THE DEStGN OF CERTNN SKDCK CHIMNEY ?EECES FOR THE STAGE Thesis fer fin Degree of M. A. MECHEGAN STATE COLLEGE Wa’fliam E. Boyd 1954 THEQS This is to certify that the thesis entitled The Design of Certain Stock Chimney Piece Unitsnfor the Stage presented by William E. Boyi has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for __M._A-_ degree in __Spaenh_ flag fig“ fir, Major professor Date Align-3t 9: 1994 0—169 THE DESIGN OF CERTAIN STOCK CHIMNEY PIECES FOR THE SEAGE By William E. Bozd A THESIS Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in.partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Speech 19Sh William E . Boyd THESIS ABSTRmCT The introductory chapter is concerned with the apparent lack of material on the use of the chimney piece as a means of quickly identify- ing a locale or period in a given play. Research showed that, while the fields of architecture and interior decoration were aware of the import- ance of the chimney piece, play production and scene construction texts ignored the problem. The usual methods of overcoming the problem of chimney piece construction were discussed and their shortcomings mentioned. What was needed was certain basic designs that would satisfy the under- lying structural requirements of several architectural periods by varying the external trim. As a corrollary to this problem was the need to design units that would take up little storage Space and that could be simply and easily constructed. ‘An arbitrary list of architectural periods was made, and three basic units were designed to meet the needs of "typical" chimney piece designs of each.period. Chapter Two dealt with the first basic design. This design had, as an outstanding feature, a very high.mantel. Six periods (Elizabethan, Restoration, Colonial, Baroque, Victorian and Eclectic) were discovered to have chimney pieces in which the high.mantel played an important part. Basic unit number I was designed to be adapted to meet the demands of these periods, with the addition of external trim. A discussion of the adaptations with illustrations, followed. William E . Boyd Chapter Three contained the design for basic unit number II, which had a four foot high mantel. This height reoccurred in nine of the twelve periods studied. These were the Elizabethan, Restoration, Georgian, Late Georgian, Baroque and Rococo, Civil war (American), Victorian, Eclectic and Modern. A discussion of these periods, with illustrations, followed. This unit was also adaptable by the use of external trim. Chapter Four dealt with basic unit number III which had a three foot mantel height. This mantel occurred primarily in the French styles of decoration. Only two major periods (Baroque and Rococo and Eclectic) contained this mantel height. A discussion of the periods, with illus- trations, followed. This unit was also capable of adaptation by use of external trim. Chapter Five dealt with the periods that were found to have "typical" chimney piece designs that could be represented by the addition of ex~ ternal trim directly to the fireplace flat, without the use of a separate basic structure. Discussion of the periods to which this method was applicable (all periods except the Victorian), with illustrations, followed. The study concluded with a summary of the basic designs while point- ing out the flexibility allowed the designer with this method. The economy of construction and storage Space was mentioned along with the easy portability of the units. The appendices included a list of plays set in the periods studied and a list of the periods in which each unit was applicable. ~ “A? - .g *3 a Q‘ . ‘~_'\; ‘1- h\ ACKNOWLEDGMENT The author wishes to express his sincere thanks to Mr. Virgil Godfrey upon whose suggestion and under whose supervision this study was undertaken. Thanks also toer. Donald.Buell without whose con- stant aid this study would never have been completed. The author also wishes to thank Dr. Charles Pedrey for his c00peration in the preparation of this thesis. For the Opportunity of doing graduate study, the author's thanks are tended to Dr. Wilson.Paul and to those staff members who have made the year such a stimup lating one. “#58! TABLEQFCONTENTS CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION. II BASIC UNIT NUMBER I......................................... III BASIC UNIT NUMBER II........................................ IV BASIC UNIT NUMBER III....................................... v SI‘EEWITHOUT Sl'RUCTURESOOOCOCOOO.0...’....0...........O... PAGE l 10 3h 63 75 VI WRYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0.0.0.0000...O.OOOOOOOOOOCOOIOOOOOOCCC102 BIBLIOmPIIY...0.00.0000...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0.0.0....OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 105 APPMICESOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0.0.00.0...OOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0.. 109 LIST OF r'ICXJRES FIGURE PAGE 1. Working Drawings for Basic Unit Number I.................... 12 2. Method of Adapting Basic Units to the Various Periods. ...... 13 3. Adaption of Basic Unit Number I for the Elizabethan Period.. 15 h. Adaption of Basic Unit Number I for the Restoration Period.. 19 S. Adaption of Basic Unit Number I for the Late Georgian Period 21 6. Adaption of Basic Unit Number I for the Baroque Period...... 25 7. Adaption of Basic Unit Number I for the Victorian Period.... 28 8. Adaption of Basic Unit Number I for the Eclectic Period..... 32 9. Example of Application of Trim to Chimney Pieces............ 3h 10. Working Drawings for Basic Unit Number II................... 36 ll. Adaption of Basic Unit Number II for the Elizabethan Period. 38 12. Adaption of Basic Unit Number II for the Restoration Period. bl 13. Adaption of Basic Unit Number II for the Georgian Period.... MI lh. Adaption of Basic Unit Number II for the Late Georgian and Colonial Period............................................. h? 15. Adaption of Basic Unit Number II for the Civil War Period... 50 16. Adaption of Basic Unit Number II for the Baroque and Rococo Period...................................................... 53 17. Adaption of Basic Unit Number II for the Victorian Period... 56 18. Adaption of Basic Unit Number II for the Modern Period...... 61 19. working drawings for Basic Unit Number III 65 20. Adaption of Basic Unit Number III for the Baroque Period.... 67 LIST OF FIGURES - Continued FIGURE PAGE 21. Adaption of Basic Unit Number III for the Rococo Period..... 70 22. Adaption of Basic Unit Number III for the Eclectic Period... 73 23. Chimney piece without structure for the Romanesque and Norman Period 77 21;. Chimney piece without structure for the Gothic Period....... 79 25. Chimney piece without structure for the Tudor Gothic Period. 81 26. Chimney piece without structure for the Eflizabethan Period.. 83 27. Chimney piece without structure for the Restoration Period.. 85 28. Chimney piece without structure for the Georgian Period..... 87 29. Chimney piece without structure for the Late Georgian Period 89 30. Chimney piece without structure for the Civil War Period..... 91 31. Chimney piece without structure for the Baroque and Rococo Period...................................................... 93 32. Chimney piece without structure for the Eclectic Period..... 96 33. Chimney piece without structure for the Modern Period.. ..... 98 314. Working drawing of a fireplace flat 101 CHAPTER I DITRODUCT ION In preliminary research into the area of the relative importance of the chimney piece in stage design and construction, on the educa- tional and community theatre level, the author discovered that there has been very little work done in this field. In the areas of archi- tecture and interior decoration the chimney piece has been deemed an important architectural feature. Charles Hayward, in English M 9.9.9. Their Decoration, has said, “From the Elizabethan period and onwards the fireplace was a subject of first importance in the rooms ."1 Wooster Bard Field quotes Charles Dudly Warner as saying, ”The fireplace is a window into the most charming world I have had a glimpse of."3 Mr. Field comments, "What better reason could be advanced for the presence of this feature in the living room, this focal of all family life in the house”. In The Decoration 2f E93223: Edith Hharton and and Ogden Codman add, "The fireplace was formerly regarded as the chief feature of the room, and so treated in every well-thought-out scheme of decoration.". Lillie French cements, 1Charles H. Hayward, English Rooms 3.119. Their Decoration it. 3 Glance, (London: The Architectural Press, 192;) II, 72. ‘wooster Bard Field, House Plannin , (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Conpaxw, 19140), p. 87. ‘Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman Jr., The Decoration _o_f_' Houses, (New York: Charles Schribner's Sons, 18977". 