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Thomas G. Moses:
Profile of A Scenic Artist
C. Lance Brockman
I am ashamed to say that I have not made any
decided approach towards the "Hall of Fame" while I
have worked hard all my life, and have accom-plished a little,
and have had a little glory and honor thrust upon me, but not
enough to entitle me to a laurel wreath. I trust my diary will
be of some interest to my relatives and my brother scenic artists.
-Thomas
Gibbs Moses, 1922
The life of
Thomas Moses is eloquently and romantically captured in his unpublished
autobiography titled My Dairy which provides great insight into
the career and life of one of America's leading scenic artists for
the theater. His accom-plishments as a painter for the theater,
circus, and Freemasonry coupled with his long battle to receive
personal and public appreciation for the craft of scenic art is
carefully documented in this recollection of an extensive career
that spans two centuries. His artistic contributions were found
in theaters and opera houses from over forty-five states, numerous
murals in public and private build-ings, exhibits for the Columbian
Exposition in 1893 and the 1932 Century of Pro-gress Fair in Chicago,
and large spectacles for various popular amusement parks including
Luna Park at Coney Island, New York.
Unfortunately
for the theater historian, scenery is ephemeral, never intended
to last more than the run of the production or beyond the length
of a road tour. Most of the colorful and romantic stage scenery
created by Moses is gone, suf-fer-ing from the ravages of time and
neglect. Only a few of his sketches and oil paint-ings still remain
in the private collections of his family. Fortunately, we still
have today a rich canon of work that has survived, allow-ing us
to appreciate, under-stand, and almost comprehend his tremendous
con-tributions to theater and popular culture.
This treasure
trove of scenery was created to support the ritual of the Scottish
Rite, and Moses was certainly the most prolific scenic painter of
these back-grounds used to enhance this "sacred space."
The mere existence of these beautifully designed and painted large
canvases gives the theater historian great insight into a time and
craft that has long passed, as well as providing elaborate scenes
of antiquity that still enriche degree presentations today.
If fraternal
scenery had perished and faded from memory in a similar man-ner
as the drops created for the theater, this first quote by Moses
would seem to have come from a person of limited artistic ability
resulting in a life of dis-ap-pointment and little achievement.
Nothing could be further from the truth; while an examination of
Thomas Gibbs Moses' diary coupled with the extra-ordi-nary scenery
created for the Scottish Rite, fully portrays a man who was at the
top of his profession and who devoted his life to perfecting his
artistry and painting skills.
Moses inherited
a rich, romantic view of the world which was ever present in his
art and personal philosophy as recorded in his diary. Although he
thrived in this heritage which was so much a part of his formative
years and of late nineteenth-century America, in later years, he
anguished over the advances of Twentieth-Century "Modernism."
This "new" look in art with its emphasis on harsh line
and non-representational style was quickly reshaping the visual
world, threatening his view of the elusive beauty of nature which
he had always tried to capture with a brush and paint.
ENTERED APPRENTICE
Thomas Gibbs
Moses was born in Liverpool, England, on board the ship Pactolus
July 21, 1856. His father was a sea captain making long journeys
to India and South America. "Being part owner of the ships
he sailed on, he had the right to take his family with him, which
he did, and these trips proved to be very beneficial to all concerned."
Later in life, Moses claimed that it was his father's love of salt
water and sailing that clearly affected his interest in travel which
was so necessary for a profession as a scenic artist in the theater.
"As I do sketching and painting, I am afraid I inherited some
of his [father's] roving dis--po-sition."
Moses' father,
in order to please his wife, gave up seafaring and estab-lished
a tannery and shipping business near Great Falls, New Hampshire.
In 1859, the family moved west to Sterling, Illinois where business
prospects looked "bright and hopeful." In 1862 and at
the age of six, Tom lost his mother leaving his father to raise
a family of four children. While Tom credited his father for his
love of travel and wanderlust, he clearly felt his mother was the
font of his creative impulses. He fondly remembered that she gave
him a small sketchbook on her deathbed "that she kept in school
in 1835," and in his estimation "the pencil drawings show
considerable talent." Throughout the diary he continually laments
this loss and expressed that "if she had only lived, what a
wonderful art companion I would have had."
His father
remarried, but it did not fill the void he felt in the loss of his
mother. In addition to this emotional burden, his father never accepted
Tom's desire to use his artistic abilities which was Tom's direct
link to his mother who he revered. Instead, Mr. Moses tried repeatedly
to dissuade Tom's artistic cur-iosity by trying to involve his son
in his leather and tannery business. Tom's youthful exuberance and
lack of motivation to help the family business is clearly indicated
in the following quote.
As
my father was a typical Yankee, he managed to trade leather goods
for horses and cattle, which made plenty of work for me. I have
no doubt that many times the poor animals went to rest thirsty
and hungry, as I, too often tried to crowd in a little play with
my over abundance of work or rather, chores.
Two incidents
in Moses' early life clearly indicated the future direction of his
life and career. At the age of twelve, Tom recounts his interest
in the world out--side of Sterling. He frequently would venture
down to the railroad station to
.
. . watch with interest for the porters on the Pullman Cars to
throw out the small circulars, advertising the "Black Crook,"
then playing in Chicago. The gaudy illustrations of the different
scenes were the most artistic things I had ever seen. How I longed
to see the wonderful painting. Would I ever be able to paint pictures
framed in heavy gold frames, my name in the corner, and hanging
in an Art Gallery? If I couldn't do that, could I paint ornamental
signs on glass? Or fancy scroll work and landscapes on the side
of an omn-i-bus? Or flowers on rocking chairs? It was paint, paint
and nothing else.
This dream
was eventually fulfilled when Moses' work was shown in sev-eral
exhib-its in various galleries in Chicago and New York. His real
artis-tic work, however, "in heavy gold frame" with signature
attached, were more com-monly found in the traditional drop curtains
he created for many of the largest opera houses around the country.
In 1872 Mr.
Moses allowed young Tom to travel to Chicago to see the aftermath
of the "Great Fire." He quickly determined that "Chicago
appealed to me. There must be a chance in a big place for me and
I made up my mind to go." It took Tom only one short year to
make the decision to give up the tan-nery business and to follow
his dream to Chicago. On his arrival he immedi-ately sought out
a family friend who had been a master painter on the Chicago &
North Western Rail Road. The next morning Tom was quickly taken
by Mr. Michaels to the Almini Company on State Street. The introduction
was successful as Tom was immediately employed, securing "a
position at Four Dollars a week."
*
* *
This excerpt is from Heredom, the
transactions of the Scottish Rite Research Society
Volume I, Year 1992
©1992-2002, Scottish Rite Research Society
All Rights Reserved
Scottish Rite Research Society
1733 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20009-3103
202-232-3579 voice, 202-383-1847 fax
srrs@srmason-sj.org, www.srmason-sj.org
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