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P.O. Box 87, Palestine, IL 62451
info@fifeoperahouse.org

Palestine Preservation Projects Society is a 501.c.3 Tax Exempt Non-Profit

THE TREASURES OF THE FIFE
By Carolyn Kelley

Reprinted with permission, HISTORIC ILLINOIS, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Vol. 28, No.3, October 2005

INTRODUCTION

The Fife Opera House of Palestine, Illinois recently divulged its treasures thanks to the work of eight Eighth Grade History Club members of Palestine Grade School History Club who uncovered 30 pieces of turn-of-the-century scenery. The girls and their sponsor, Mrs. Carolyn Kelley, were approached by the Palestine Preservation Projects Society (PPPS), to recover scenery flats, which were stored at various areas on the second floor. The flats had not been seen by anyone for several decades. The Opera House was placed on the National Register in 1989. Palestine Preservation Projects Society purchased the building later that year. The goal of PPPS is to restore the Opera House to its original grandeur. The club members were asked to move the flats into the auditorium, dust, measure, catalog and photograph what they found, as part of the overall restoration of the Fife Opera House. The PPPS was in need of young people willing to give of their time and labor to bring the scenery into view.
The Fife Opera House stands on Main Street in Palestine, IL. It was built by David Fife sometime between 1898 and 1900, and operated regularly until 1912. Mr. Fife operated a hardware store on the first floor, and the Opera House occupies the second floor of the building. Mr. Fife was also a mortician, having a casket display room on the second floor behind the dressing rooms. The last performance at the Opera House was “Queen Esther”, with a cast of over 100, which included a horse. When the Opera House closed permanently in 1912, the auditorium was used as a bobby pin carding factory, a paper flower factory and later, for storage. Some of the original scenery was discarded because of the fire hazard it posed. Other pieces were stored away or used as insulation for the auditorium.

THE PROCESS OF RECOVERY

The scenery was located in two areas of the second floor. Most of the scenery was stored along the back wall on a platform, which is thought to be the old stage. Club members, Mrs. Carolyn Kelley, sponsor, and Bill Miller, a parent, began the process of moving the scenery from this area in December, 2004. The girls worked on Saturday afternoons and the project was completed in April 2005. The scenery removal was a combined effort of some people on the stage, some on the lower floor level and some on the stairs. Pieces of scenery were held by four people along the outer framework, and one student was under the scenery holding the middle framework. Care was taken not to place our hands on the delicate canvas.
Some scenery had been tacked to the back of the frescos to serve as insulation during the years the auditorium was used as a factory. The large cupid scenery was placed in front of the fire curtain to act as insulation and the center door of the scenery was used as an entrance. The cupid scenery had been moved by the conservators in 2003 when the fire curtain was unrolled. Live electric wiring is still in place preventing the recovery of one wing of cupid scenery. Removing the scenery from the back of the frescoes was done by adult volunteers.
After the scenery was brought into the auditorium, the subject of each piece was revealed. The pieces of scenery were propped along the walls or laid on the floor. After all of the scenery was recovered, five scenes were matched together. Several single wing pieces of woods, and curtains were also discovered. 30 pieces of scenery were recovered. All of the scenery had a heavy coating of dust. The girls dusted the scenery with handheld vacuum sweepers set on the lowest setting. Each piece was measured, documented on paper and by photo, and given a name. A total of 80 hours was spent on the whole process. Mrs. Kelley directed the work and compiled a booklet of the scenery, which is being sold to raise funds for future restoration.