7 . "' ' ' ...it is the fireplace which tells £13 whole story 21... the; house. TItalics in the original ,5 ...0ne knows at once whether refinement prevails, good housekeeping, regard for the niceties, or only sham; whether the daily intercourse is fed by sentiment, or whether the whole life is arid of the finer touches....'Show no a man's fireplace, and I will show you the man.M These views show the importance placed on the chimney piece, or fire- place, by those in the fields of home planning and interior decoration. Texts on scenery construction and play production were not as rewarding. 0f thirty-seven play production and scenery construction books reviewed, none devoted more than two pages to chimney pieces, or fireplaces. Only ten of these texts even mentioned the chimney piece. These texts are indicated in the bibliography by an asterisk (it) following the item. The author felt that this neglect to the chimney piece in texts for the amateur theatre is cepecially unfortunate. C. Lowell Lees, in Plgy Production 229. Direction, states that "The most common staging medium is known as realism." Mr. Lees defines realism as being a type of staging that "...requires that sufficient detail be selected from the complex material of life so that when projected in the theatre, an audience will accept it as a life situation."‘5 If this is true, and it appears to be a good working definition, the'scene designer is attempt- ing to reproduce a life-like setting when he is designing a realistic set. The designer should then look for those features which will set, ‘Lillie H. French, 2112 House Diflied, (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1908), p. lhl. ‘0. Lowell Lees, Play Production and Direction, (New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 191.18, p. 119. quickly and simply, the locale and period which he is trying to repro- duce. To those statements mentioned above, which indicate the importance of the chimney piece, should be added this statement by Harold Eberlein in The Practical @3313 of Interior Decoration, "...by its very position and the space it occupies it (chimney piece) is usually a dominating factor in the composition of a room."6 The chimney piece is, then, one of the outstanding architectural features in the room. The chimney piece could be an outstanding feature in the design of a realis- tic setting by this reasoning. The chimney piece is a unit that is difficult to build and even more difficult to store. Units of this sort are usually built with a definite period of architecture in mind, and therefore the unit is definitely limited in its use . In all educational and comunity theatres in which the author has studied, the two most pressing problems of these theatres are storage space and expenses. The usual method of construct- ing a chimney piece unit to meet imediate needs is in conflict with both of these problems. Assuming that eventually a theatre could gain a stock of chimney pieces to suit all their future needs by the above mentioned method they would have a different unit for each of the different periods of architecture. The author felt that there should be a group of basic structures that would, with little modification, fit most of the situations that might be called for, and that would be in- expensive enough to fit am budget and compact enough not to complicate “Harold D. Eberlein, Abbot McClure and Edward S. Holloway, The; Practical Book 9; Interior Decoration, (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott COIPW, 1919): P- o an already crowded storage situation. The purpose of this thesis, therefore, has been to discover certain basic structural designs for chimney piece units that could be modified in their external motif to fit into the various forms of Western architecture that are most often employed on the American mateur stage, and that could be constructed in the shOps of a typical college or community theatre. Before going further, definition of some of the terms to be used in this study, is in order. Chimney £1,392 £312: A chimney piece is the '...ensmble of archi- tectural and decorative treatment about and over the fireplace." The fireplace in a strictly architectural sense, is "...an Opening on a hearth...where an Open fire may be laid." In general stage terminolog, and in that of the layman in the field of architecture, the two terms, I‘ohimney piece“ and ”fireplace", are synom'nous. Many of the sources used in this thesis are of a non-technical nature and are, therefore, prone to use the terms interchangeably. In the body of the thesis, the more exact architectural terminology has been used. Basic Structural Design_s_: Basic structural designs has been meant to include the basic superstructure, or skeleton, of the chimney piece units rather than the outward ornamentation, which may change from period to period of architectural history. These 'basic structural designs" have 7Henry H. Saylor, Diction if Architecture, (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1952), p. 3%. 5Ibid., p. 68. been conceived with the purpose of satisfying the underlying structural requirements of many periods, with modification of external details only. Various {ms 9}: Architecture...gployed 95 American Amateur Stage: The ptn‘ase refers, in this case, to those settings which are ”realistic” in nature, using as a working definition of realism that quoted from ‘ Hr. Lees earlier in the paper.9 This definition excludes, for the most put, those plays written before the latter part of the 19th Century (except for very musual treatments of these earlier playS) . However, the modern dramatists use mamr of the periods of the past as settings for their dramas. These ”modern" dramas are usually thought of as using the realistic setting. For instances of the high incidence of ”period plays“ among the works of modern dramatists, the author reviewed the listings from the _B_e_s_t 1133 of 93.525 W collection from 1900 to date ,1° Theatre M from 1915 to date,“ and to the suggested list of plays for the various periods in Historic Costume £31; 1% m.“ More than eighty plays set in various periods of the past were found to have been produced over the period of 1900-1951;. A listing of these plays will be found in Appendix A. Because of this high incidence of 90. Lowell Lees, 1.23. git. 1°Burns Mantle, Walter Chapman and Louis Kronerberger (eds.) , Best Plgys 2;; 1900-1912, (New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1900-1953) . uDaniel Blun (ed.) , Theatre World, (New York: Greenberg Pub- lisher , 19145-1952; . - 1'zLucy Barton, Historic Costume Q; the Stage, (Boston: Walter H. Baker Conpany, 1938 e “period plays', the designs for the basic chimney piece units have been planned to include the periods found to be most prevalent in the sources surveyed, plus this, the contemporary period. The American Amateur 1328.6. is meant to include all those producing groups that are not distinctly professional in nature. This includes educational and community theatre programs, especially. Standard Flat Construction: Throughout this thesis, when the term I'standard flat construction" is used, the term refers to Heffner, Sellman and Selden, who have stated, The following materials are essential for scenery construction: Lumber. ....By far the best wood for general scenic con- struction is good grade Northern or Idaho white pine. This is standard....the lumber should be ordered in strips l'x2', l'x3', and 1"xh" by 12'2-0' to 16'-0" long, dressed, and surfaced.... Covering Materials. Scenery is covered with either canvas or muslin....Muslin, the cheapest of all is rather flimsey and can be used to advantage on small frames only. Where expense is a prime consideration, however, and the pieces to be covered are not large, it works well enough.... Jointi_r_ig. The joint most commonly used on the stage is the simple butt, or right angle, joint reinforced with a corner block or keystone....The two pieces to be joined are placed squarely together, one at right angles to the other , and two 3/h' No. 5 corrugated fasteners are driven in edgewise, (teeth down), flush with the wood, across the seam. The corner block or keystone (small triangular or keystone-shaped piece of 3/16' profile board) is laid above this and secured by a number of l l/ha lath or clout nails. (At Michigan State College, the clout nails are replaced by 3/14" or 7/8" No. 8 wood screws.) ... Corner blocks and keystones should be set in l/h' from the outer edge of the piece of scenery to which they are attached... Covering. Lay the canvas, or muslin, cut the preper length plus 2" or 3", over this (the framework) ....Stretch the canvas and fasten it in position with four No. 6 carpet tacks driven in, part way only, in the four corners.... tack the canvas to the wood half an inch from the inner edge of the frame all