of Ki-Ram, had the leading woman comedy part. Other students appeared as the eight wives of Ki-Ram, then there were the school ma’ams, the United States soldiers, marines, American girls, slaves, natives and attendants.

The scene is laid on the Island of Sulu in the Philippines. The first act setting shows the exterior of the sultan’s palace and the second set shows the hanging gardens of the palace. In the background of each act is a view of the land and water scenery of the Philippines. The leading song numbers are Ki-Rams’s ‘Remorse’; ‘Soldiers of the U.S.A.,’ one of George Ade Davis’ contributions; ‘The Smiing Isle,’ by Ki-Ram; ‘The Filipino Cabaret,’ and ‘If You Say That You Love Me.’

“The play will be repeated this evening and Wednesday night in Ft. Wayne, under the auspices of the Purdue Alumni Association in that city. Next Saturday night it will be given again at the Victoria theater in this city for the benefit of the visitors at junior prom parties.”

To be continued…

Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1915, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “We did another society stunt, ‘The Spanish Ball.’  I think we made about $20,000.00 for one evenings entertainment.” In addition to producing stock scenery for various theaters and special scenery for touring productions, these themed events netted the studio thousands of dollars in profit each year.  I am curious if the $20,000 amount mentioned by Moses was what the studio netted for the project or his estimation on the charitable donations. Reports indicate that Chicago’s Spanish Ball raised $25,000 for charity.

On Monday Dec. 13, 1915, the “Day Book” included the article “Women in Red Socks and Red Sashes at Spanish Ball.” The article reported, “No charity ball this winter. Instead, the Spanish ball. By calling it Spanish ball, everybody on it is saved the smell that goes with the word ‘charity’ these days.”

The upper echelon of Chicago society gathered on Dec. 17, 1915 to raise funds for the Chicago Lying-In hospital. It opened new building at 51^st Street and Vincennes, and money was needed for plumbing and running expenses. After the funds were raised at the ball, it was anticipated that the water pipe installation would begin.

Of the Lying-In hospital cause, two dispensaries were run with hospital. The previous year 24,764 mothers received medicine, lint and doctor’s advice. The “Day Book” article reported, “Though many mothers are lucky enough to get a bed to lie in at the Lying-in hospital, statement of women at head of it is that ‘hundreds are turned away every year.’ What sort of shacks and shanties the mothers go to when turned away is not stated in any survey taken. Red colors, laughter and a big hoorah are the moors of the Spanish ball. It would be thought a crime and an indecency if somebody should print slips to be stuck onto the dance program giving the statistics of the baby death rate around the Armour, Swift and Morris slaughter houses. University of Chicago survey presented in testimony to U. S. industrial relations commission showed baby death rate in the stockyards district is seven times as high as over on the lake shore in the district where Spanish ball dancers will come from.”

For the Spanish Ball, the First Regiment Armory building was transformed into a replica of the famous streets of Madrid. Arches and pillars of flaming orange and red, relieved by bars of black concealed the walls and formed sort of a continuous façade about the drill fall behind which the spectators sat. According to the “Chicago Examiner” “The pageant will represent all phases of Spanish history, beginning with the Moorish invasion in 800 A.D., which is to include those fascinating and illustrious personages of long ago period, Ferdinand and Isabella. DeSoto, Balboa, Cortez and everybody else connected with the history of those stirring times will be impersonated. There will be an Inquisition group too” (Nov. 7, 1915, Vol. 16, part 4, page 6).

The “Day Book” article anticipated the event; “Next Friday night they pull this Spanish ball in First Regiment armory. Ladies in red sox and red moccasins, topped off with red fabric and ribbons, all a regular chile con carne red pepper red, will be on parade. Spanish music, old fashioned rum-tum-toddles played in Madrid and Barcelona centuries ago, have been searched out by Roy McWilliams.”

The “Evening Star” reported “The managers of the Spanish ball held on Friday night at the 1^st Regiment armory have cause for great satisfaction, for the affair was by all odds the most comprehensive historical pageant as well as the greatest financial success ever staged for charity in Chicago, says the Chicago herald. The setting was effective, with the curving yellow and orange walls of the bullfight ring hung with rich fabrics and rugs, and opposite to the entrance of the picturesque Café del Torero, with its yellow walls and black balconies, against which the various groups seated themselves in a semi-circle as the pageant wound itself about the hall. The pageant was somewhat late in beginning, and it was well after 12 o’clock before the last group had fled past the queen in the person of Mrs. Robert Leatherbee, who sat in a gorgeous palanquin, and alluring picture in Moorish costume of silver cloth, many barbaric jewels and a gorgeous headdress of fan and peacock feathers, After the pageant there was dancing and the gay scenes that began with the blowing of the bugles for the entrance of the bullfight cortege at 11 o’clock did not end until almost dawn”  (Washington, D.C., December 26, 1915, page 8).

The Charity ball raised $25,000. Over 4,000 donned their best costumes and emptied their pockets for the event intended to replenish the coffers of those in need. The majority of visitors were simply spectators as gazed from a balcony at the events below. The “Chicago Tribune” reported, “While the majority looked on from the boxes and balconies 300 men and women staged the long-a-waited Spanish ball, which compromised a pageant rich, in color, a series of performance by professional dancers and singers, and a mock bullfight which was greeted with shouts of laughter. Then everybody danced” (18 Dec. 1915, page 17).

The “Lincoln Journal Star,” reported “Chicago’s ‘400’ yawned sleepily today and voted the Spanish ball a weird success. Dowagers, cotillion leader, debutants and just ordinary folk who make one splurge a year decked themselves in a collection of disguises that added $100,000 to the bank rolls of modistes and tailors. Some of them rode donkeys to enhance the illusion of a Moorish scene. The ball, the annual charity event of Chicago, netted about $25,000 for the Chicago lying-in hospital. Mrs. Potter Palmer, the ‘400’s’ leader had as her guests former Ambassador and Mrs. Myron T. Herrick”  (18 Dec., 1915, page 1).

