Scene Sketches

Pencil sketch of interior with stained glass window.

Sanctum Sanctorium in mourning. Black draperies with silver teardrops.
White fence separates the stage space from the ark of the covenant,
seven candles, and twelve vessels - Freemasonry Scottish Rite.

Pencil sketch of King Solomon’s council chamber.

Interior drop with floral wainscoting. Walls are yellow and tan.

GF Moody - Egyptian backdrop with hanging tapestries and a central throne.

Olio drop with mountains in the distance. The background composition and
color theme is similar to the illustration by Maxfield Parrish, titled “Daybreak.”

Parade Float - Sketch of a cornucopia with Pillsbury Flower and grain stalks

Drop curtain. Swagged draperies with central landscape.
Titled, 'Belagona Castle, Switzerland'

Classical interior with corridor leading to double multi-panel led doors.

Ad drop depicting an Eastern wall. Oriental
type block wall by Gilboe on cardboard.

Curved colonnade depicting the five orders of architecture.
Evening sky depicts the Morning star (Jupiter), the North
Star, and the seven stars of the Great Bear.

Drop curtain. A framed composition includes a Venetian
curtain with a seascape. Titled, 'Venice' 1923

Don C Dubois - Back drop of an Egyptian temple with two practical caryatids.

"The Performing Arts Archives holds a very rich collection of scenic backdrop renderings. It consists of watercolor renderings for theatre and Masonic drops which were created in the studios of Twin Cities Scenic Design Studios, Minneapolis, and the Great Western Stage Equipment Co., Kansas City, Missouri. The Holak Collection contains more than 180 renderings of drops for Scottish Rite temples and may be the most important of its kind. All told, there is a total of almost 1500 drawings in these beautiful and fascinating collections."

Actually, there are over 2000 records in the database. It is a decidedly odd collection. The great majority of material relates to Masonic Lodges or initiation degrees and rites in freemasonry... as reflected in theatre sketches from the early 20th century (?!). Also strange was how often the word 'asbestos' came up in the notes or in the actual images.

In keeping with the odd flavour of the material is the over-instructive landing page for the University of Minnesota Scenic Collections Database. Click the 'Skip Instructions..' link. Then, for the easiest way to browse, click 'Find All Records' and click 'Next' when the 3 thumbnail results come up. Then go into the resulting URL in the address bar and change the number after "max=" from 3 to any number you want. I found it easiest to coast through the collection with 500 thumbnail images per page. [All notes below the images here are quoted from the site]

Addit: Actually this is the landing page with links to background notes that help explain the context of the material. For instance:

"The rise of fraternal orders and societies in this country was phenomenal during the late 1800s; more than 6 million Americans had become members by 1907. These societies were formed to study social issues, to promote certain political viewpoints, or to provide philanthropic frameworks for the distribution of financial aid to their members.

Surprisingly, some of the biggest of these organizations arose out of the theatrical community. For instance, the Benevolent and Protected Order of Elk grew out of an association of New York minstrel players and managers, while the Fraternal Order of the Eagle was initially a coalition of theatre producers who joined together to fight the musicians' union. It may have been these ties to the theatre that led many societies to create elaborately costumed and staged initiation rituals."