the way around... apply the mixture (glue and whiting) evenly and gener- ously to the wood with an old brush....trim the excess canvas with a sharp knife...ls 1""1-lubert heffner, Samuel Selden and Hunton Sellman, Modern Theatre Practice, (New York: F. S. Crofts & Co., 19146) , pp. 227 ff. The Me _o_f_ 3. Typical College 93: Community Theatre: By the sheps of a typical college of community theatre, the author means a scenery cons struction chap that is equipped with only the basic hand wood-working tools, such as hand saws, hammers and screw drivers, manned by amateur personnel who are not skilled in the use of the more intricate powered tools. In the preliminary research, one great difficulty was encountered. The style, or characteristic form, of a Specific period in architectural history is subject to much disagreement and variation. In.her definitive study of costuming for the stage, Lucy Bartonl‘ divided her book into nineteen periods and for each of these she admits an approximation of dates and the inability to record each gradual change. In the preparer tion of this study, the author has encounteredeiss Barton's difficulty. The study has concerned itself with only those periods of architecture which have directly influenced‘western.man. The study has, also, been concerned with broad trends rather than with small variations within ten or fifteen year periods. A list of twelve periods has been quite arbitrarily formed, principally upon the basis of the results of the survey of the 132-112. gig” collection, Theatre we? and Miss Barton's listings,1' mentioned above. These periods are as follows: 1‘Ihid. 1”Burns Mantle, et_ _a_Ll_., lee. 93-20 16nsnisl Blum, lee. 3339. "Lucy Barton, lee. g_i_t_. 1. Romanesque and Norman 900-1200 2. GOthj'COOOOOOOOOOOOO......I......OOOOOOOOOOOlzm-mso 3. Renaissance or Tudor Gothic................1h50-1550 1". ElizabethanOOOOOOOOOO000.000.00.000...000.01550-1620 S. Restoration.‘OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOO.0.0.0.16m-l7m 6e aoz.gi-a-l1eeeeeeeeeeeoeeoeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeJ-7CXJ-l750 7. Colonial and Lake Georgian.................l750-1800 8. Baroque and Rococo.........................1530-1800 9. CiVil war (Amrican).0...0....00.000.000.0018m.18w 10. VictorianOOOOOOOOOOO.00.0.00.........OOOOOOIBw-lm 11. Eclectic and/or Grand Rapids Modern........l900-l920 12. Modern (contemorary)......................l920-l95h This listing, as stated above, is very arbitrary, especially in the matter of dates and has been prepared only because some unifying factor was needed and because the divisions seemed fairly logical and cons ' sistent to the author. The major portion.of this thesis is divided into four chapters. The first three of these chapters have a similar format. Each is con? cerned with a'basic chimney piece design. The author found that three basic designs satisfied.the major requirements of all the periods covered. In the case of each unit, the author has attempted to discover the periods in which each of the basic units would fit as the basis for a 'typical' chimney piece. The author realizes that "typical" is an in- accurate tenm in a field of such diversification as architecture and/or interior decoration. Nonetheless, where a basic structure appears again and again, the author has assumed that this structure is typical of the period under consideration. The three chapters concerned.with the basic units each'begin with a discussion of the construction of the basic unit under consideration. Immediately following the written discussion is a working drawing of the basic unit just described. Following this is a discussion of the various periods into which the unit seems to fit, with accompanying sketches showing a possible adaptation of the basic unit to the periods suggested. In some cases, more than one basic unit was found to be correct for one period. In those cases, a sketch for the same period has been included in all the appropriate chapters. An explanation of the application of detail follows each sketch. Following the working drawings for Basic Unit Number I, there is a drawing showing the method by which the basic units may be modified to conform to the various periods by means of decorative plugs and.mantels. At the end of Chapter II is a sketch showing the application of detail to one of the chimney pieces described in Chapter II. The fourth chapter is concerned.with those styles of architecture in which the chimney piece may be satisfactorily portrayed without the use of any of the three basic units. The author has attempted to limit the materials used in the cone struction of the basic units, mantels and plugs to those common, ine expensive materials found in a construction Shop, such as described in the definition of terms section of this introduction. CHAPTER II BASIC UNIT NUMBER. I As stated in the introductory chapter, the basic units were de- signed to conform with various "typical" chimney piece designs aong the periods listed. The first at these—basic units has, as its out— standing feature, a very high mantel. In the research of the twelve major periods, a high mantel of this type was found to be prevalent in six of them. These six are: l. Elizabethan 2. Restoration 3. Colonial h. Baroque 5. Victorian 6. Eclectic The periods and the adaptation of the unit to them will be taken up at length later in this chapter. The basic units are made to conform with the decorative motifs of the. various periods by the use of special plugs, to vary the size and shape of the fireplace Opening, and by the use of special decorative nentels which may be constructed to suit any external variations of ornmentation from period to period. A general method of adapting the units by the use of these plugs and mantels is shown in Figure 2. A comparative study, with actual examples from the figures illustrating this chapter, will be found in Figure 9. Basic unit number I is six feet in height from the tap of the mantel to the floor. The unit is five feet wide and has an Opening four feet wide by five feet high. The depth of the entire unit is eight inches. A saddle iron extends across the bottom at the rear for added strength. The unit has been constructed from one inch by three inch white pine lumber, except for the mantel which is a single two inch by eight inch piece of white pine , five feet in length. This "basic mantel" has four holes, one inch in diameter, drilled into the tap surface to a depth of one and one-quarter inches. These holes are used to hold the “decorative mantel” which has dowels placed in the bottom surface. The unit has five loose pin hinges placed at the rear edge of the actual fireplace opening. One of these loose pin hinges is at the center of the top edge of the Opening. The other four are arranged in pairs on the sides of the Opening. These hinges are used to attach the various plugs necessary to change the size and shape of the fireplace opening, - as mentioned above. Standard flat construction, ‘as described in }_1_o_d_;_er_n_ Theatre Practice} has been used throughout on the basic units. Figure 1 is the working drawing for basic unit mmber I. Figure 2 shows the general method of modifying the units , as previously mentioned . This method applies to all units. ”Hubert Heffner , Samuel Selden, and Hunton Sellman , 3:23 . _c_i_._t_ . ‘hoo-o O-V ~ ‘M' ~-e- ‘- f $232. I s - 4’: . '- a u '. I! ...-“~— I J. c.--‘ ~91: in--- o d . . W 1C T}.- '1‘? ‘8' re. 33.“. m MNSZDbDD manmxvx BOZWWDCOW~02 Cuho 02 >2. Q2..~..M 12.3 a: .2 Etienne ... oosxmem 0\ /M WI” ”\ /° Mase ...Oo if F . a mix: + _I1 W0 LL41 Tmf :10.“ M WWII; .. - Duh». fig macho. H no .Z< i .1 0 th . as. Anistll limo» \ \ .. _ .. momma Scam t .. l txlfififi . ....I... ) mQfinltmz .lflmtdmu n a on... _ .. A: :32. ...e. s e . that Sam . . . 9.5. an 5.24 . emanati’$ 333 The Italian Renaissance chimney piece that represents the Eclectic period for this basic structure, requires no overmantel. The decorative mmtel is made of a five feet, eight inch piece of one by twelve inch lumber, with the molding attached as indicated in Figure 2. The curved portinn of this decorative mantel is formed of paper maché over a rough wooden frme nailed or screwed to the decorative mantel. The great stone curves at either side of the fireplace Opening are covered with E-Z Curve, a very flexible composition board, nailed to a wooden frme- work. The wooden framework is nailed to the basic unit. The entire unit is placed on a low platform, used as a raised hearth. The carved I'feet" at the base of the large curves are built up of paper macho. The fireplace opening in the basic unit needs no modification. A drape is hung from the tap edge of the fireplace opening as indicated in the sketch, Figure 8. JCALE '/2" -/ 1V FlGUREN-‘Z? PAINTED. TRIM APPL (Ea MOLDINO , ', fl ,. l ,/ ..