To be continued…

From February 3 – 7, 2020, I am cataloguing one of two historic scenery collections at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado. Horace Tabor’s 1879 opera house was purchased and renovated by the Benevolent and Protected Order of Elks in 1901, with new scenery being delivered in 1902. The venue’s original scenery was then placed into storage. My previous visit to the Tabor Opera House was posted on June 19 and June 21 of 2018 (just keyword search “Leadville”). I examine the 1902 scenery collection next week.

Here is an article recently published about the upcoming event in the “Leadville Herald” on January 20, 2020.

From February 3 to February 10, I will resume “Travels of a Scenic Artists and Scholar,” sharing my experience in Leadville at the Tabor Opera House.

On February 10, I will return to the life and times of Thomas G. Moses in “Tales of a Scenic Artist and Scholar.”

Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Sosman & Landis delivered scenery to Detroit’s Temple Theatre in 1908 and 1915. The Temple Theatre was not a Masonic structure, but a performance space constructed by the Benevolent and Protected Order of Elks for both public and private performances (BPOE).

The Elks Temple and Temple Theatre opened on Dec. 23, 1901. The entertainment complex originally hosted the Wonderland Theatre Company and curiosity museum of oddities. John Scott designed he building, with Col. J. M. Wood designing the 1500-seat theater. It was located next door to the Detroit Opera House, on the north side of Monroe Street in the Campus Martius area.

In 1908, the Temple Theatre closed for three weeks during July to complete the renovation of the theater space. The “Detroit Free Press” described the imminent renovation plans in an article in July 2 (page 7):

“The Temple theater will close at the end of the week to permit decorators to transform the interior. The work will take three weeks, artists working in two shifts, night and day. When the theater is thrown open to the public, Monday afternoon, July 27, the many patrons will marvel at the transformation.  It is said that the decorations, with carpets, tapestries, drop curtain and incidentals will cost in the neighborhood of $20,000. The entire decorations will be in the Italian Renaissance period, and William Wright company has guaranteed Manager J. H. Moore the richest vaudeville theater interior in this country. The ceilings and cornice work will be in light Italian blue and ivory, this scheme being carried throughout. The proscenium boxes will be draped with rich brocatelle hangings of light blue, with heavy cords and tassels, and fine old Roman gold chairs will replace the mahogany ones now in use. Artists and designers have been at work on the preliminary plans for the last three months, and all that is left now is to complete the actual work. The carpets have been made from a special design by the decorators, and Sosman & Landis, the scene painters of Chicago, are in consultation with the William Wright artists carry out in the new drop curtain, to cost $1,000, the color scheme of the auditorium. The double baize doors, leading from the foyer to the right proscenium boxes will be replaced with Roman gilt and gold plate glass doors, with gold columns. New and beautiful electrical effects will be seen in the ceiling of the foyer. On account of the reopening of the Temple falling the revival of the famous Blue Ribbon meeting in Detroit, the bill of vaudeville for that week will be designated the “Blue Ribbon” bill. It will contain the names of artists, not the least of whom will be Loie Fuller, the celebrated fire dancer. The Temple Theater has not been closed, summer or winter, since it was thrown open to the pubic eight years ago.  The many hundreds of patrons who have reserved their seats throughout the seasons will call for them during the week preceding the opening when the regular sale will go into effect.”

The “Detroit Free Press” described the 1908 drop curtain by Sosman & Landis in detail: “Beyond all this the proscenium arch a mass of burnished gold and set within like a picture in its frame is the new drop curtain – a splendid thing the product of Sosman & Landis scenic studios in Chicago.  It pictures an old Italian garden, the spirit of the joy-seeking Renaissance caught here in every other part of the theater.  Here too the predominating note is blue with only the suggestion of green in the foliage and a hint of old rose in the costumes of the grand dames, which lend the desired touch of life to the stately old garden.  It’s all brightly beautiful and happy thought and ideal as a playhouse should be, and proves with subtle insistence that those responsible for it are artists in a very substantial and satisfying sense” (July 26, 1908, page 7).

I recently discovered another article pertaining Sosman & Landis scenery delivered to Detroit’s Temple Theatre in 1915. The new scenery was for the reopening of the redecorated theater on July 19.  My fourth-grade German classes and Google translate helped me understand the gist of the German article in “Detroiter Abend-Post.” However, I still needed help and turned to my friend Art de Hoyos. Below is the translation of what was published in “Detroiter Abend-Post” on July 11, 1915 (page 12):

 “English stage. Temple Theatre. This popular Vaudeville house will remain closed this week, but next week it will be reopened with new outfitting, and a few years will pass before the theater has to be temporarily closed again. Certain repairs and improvements were urgently needed in the theater room, but they will be completed later this week, so that nothing will stand in the way of reopening on July 19. The American Seating Co. was entrusted with the contract for the delivery and laying of new carpets in the parquet and the so-called ‘mezzanine floor.’ New scenery for the stage will be supplied by the well-known theater company Sosman & Landis Co. Chicago. The Temple Theater will reopen with an exceptionally rich, good program.”

I also found a newspaper advertisement pertaining to the old chairs being removed from the Temple Theater in 1915.  The opera chairs were listed for sale in the “Detroit Free Press” on June 6, 1915 (page 30). The listing announced, “Attention, Theatre Managers. THEATRE CHAIRS FOR SALE CHEAP. All parquet and balcony seats now in use in Temple Theatre must be sold to make room for new seats to be installed soon. CHANCE OF A LIFETIME. Inquire Temple Theatre Offices.”

To be continued…