THE OPERA HOUSE MOVEMENT

Opera Houses became the norm in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century, for large and small towns alike. The railroad was a significant part in the Opera House movement. It allowed theatrical companies to travel from town to town. Most stayed 3 or 4 days before their next engagement. Opera Houses began to supply “stock” scenery, which was selected from a catalog, ordered, produced, and shipped quickly. The Fife Opera House is three blocks from the railroad. Mr. Fife used the railroad to his advantage. “Stock” scenery replaced the need for individual artists to move from town to town. Elaborate, affordable scenery was sure to lure in the crowd.
Scenic companies such as Sosman and Landis and Twin City Scenic Studio were the source of the elegant scenery found at the Fife. Going to the theatre was a big event in a person’s life and the quality of the scenery contributed greatly to the experience.
The scenery was sure to enhance the experience of the theatre patron. A Sosman and Landis catalog of May1893 stated “The past decade has witnessed almost a complete revolution in the methods of conducting play-houses, as well as in the equipment of the same. ….what was considered perfect and satisfactory to the play-goers of a few years ago would not now be so considered, the tendency is for something still better, the people are better educated, the audiences consequently more critical and demanding the best.” It was also noted by Sosman & Landis that “it has been stated that the artist and the stage machinist make the play; while this is of course not strictly true, yet many irredeemably bad plays have been made a pronounced success by having a beautiful and elaborate Senic Enviornment.” “Give your patrons a chance: they are tired of looking at the same old senes year after year; show that you appreciate their patronage by making your stage settings attractive; the gain will be yours.” (Sosman and Landis catalog, May 1893) (I quoted this exactly as it was written. I noticed some words were misspelled but I didn’t change them.)
Scenery was produced in a similar fashion at both Sosman & Landis and Twin City Scenic Studio. Scenery was painted by using paint frames that could be raised or lowered, depending on which part of the scenery that needed to be accessed. Artists stood on paint bridges, which also could be raised or lowered. Paint boys mixed the paints and artists chose the colors for their palettes. Sosman and Landis had 12 paint frames, four each on the long walls, and four at one end of the building. (Frank thesis p. 58) Twin City Scenic Studio had “fourteen movable paint frames arranged back-to-back with small paint bridges for the scenic artists, paintboys, rolling palettes, and other equipment. A large frame held oversized pieces.” (Twin City p. 87)
Artists specialized in painting one type of scenery. Assistants were apprenticed to one artist and learned his style. “The Artists that learned to paint on the frame at Sosman and Landis had a similar overall approach and technique. The pieces of a finished set of scenery, although painted by several men, formed a unified set because the techniques and the palette were standardized and passed on from artist to assistant in the training process that was part of the studio structure. The artists differed in their brush handling which accounted for the difference in their individual styles, but the methods for approaching the equipment in the studio were similar for all the artists.” (Thesis pp 64, 65)
Salesmen traveled with small cases of model scenery, brochures, and advertisements. Theatre owners would select scenery and the order was placed. The scenery was painted in the studios, cut off the frames, and rolled onto hollowed basswood tubes for shipping. Scenery was shipped to the location by train. On large jobs like the Fife Opera House, a carpenter and scenery artist accompanied the scenery. The carpenter would build the frames and attach the scenery. The artist would supervise and touch up the final product.
David Fife purchased “soft” stock scenery that could be stored in the “flies.” A typical set for a small theatre consisted of a front drop curtain, two front wings or tormentors, one parlor scene, one kitchen scene (a plain scene that could be adapted), one street scene, one drapery border, two sky borders, four interior wings, four exterior wings, one wood scene, four wood wings to match, one grand drapery, and two sky borders. (S&L catalog, 1893)
Sosman and Landis was one of the largest studios for 50 years – 1879-1924 (approximate dates) which was owned by Joseph S. Sosman, and Mr. Landis (first name unknown.) A May1893 catalog listed the address as 236-238 Clinton Street, Chicago. It is very likely that Sosman & Landis painted scenery for the Chicago Exposition in 1893. Readers of the May 1893 catalog were invited to visit the studio during their visit to the Exposition. Twin City scenery also appeared at the Chicago Exposition of 1893. Twin City Scenic Studio was formed by Theodore Hays, William P. Davis, and William Knox Brown 1896 and incorporated in 1905 changing the name to Twin City Scenic Company. The company operated in Minneapolis, MN until 1980 when the studio was destroyed by fire. Both companies also provided scenery for Masonic halls and school auditoriums.

The Scenery

The 1901 scenery recovered at the Fife is an excellent example of the high quality of work by both companies. When the scenery was shown to the local artists at the Crawford County Art Show, the artists were very appreciative of the perspective and quality of the scenery. Nearly all of the recovered pieces have some water damage but the colors remain as vibrant as the day the scenery became a part of the Fife. The 30 pieces of scenery are breathtaking in their color, detail, and perspective. The woods flats were painted by Twin City Scenic Studio. The Grand Drapery, frescos, street scene, pastoral scene, park scene, plain interior scene, fancy interior scene, exterior scene, and drapery scenery was painted by Sosman and Landis. Several of the pieces are marked with the studio’s name. (We have just received microfilm of Sosman and Landis catalogs and may be able to match the scenery to a specific catalog and year.)

Conclusion

The Palestine History Club girls prepared two History Fair projects for the Central Regional History Fair based on their work. One project advanced to the Illinois State History Expo in mid May. The Palestine History Club members who recovered and cleaned the scenery have a vested interest in the history of their hometown. By becoming physically involved in recovering the scenery, they have come to realize the importance of preserving artifacts for future generations. They gave guided tours of the “Treasures of the Fife” with more than 125 people attending. The girls have also volunteered to work at other activities, which are held to raise funds for the restoration of the Fife. Their dedication to the project was evident in the enthusiasm and carefulness they displayed when working with the scenery. The quality of the scenery recovered has hastened the need for restoration. The PPPS is working with professionals to develop a plan. The Fife Opera House has earned a place in the history of Palestine simply by its location and activities, but now as a repository of its “treasures” of turn-of-the-century artwork.

Sources

Randi Givercer Frank. THE SOSMAN AND LANDIS STUDIO, A STUDY OF SCENE PAINTING IN CHICAGO, 1900-1925, thesis, May 1979, presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin.

STAGE AND SCENERY, May 1893 catalog by Sosman and Landis, owned the Palestine Preservation Projects Society.

THE TWIN CITY SCENIC COLLECTION, Popular Entertainment 1895-
1929, exhibit catalogue. University Art Museum, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 1987.