//’/ / , / /_ —’ ./ , PAPER MACHE «(curses rvouma peuv TED TRIM 77 lU/' EXAMPLE OF APPLICATION OF {RIM T0 CHIMNEX PIECES. Tetra/v FPO/V1 FIGURE N06 THIS METHOD )5 APPLICABLE TO ALL PERIODS AND UNITS. CHAPTER III BASIC UNIT NUMBER II The second basic unit, like the first, was designed to meet the demands of the various “typical" chimney piece designs of the periods discovered. The second of these basic units has a.mantel height of four feet and appears in.more periods than either of the other two basic units. Basic unit number II was found to be prevalent in nine of the twelve periods. These nine are: .mn&%Mn .Rflwamn .wwgm Late Georgian and.Colonial . Baroque and Rococo . Civil War (American) 7. Victorian 8. Eclectic xnwwn O\Vlr'\oJNl-' e The description of the requirements of these periods and the adaption of the basic unit to these requirements have‘been taken up at length lnainmemwwL Basic Unit number II is four feet in height from the top of the mental to the floor. The unit is four feet, ten inches wide and has an Opening three feet, ten inches wide by three feet high. The depth of the entire unit is eight inches. A saddle iron extends across the bottom at the rear for added strength. The unit has been constructed from one inch.by three inch white pine lumber, except for the mante1.which is a 35 single tub inch by eight inch piece of white pine, four feet, ten inches in length. This "basic mantel" has four holes, one inch in diameter, drilled into the tap surface to a depth of one and one-quarter inches. These holes are used to hold the ”decorative mantel" which has dowels placed in the bottom surface. The unit has five loose pin hinges placed at the rear edge of the actual fireplace Opening. The other four are arranged in pairs on the sides of the Opening (see working drawing, Figure 10). These hinges are used to attach the various plugs necessary to change the size and shape of the fireplace Opening, as with unit I. Standard flat construction has been used throughout}- The over-all dimensions of this unit allow it to be stored inside basic unit number I, in the same manner as nested tables. 1Heffner , log. _<_:_i_t_. rill] ii. In; iii .0 ~t 37 The Elizabethan period, as was mentioned in Chapter II, was noted for elaborate and massive chimney pieces. That chimney pieces were an important part of the room decoration is pointed out by Mr. Eberlein, who says, The fireplace and its superstructure always formed an highly significant and much decorated feature of thereon. The Opening of the fireplace was of generous size and the surround was of carved stone...while the massive super- structure Or chimney piece might be either of richly carv- ed stene or of wood...carved with an equal degree of elaboration. Whether of wood or of stone , the further en- richment of colour and gilding was often added....The over- mantel decoration, too , often consisted Of a stucco-durro or a parge composition, instead of carvings in stone or wood... The same style of device (frieses of hunting scenes, mythological or historical subjects) was likewise used for an overmantel embellishment and well-molded strap work was employed freely. It was not at all unusual to augment the decorative effect of this carefully wrought stucco-durro work by polychrome treatment in tempra colours .2 The temple , Figure 11, includes the Tudor arch that was mentioned by Mr. Hayward as a distinctive holdover from earlier times.3 The example is taken from Mr. Eberlein's book“ and is the chimney piece in a dining room of the early Stuart or late Elizabethan period. ”Harold Eberlain, 3:531." 22. 33.2., p, 8, 1'Charles: Hayward, pp. £11., p. 81. 4Harold Eberlein, _e_t_ 5A., 22. 31.3., plate 3. FIGURE NQ-II. SCALE MfQW' STYLE I LATE EUZABETHAN 39 The overmantel is constructed from one flat, four feet high and four feet, ten inches wide, and two pieces of one by tln'ee inch lumber each four feet long. This unit is put together in the same manner as the overmantel used in the Elizabethan section of Chapter II. It then is attached, by nailing or by screws, to the tap of the basic unit, flush with the front edge . Strips of molding, combined with painting, are nailed to the tap edge Of the overmantel structure. The detail work Of the overmantel is also handled in the same manner as the over- mantel for the Elizabethan period in the previous chapter. That is, the carving is simulated by a combination Of paper macho molding on wooden frames nailed to the structure and painted detail. NO decorative mantel is used with this design. Strips of molding are nailed to the tOp edge of the basic unit, instead. Two pieces Of one by six inch boards are nailed vertically along the edges of the fireplace Opening. These, with small strips Of molding nailed vertically across them near the bottom, form the columns that extend from the floor- to the mantel shelf. The fluting and similar detail on these columns is painted. The fireplace opening of the basic unit is not Of the correct size or shape for this design. A decorative plug is constructed according to the method in Figure 2. This plug has an Opening two feet ten inches wide and two feet six inches high at the peak Of the Tudor arch, the sweeps for which are cut from scrap pieces Of one by four inch stock and at- tached from the rear with keystones. The entire unit is recessed five inches into the wall, making a shallow unit, as shown in the sketch. ho In the Restoration period two tendencies were noted in the prev- ious chapter. The first trend was a continuation along the lines of the Elizabethan chimney piece, a trend not included here because the section on the Elizabethan period covers the style sufficiently. The other trend was exemplified by the Inigo Jones-Sir ChristOpher Wren school of design. According to Charles Hayward, During the Wren period the fireplace, although the sub- Ject of careful attention, was not made such an outstanding feature. The general impression given is that the whole consists of a flat background with decorative motifs applied, instead of being a complete structure in itself, as in the earlier types. The use of the picture in the overmantel was continued, and was usually surrounded by carvings in the bold Grinling Gibbon style...A Wren fireplace...shows the general tendency to eliminate the mantel shelf .5 Mr. Eberlein says of the evermantel decoration that it was often ....a large panel surrounded with heavy mouldings and flanked and surmounted with carved flower, fruit and foliage swags and drape...” He also mentions that "In many instances either a portrait or else a decorative still life painting would be franed in the panel ."° The example sketched in Figure 12 shows this trend. The sketch is taken from Roger Gilman's Great Styles <_>_f_ Interior Architecture? and this chimney piece is in the dining ream of Holme Lacy and was built in 1691;. “Charles Hmord, pp. 333., p. 75. “Harold Eoerlein, et a1., op. cit., p. 13. ”Roger GiJnan, Greats les of Int___e___rior Architecture, (New York: Harper 8: Brothers Publish hers, I 92U:-'__ Chapter VI I, Plate I. 5(ALE1/2"=I' FIGURE N912. / /D:N)Ne ROOM MANTEL HOLME LACY “91+ he There is no overmantel structure in this example . The overmantel decoration consists of a large, heavily framed picture flanked and sur- mounted by elaborately carved panels. These panels may be painted, or they may be a canbination of paper maché and painting. If the latter is the case, the molding of the carvings could be done on a heavy composition board base which would be mailed to the flats which form the wall directly behind the chimney piece. The decorative mantel is constructed of a single piece of one by ten inch lumber five feet two inches long. Strips of molding are nailed to the basic unit just below the decorative mantel. The stepped effect franing the fireplace Open- ing is painted. The fireplace opening in the basic unit is too large and incorrectly shaped for this example. A decorative plug (Figure 2) is constructed to reduce the size of the Opening to three feet four 4 inches in width and two feet nine inches in height at the tap of the curved arch. The curve is constructed in the same manner as in the period just preceding. The plug is not attached in the usual manner. A frame of one by two inch lumber is nailed to the rear edge of the fireplace Opening and the decorative plug is nailed to this frme, in- creasing the stepped effect suggested by the painting of the basic unit. h3 In the Georgian petiod, the chimney piece again became a point of interest for the builders and designers. Mr. Eberlein speaks of the architectural details as, ”...vigorous in line and classic in fashion- flutcd pilasters with apprOpriate capitals, correct architectural entablatures, pediments of several types...and bold, well-rounded mouldings." Roger Gilmn says, ...it was the mantel that appealed most to the architects and the public...They spoke of their mantels as of two stories or one story. In the two story mantel the lower part was always of white marble, heavy and somewhat florid in its rococo consoles; the upper portion, of wood or plaster, was lighter and richer....In the center was always a large panel with a portrait or with a bas- relief symbol- izing the taste of the house, whether literary or sporting.... One story mantels were equally rich, but had their Special use in drawing rooms or small salons...At the end of the period they were made of two kinds of marble , the darker, green or yellow, being used as a ground for sumptuous inlays Of white, while garlanded friezes and fluted pilasters were all carried out in color.9 The chimney piece sketched (Figure 13) is taken from a design by James Gibbs and is dated by T. A. Strange, in whose book it appears, as early 18th Century.“ It is of the two story type. One story design by the some person, Gibbs, shows a strong similarity to the mantel preper in this design. 'Harold Eberlein, 3233;” a. sit” p. 31;. 9Roger Gilman, 22. £53., p. 172. "T. A. Strange, English Furniture, p. 119. SCALE vz"=l' FIGURE N913. ‘. a " I 'I ,i? w "1" ' J U ; DESIGN BY I, IAMES GIBB§ EARL Y 15H. CENTURY 1:5 The ovemmantel decoration for this example of Georgian archi- tecture is constructed of pieces of molding nailed to the flat behind the chimney piece. These pieces of molding are nailed around the rather ornate picture frame which.is painted to represent heavy carving. The pediment is also constructed of strips of wood nailed to the flat and with painted carved details. A combination of nailed molding and painting is used at the top of the flat. The flats directly behind the chimney piece jut‘out from the rest of the wall, bringing the. chimney'piece into an even more prominent position. The spiral curves at the lower sides of the picture frame are molded of paper maché on a wooden frame nailed to the flat. The decorative mantel is constructed from a single piece of one by twelve inch lumber, five feet six inches long. IMOlding strips are nailed to the decorative mantel as shown.in Figure 2. The curved decoration above the fireplace opening is made of paper maché molded over a wooden form that is nailed to the basic unit. The molding that frames the fireplace Opening is nailed to the unit. The Opening in the basic unit is larger than required by the design. Two boards, each.five inches in width and one inch thick, are placed along the two sides of the Opening. These boards reach to the tOp of the opening and reduce its size to a three foot square. These boards are attached with keystones to the rear of the basic unit. 146 The late Georgian and Colonial period was strongly influenced by the Brothers Adam , who, like Wren and Jones before them, were the lead- ing exponents of their day. Mr. Hayward speaks of the great changes that they accomplished ”...in house-planning as well as in decorative design." 11 The colonies were following the English example but, according to Roger ‘ . Gdlman, with a decidedoFrench influence.13 Hayward says of the designers of the day, They devoted a good deal of attention to their treatment of fireplaces. Marbles of various colours were used as well as wood. The latter was usually painted. They were carved with the classic orders, Greek ornamentation, etc. Mantelpieces of the mantel shelf height were the type they usually favored, the upper portion having a mirror in a delicate frame or a mural painting framed with stucco ornamentation.1s The sketch illustrating this period (Figure 11;) is taken from Mr. Gilman's book}4 The same design appears in two other sources and is evidently quite typical of the Adm style. The chimney piece in the sketch is from the dining room of a home at 20 Portman Square , London, and was built about 1775-77. 11Charles Hayward, pp. 3_i_.‘_t., p. 62. 2~3Roger Gilman, 22. 333., p. 193. 13Charles Hayward, 3.32. git. 3~4Roger Gilmsn, a. pit” Chapter II, Plate 7. 5CALE'I/2'91’ FIGURF N9- (LIT l owmc- ROOM MANTEL , IO PORT'MAN SQUARE, LONDON [775277 to There is no overmantel structure with this example. The stucco decoration on the wall above and to the sides of the chimney piece are painted. The decorative mantel is constructed of a five foot long piece of one by ten inch lumber. A strip of molding is nailed to the bottom side Of the decorative mantel. Two pieces of one by four inch lumber are nailed, one to a side, along the edge of the face of the basic unit. These extend from the floor to the bottom of the decorative mantel and, with painted detail, constitute the column effect. The fireplace Opening is right size for the design. The slanting thickness pieces extending back from the Opening are constructed of composition board. These pieces are cut to the correct angle and then tacked to the edge of the Opening. The pieces are backed by strips of board and are joined by means of nails through these boards. £9 The Baroque style was an advance from the Renaissance styles with their massive structures and their walk-in hearths. Mr. Eberlein says, Although the fireplace Opening began to be appreciably reduced in size. . . the chimney piece superstructure extend- ing to the ceiling lost more of its pristine importance and was duly embellished with all the decorative assets of the time. The scheme usually included some central feature--a decorative panel or icturensurrounded by a composition of some of the (typical mofits...The whole composition might be in stone, wood or stucco.15 The design chosen for sketching is not an overly elaborate one. It does have the basic features that are included in the more complex structures. This design was created by I. Barbet, who also did the de- sign used in the previous chapter for this sale period. It is taken from a series of designs by M. Barbet in T. A. Strange's book of French decoration}6 Mr. Strange says, “I have not been able-to trace anything about Barbet, but he dedicates his book (of designs) to Cardinal Richelieu (1633) .a 1" 1'bliberlein, 92. 213., p. 121. lemrmge, .220 Elie, pa 13. 1"Ibid" p. 8. SCALE I/2"=/' FIGURE N945, v 1' CHIMNEY PIECE DESIGN " I. BARBET. . FIRST HALF 17H. CENTURY 5]. The overmantel structure for the Baroque example shown in figure 15, is constructed. in the sane manner as the overmantels previously mentioned. That is, of a flat and two boards attached to form a box with one side Open. The flat, in this example, is four feet ten inches wide and six feet tall. The boards are one by six inch lumber, six feet long. These are either nailed, screwed, or held together by "L'I braces. The molding on the tap and just the tap is nailed onto the framework. The stepped effect at the sides is painted. The picture frame is nailed to the framework and the device above the frame is cut to shape and painted after being nailed to the structure. The carved figures at each side of this device are molded from paper mache on a wooden base. No decorative mantel is used. Molding is nailed to the tap edge instead. A piece of board is cut to the shape of the point of the mantel shelf. This board is nailed to the front edge of the tap of the basic mantel to make a solid framework for the molding that is applied to complete the mantel shelf. Two pieces of one by four inch board are cut to the shape of the columns at either side of the fire- place Opening. Molding is nailed to them where it is indicated in the sketch and the entire column is nailed to the basic framework. The carving and central device directly above the fireplace Opening is molded from paper mache upon a wooden frame that is nailed to the basic unit. The small detail work on this device, and on the columns is painted. The fireplace Opening is unchanged. 52 The American Civil War period was strongly influenced by English forms, chiefly circulated through builder's handbooks. Meyric Rogers says that one of the strongest influences in the New England area was a book called The Countg Builder's Assistant, by Asher Benjamin. Benjamin, according to Rogers, "...adaptod the style to the capacities of the builder-carpenter and was largely responsible for the ornaental character of the average house of the period)“ Mr. berlein says, Mantel-pieces of black or dark grey veined marble often- times with two plain pillars supporting the shelf, were in common use. White marble and wood painted white, and fashioned in the same pattern, were also much used.’-9 Mr. Eberlein also mentioned the uses of caryatid figures as supports instead of the pillars mentioned above. The figure, number 16, is taken from the Rogers book20 and is the mantel from the parlor of Duncan House, Haverhill, Massachusetts , as shown in a reproduction by the HetrOpolitan Museum of Art, in New York. Mr. Rogers calls attention to the rodlike colonnettes , the drill-and-gougework elaboration of the moldings and the molded composition ornament applied to the mental frieze.21 1filleyric ROgers, gp. git” p. 2118. 19Harold Eberlein, 92. 33., p. 51. ”Picnic Rogers, 0 . git.” p. 2149. “Ibid. , p. 2&8. 5cm. 5' V2"rl’ F¢C-UREN9“lé I: h \ PARLOR CHIMNEY PIECE DUNCAN H0955 L HAVE?“ 1 LL, msmc u US-E T TS 4818' 5h The overmantel structure in Figure 16 is constructed in the same manner as the previous overmantel structures. A flat six feet high and four feet ten inches wide has two pieces of one by six nailed to the side edges. The "drill-and-gougework" molding at the tap of the over- mantel is mailed to the structure, with the small detail.painted. Pieces of one inch dowel are cut to fit from the bottom of this mold- ing, which projects about two inches from the overmantel structure, to the tsp of the basic mantel. These are then nailed into place as shown. The picture frame is hung to the overmantel structure. The stepped framing around the actual picture frame is painted. No decorative mantel is used. A strip of'molding is nailed to the edge and pieces of wood are nailed to the front just under the dowels from the overmantel. Another set is nailed directly under them at the base of the basic unit. A block of wood is nailed to the basic unit directly over the fireplace opening. The molded ornament of the original is painted. More dowels, also one inch in diameter are cut to fit between the special decorative moldings at the sides of the fireplace Opening. These are lined up with the dowels above the mantel shelf and then nailed into place. The fireplace Opening is reduced by means of a decorative plug attached in the manner described in Figure 2. This plug has a rectangular opening three feet ten inches in width and two feet six inches in height. 55 During the Victorian period, the tendency toward filling the room with various pieces of furniture and bric-é-brac accentuated the chin- ney piece because the mantel shelf was a handy receptable for these small knick-knacks. In 1213 Decoration 2; Houses, by Wharton and Codman, the authors decry the use of the mantel as a bric-a-brac shelf and speak of the shelf as bringing about “...the accumulation of super- fluous knick-knacks ." '3 They further decry "The device of concealing an ugly mantel-piece by folds of drapery...“ which, they say, ”... brings an inflammable substance so close to the fire that there is a suggestion of danger even when there is no actual risk)” The sketch is from a photograph in American Interior Design.“ It is the chimney piece of a drawing room in a house at h19 Fifth Avenue, New York, and is from about 1890. Meyric Rogers, author of American Interior Desi , says of this period, The conflicting and insistent design of the fabrics in both drapery and upholstery and the lack of harmony between the furniture and the wall treatment are weaknesses typical of a period which held the potted palm and the tiger-skin in high esteem. Though this exmnple happens to be of a city house in New York, such interiors were to be found in the homes of the affluent throughout the country and are basically noth- ing more than more luxurious and sophisticated versions of the ceremonial parlor of the average middleolass home .‘36 ”Wharton and Cod-an. 3;. 313., p. 83. 3°_I_b__i_§l_., p. 8h. “Regen, 22. 935., p. 267. ”£53.51.” p. 266. SCALE'/2"=I’ F/GUR£ N217 "’2‘}: 3:: ‘ ::== d: ‘3... as it". . 53‘ e OK i} :3 [R R g in I“ ‘ ,0) ~ ‘0 . 5’ '95 , p. DRAWING Room -,1 CHIMNEY PIECE 4/? FIFTH AVENUE, NEW 701% ABOUT I890. 57 The overmantel decoration in the example (Figure 17) is limited to a mirror with an easily painted frieze around it. This is all placed on the flat behind the chimney piece. The decorative mantel is not of the usual construction. It is a wooden structure that is four feet six inches long, six feet high.and six inches wide. It is placed on the basic mantel so that there is a margin of two inches around the three sides Of the structure seen. A flexible composition board is then tacked from the t0p edge of the boxrlike framework to the tOp edge of the basic mantel. It is tacked in such a manner as to produce the curve shown in the sketch. The detail work on this curve is painted. A strip Of molding is nailed along the top edge of the‘boxrlike struc- ture. The basic unit is the correct shape to satisfy the design. The detail, carving and paneling, is painted. A curving thickness is added to the fireplace Opening by the same method described in the Late Georgian section of this chapter. 58 The eclectic period was, as was previously mentioned, a mixing of the great styles of the past, frequently in one room. In his book, Practical Book 9}; Interior Decoration, Harold Eberlein states, It is perfectly obvious that the overmantel space demands a suitable decorative handling. That decoration may consist of a picture, preferably a portrait, or else a subject of dis- tinctly decorative character such, for instance, as some of the eighteenth century fruit or flower pieces; a mirror, which is generally a legitimate substitute for a picture and is suseptible of considerable engaging embellishment; a has-relief or a carving, perhaps one of those old Japanese polychrome carvings or one of the curious Chinese carved and inlaid shop signs; a decorative map or , perhaps a decorative treatment of a plot of the grounds on the estate adjoining the house...Due contrast is a desirable quality to impart emphasis in the over- mantel scheme. Such contrast may be Obtained, for example, by using a pre-Raphaelite picture in a Florentine frame against a background Of dull, greenish, loose-woven Old brocade, or by a Chinese painting in reverse on glass in a teak-wood frame against a rough grey plaster wall.“ As has been previously stated, the eclectic period borrowed from all the styles of the past. Any of the other illustrations given in this chapter would “fit" in a room of this period. Because of this the author feels it is‘unnecessary to include a separate sketch for the treatnent of this period. 1”Eberlein, 92. 933., p. 3W. 59 In contemporary housing, there are three different styles in which the design usually will be set. The first of these styles consists of a simplified and modernized version of early American periods. Rogers “’3: A poll taken in 1937 by one of the leading architectural periodicals as to building conditions in the middle bracket, that is, for homes costing in the neighborhood of $10 ,000 or less--indicated that popular demand was still eighty-five per cent for the "Colonial“.."it is probable that in some measure such a preference continues.” This trend is covered by the sketches of Colonial and Late Georgian ex- amples in Chapter II, this chapter, and Chapter V. The second style trend, and the one usually associated with the word "modern", is dis- cussed in Chapter V, in the section on modern chimney pieces. The sketch in this chapter (Figure 18) deals with what Heyric Rogers calls ”conservative contemporary design'.” The sketch is of the chimney piece in the living room of the Thomas B. Sherman house, in St. Louis, and was built about 1937. The photOgraph from which the sketch is taken, appears in American Interior Desig.29 Mr. Rogers says of the design, ...[it] represent [s] an important movanent in contemporary interior design which is apt to be overlooked mid the pub- licity given to the International style and its more radical derivatives. Basically such desigis are thoroughly contemporary in their avoidance of any consistent period treatment or archi- tectural embellishment as such and also in their employment of color and texture as Opposed to pattern. a"Rogers, 22. 3%., p. 179. a°Ibid., p. 270. ”lbid., p. 271. They show rather mukedly the continued influence of the Paris Exposition of 1925 in their effort to combine decorative accent with the meeting of utilitarian require- ments. This is particularly evident in this example in the design Of the fireplace....30 3°Ibid., p. 270. SCALE W" l' FIGURE N9- l8. / 0 I I 'l , / I . /‘ u ’1 / x ‘ // \' l /, // // “ a , / \ i I - ,2": / 2‘ X”) :, 2,, I I; fl/ z .z’ . 7 4,: .4’ 4’ , ' , ”4‘14 /-’,// ’72 ’1, , //. l/ [I tLJu THOMAS SHERMAN HOUSE 5T. Lows—1937 The overmantel requires no special treatment in construction. .Mr. Rogers mentions an all-glass overmantel mirror which is rather elaborate .31 If used, this mirror would be attached to the flat behind the chimney piece. NO decorative overmantel is used. A strip of rather_heary molding, six inches wide, is put over a rough wooden frame with paper maché. Thde molding carries up along the sides of the fire- place opening and across the top Of the basic unit. The detail on the molding, small curves, etc., is painted. The molding rises about three inches from the surface of the basic unit. The fireplace Open- ing is modified by a decorative plug (as described in Figure 2) to an Opening size Of two feet ten inches by two feet ten inches. “paid. CHAPTER IV BASIC UNIT NUMBER III The third basic unit, like the first two, was designed to meet the denamMB of the various “typical" chimney piece designs of the periods discovered. The third er these basic units has a mantel height of three feet and appears in fewer periods than either of the other two basic units. Basic unit number III is a special case that appears in only three of the periods studied. These three are: l. Baroque 2. Rococo 3. Eclectic The periods and the adaptation of the unit to then will be taken.up at length later in the chapter. Basic unit number III is three feet in.height from the tap of the mantel to the floor. The unit is four feet eight inches wide and has an opening three feet eight inches wide by two feet six inches high. The depth of the entire unit is eight inches. A saddle iron extends across the bottom at the rear for added strength. The unit has been constructed from one inch by three inch white pine luhber, except for the mantel which is a single two inch by eight inch.piece of white pine, four feet eight inches in length. This "basic mantel" has four holes, one inch in diameter, drilled into the tap surface toha depth of one and one-quarter inches. These holes are used to hold the decorative mantel which has dowels placed in the bottom surface. The unit has three loose pin.hinges placed at the rear edge of the actual fireplace opening. The other two are arranged apposite each other on the sides of the opening (see working drawing, Figure 19). These hinges are used to attach the various plugs necessary to change the size and shape of the fireplace Opening, as with units I and II. Standard flat con- struction (see Chapter II) has been used throughout. Figure 2 shows the general nethed of adapting this unit to the various periods. Figure 2 has, however, four loose pin hinges at the sides of the fire- place opening instead of two. For the correct position of these hinges in this unit, consult the working drawings (Figure 19). The over-all dimensions of this unit allow it to be stored inside basic units nmnber II and I, in the same manner as nested tables. FIGURE N2 10. SCALE 4/2",/’ ,______.l DESlGN FOR CHIMNEY PIECE PIFRRE LE PAUTRE LAST HALF rm. CENTURY 68 The svermantel decoration is Of such an elaborate nature that the author would suggest painting it directly on the flat behind the basic unit. The decorative mantel is made from a single piece of one by nine inch lumber, four feet ten inches long. This permits the shelf to extend one inch beyond the'basic mantel on all sides. The molding that srrounds the fireplace Opening on the basic unit is all painted. The fireplace Opening is curved at the top by the addition of plywood or composition'board sweeps cut to the arch illustrated.while leaving the Opening its full height at the peak of the arch. These sweeps are attached to the rear of the basic unit by keystones, which are fastened by Number 7 or 8 wood screws seven-eighths of an inch in length. The fireplace Opening needs no other modification. 69 According to Hr. Eberlein, "In a broad general way, when speaking of the great decorative styles, the term Rococo is usually regarded as synonymous with the Style Louis Quinze."a Mr. Eberlein stated further, Fireplaces were low in dimension...and sometimes wide, with low mantelpieces of wood, marble or stone carved in motifs consistent with the rest of the curvilinear decora- tion. The low mantel shelf terminated the decorative construction Of the fireplace; there were no structural ”continued chimney pieces.” The front of the chimney jamb above the mantel shelf was graced by a mirror or by panelling and treated in‘a manner precisely similar with the rest of the wflls.‘ Roger Gillan speaks Of the chimney piece of the Rococo period as a ....low marble frame just higher than the table with a racy outline of sinious curves both for its fire Opening and its shelf.“ The design reproduced in the sketch is from the design for the side of a room by Charles Etienne Briseux and it appears in Mr. Strange's book on French decoration . a l5Eberlein, 22. 92., p. 137. 6Ibid., p. 11:7. 7611mm, 23. 513., p. 156. “Strange, 92. 23., p. 297. scALEI/2"=I’ FIGURE N22, ‘/ L ' “if, ef‘.:\_ V b.” I I.',{\ I J; A C IMNEY PIECE DESIc-N CHARLES ETIENNE BRISEUK MIDDLE 18H. CENTURY 71 The overmantel space, as mentioned above, has no chimney piece structure. In this sketch (Figure 21), the overmantel space is filled with a large mirror. The frame around the mirror, as well as the mirror itself, can be painted along with the rest of the wall decora— tion. The decorative mantel consists of a single piece Of white pine four feet ten inches long and nine inches wide (one inch thick). The curved edges of the basic unit are molded of paper maché over a wooden frame nailed to the basic unit. Small trim is painted. The central figure above the fireplace Opening is molded'of paper 11th directly onto the basic unit. The detail is then painted. The fireplace Open- ing is of the correct size but the top edge is modified to the curved shape of the sketch. This is done by using plywood sweeps attached to the rear of the basic unit with keystones, which are fastened by Number 7 or 8 wood screws, seven-eighths of an inch in length. 72 As previously stated, the eclectic period is a conglomeration of many styles and periods. Because of this fact, slinost any of the illustrations in this study could be placed in the eclectic period. One other period of French architecture contains the three feet high mantel as a distinctive feature. That is the period of Louis XVI. Since this period did not enter this study in its chronological order and because it was a pOpular style during the eclectic period9 it is included here. Mr. Eberlein says of the Louis XVI style, Fireplaces remained low...and there were no 'continued chimney pieces' , the overmantel space being customarily filled by a large mirror....Mantel shelves were low and, in the design and structure Of the whole mantel composition, forty-five degree angles, straight lines and parallel sides took the place of the flowing curves that had previously been in vegue.10 The sketch (Figure 22) is from Mr. Eberlein's book and is of the salon or the Hotel Du Chatelet, in Paris.“ 9Patterson, 22. 933., p. 177. I“)Eberlein, 92. git” p. 1514. 11'Ib:l.d., plate h8b. l 2 EU a I R .I. PflAS E TF1. 3\. YO U I rNCH—Ilw E W mm“: I. HMTL . CAMY fifinr #/ I S SCALE :12'3= 1' 7h The overmantel decoration consists of a.mirror on the flat directly behind the basic unit. All trim on this flat is treated in the same manner as the rest of the wall trim, usually painted. There is no decorative mantel, just a narrow strip of‘molding nailed to the tap edge of the basic unit. The two circular ornaments at the tOp corners of the front of the basic unit are molded with paper maché. The rest of the trim is painted. The fireplace Opening needs no altering. CHAPTER V STYIES WITHOUT STRUCTURES During the study of the various periods, certain typical styles were discovered which required none of the basic units. There was a recurrence of this structureless design in each of the periods studied with the exception of the Victorian period. These designs require only a standard flat with a fireplace Opening. All the trim can be applied in the variety of ways previously described in the discussions Of the three basic units. This chapter consists of a brief discussion of each Of the periods that does not need a basic structure for certain typical designs. The discussion of each of the periods is followed.by an illustration of one example of the structureless unit for that period. Figure 3b is an illustration of a flat equipped to serve as the “fireplace flat" for the periods discussed in this chapter. 76 The Romanesque and Norman period was distinguished by having no structural projection from the wall for chimney pieces. Often the fire was built in a central raised circle and the smoke escaped through a hole out in the roof, but a side fireplace was used in some cases} lhg EncyplOpedia Americana speaks of the general use of the Round arch and the massiveness of construction that were typical of the Norman period.3 The sketch (Figure 23) is taken from English Rooms 222 Their Decoration, and is a reproduction of a ruined Norman fireplace in the Tower of London .’ ‘Hmard, 22° 9.3.1.3.» I: P- 800 3E. H. Upjohn, ”Romanesque Architecture”, Enc lo edia Americana, V. 23, 652b, . -—-—- ’Hmwd, 22. 23:31., P. So SCALE vz”=I' FIGURE N923. INTHE TOWER OF LONDON SECOND HALF OF mt. CENTURY 78 The Gothic period was also noted for fires built in the middle of the floor. .Mr. Hayward notes this fact and adds, Structures similar to this (Norman) were built during the succeeding centuries, but the arch assumed the char- acteristic Gothic shape instead of being semicircular. In the early Gothic period the breast was sometimes made to slope foreward from the top, and thus forned a hood supported below by pillars.4 The sketch (Figure 2h) is froner. Hayward's book and shows a hall at Bramhall, Chesire, during the late Gothic period, the second half of the 15th Century;° 4Ibid., p. 12. 81bid., p. 15. SCALE/2W F/G—UR E N5 1 ‘f. I / JFIREPLACE‘ IN TH: HALL AT BEAN/HALL, CHESHlRE. SECOND HALF as mu. Csurvev 80 Of the Renaissance or Tudor Gothic fireplace, Mr. Hayward says, The later and more usual form of wall fireplace did not project into the room. In the event of there being insuf- ficient depth for the flue in the wall, a projection was built to the exterior of the building. . .It was unusual for the Tudor Gothic mantel-piece to receive any very marked attention from the decorative point of view. In the major- ity of cases when the room was hung with tapestry the latter continued above the fireplace Opening. In this way only the stone Opening was exposed. In panelled rooms the panelling above the opening was in some instances of a rather more ornate character or it was arranged in a slightly different manner to that in the remainder of the room. Apart fren this no particular emphai- sis was given to the overmantel.‘ The sketch (Figure 25) is also from Hayward.’ 6Ibid.., pp. 80f. 'Ibid., p. 2b. Joust/2”.” FIGURE N925. k Fun: PLACE FPO” HAOOON HALL, OEROYJ’HIPG. EARLY I441. CEN TURY 82 What has been previously said of the Elizabethan period covers the situation quite thoroughly. The chimney piece became a center of much decorative interest. Mr. Eberlein calls it a "...highly signifi- "' and Hmard mentions cant and much decorated feature of the room. the elaboration which became, he said, agrotesque".9 The sketch (Figure 26) shows a chimney piece that has all of‘this elaboration while being built practically flush against the wall. It was con- structed about 1605 and is in the Brown gallery, Knole, Kent. It comes from Mr. Hayward's book.m aEberlein, gp. gi_t., p. 8. 9Mayward, 22. 21.3., p. 81. 1°Ibid., p. 60. SCALE are?" . FIGURE N9- 2 6:. / 7 l l CHIMNEY were _ —— -- THE BROWN GALLERY / I'; —— / / KNOLE, KENT / ,« . b \ [605' 8h The Restoration, with the influence of Sir ChristOpher Wren, re- turned chimney pieces with no mantel shelf. Mr. Eberlein stated, There was no nantel shelf and the chimney piece, reach- ing all the way to the ceiling, consisted either of a distinctly architectural treatment in classic or Renaissance motifs, sometimes with Baroque features also, or else of a large panel surrounded with a heavy moulding...“- Hayward, from whom the sketch was taken (Figure 27),“ speaks of the Wren designs giving a general impression of a flat background with decorative motifs applied, rather than being a complete structure in itself.” 11Eberlein, 92. 2:93., p. 13. “Hayward, II, 22. 221., p. 73. 13113111., p. 75. FIGURE Ni";7 7 SCALI In”: 1' 86 The Georgian period showed a definite classical influence in the architectural motifs used. Eberlein commented that the designers of this time ”...accepted so fervently the principles of Italian classic- ism as theonly form of true culture)“ The overmantel space, (as discussed in the previous chapters) was used for the handling of a porter or decorative painting. The mantel pieces were often elaborately carved with devices of classic inspiration.“ The sketch (Figure 28) is from Mr. Eberlein's book." 1-"'Eberlein, gp. 32.5., p. 31. ”libido, p. 3]". “Enid. , plate 137 . 504 LE I/z”=/’ I . ~/ 1. LV‘ ' 1 . L ./ JV ‘ (I / EARLY G'Eflpé/AN (ll/W57 l7/ECE I V I NORFOLK, ENGLAND 88 The Colonial. and Late Georgian period sketch is from American Interior 2113" and according to that book was a standard treatment in this country before 1760.”-8 The sketch (Figure 29) is of the chimney piece in the Wentworth Gardner house in Portsmouth, New Hupshire, and was constructed about 1760. “Hogan, 32. 931., p. 217. 1'Ibid., p. 216. SCALE I/2"c/' FIGURE N11“? HJ/ cmwwsr mace, omma- Room WENTWORT'H GARDNER HOUSE Paersnouru, NEW HAMPSHIRE. 1760 The period from 1800 to 1865, which has been designated the Civil War (American) period for the purposes of this study, had a Classic Revival in the early years of the century that saw "Mantel- pieces of black or grey veined marble, oftentimes with two plain pillars supporting the shelf...“-9 Following the War of 1812, the South grew more and more prosperous as the cotton trade grew and the furnishings reflected this new found prosperity, and showed the strong French influence on the American hpire style.” The chimney piece sketched (Figure 30) is in the ball- room of an early 19th Century house in Charleston, South Carolina.“- 1"’Eberleim, 92. 333., p. El. aoRogers, pp. 2%., p. 252. “Ibid. , p. 253 . .SCALEV2'=I' F/GURE N133 L/ BALLROOM CHINA'EY PIECE CMMLesrou. sour-n CAROLINA EARLY NH. C ENTU/Py 92 During the transitional period of Louis XIV, certain Baroque chinney pieces were designed that, while having an elaborate over- structure, had no projecting structure around the fireplace opening. Mr. Eberlein has characterized this portion of the Baroque as one in which " ...the heavy magnificence of the style of Louis XIV unfits it for anything else than buildings of palatial proportions and hotels..."“ The sketch (Figure 31) is from a design by Daniel Marot during the reign of Louis m (the second half of the 17th Century) and appeared in the T. A. Strange book of French decoration.” nEberlein, 92. 223., P. 395. a38trange, French Interiors, p. 119. “MEI/2%” Fl G-URE N331 ‘ 125mm,”, FIRE DESIGN ‘ DANIEL. MAPOT SECOND I+ALP ml. (awn/er 9h The Baroque example (Figure 31) is the only chimney piece in this chapter that requires special construction beyond the adding of occa- sional trim and.moldingg The overmantel structure is made of three standard flats, eight feet high. Two of these flats are one foot wide, the other is five feet wide. These are fastened together with nails, screws or "L' braces and then attached to the fireplace flat in the same manner. The I'pillars" holding up the overstructure are made of rough triangular wooden frames that actually aid in the support of the ovemantel. They are also attached to the fireplace flat, either with nails or screws. The curves are molded to these frames with paper maché. The detail on the entire structure is painted. 95 During the Eclectic period there appeared a style that Augusta Patterson called the |'Modern Picturesque" .“ Miss Patterson stated that there is really no definition of an-interior of this period. She said that the note of the interior was to be taken from the general period and locality in which the exterior had been picturesque-ind.“ 0f the Sabin residence, from which the sketch of the dining room chimney piece (Figure 32) has been taken,"3 Miss Patterson said that it contained some of the most perfect specimens of the restrained and graceful English manner to be found in America." The Sabin home is on Long Island . “Patterson, 92. 9113., P. 239. a“Ibi.c1., p. 228. 3°Ibid., p. 239. ”Ibid” p. 228. FIGURE N9 32. SCALE (/2”¢ I’ I v—' DINING-ROOM cumwey Piece CHARLES SABIN HOME scour "If 97 The Modern period has seen the growth of a style usually known as Functionalism and variations on this style . Rogers defined Functional- ism as, Basically, Functionalism reaffims the long-recognized principle that there can be no difference in kind between any of the design fields . Further, it holds that the only proper solution of any problem in design rests primarily in a thorough analysis of the utilitarian requirements and a rational satisfaction of these requirements in the most succinct and open manner possible using the materials and techniques most appr0priate. If this discipline is obeyed, all the decorative and aesthetic effect necessary will come automatically from a reasonably sensitive handling of these elements. All else is false and superfluous. Ornament is anathema and even color and texture are suspect if not used with a basic constructive purpose in mind.“ Rogers later stated that these principles were seldom put into practice without modification. Usually some relaxation of the principles was thought necessary or desirable.” A "Sunset Book" entitled, £133 32 gig a_n_d £333 2033 Fire lace, embodied the modifications of the Functional theory in the majority of its suggestions . 0f the better than one hundred chimney pieces illustrated in this book, almost all of then were of the structureless type.“ The sketch (Figure 33) has been taken from this book and was designed by Paul This-y." 2“Rogers, 22. 935., p. 18h. a“mid” p. 186. 28How to Plan and Build Your Fireplace, (A Sunset Book, San Francisco: Lane Publishing Company, 1951 . "Ibid., p. 12. 7/ .. , , , /, 7/e «5.1V / Mes/of n ,. /... , ,, 1.4/7 /. ,4 / . fl” , , / , , . /. .. a; // / t . , /, v , / FIGURE N333. SCA L £1/2”='/’ CHIMNEY PIECE ossze—N PAUL THIRY CON TEMPORAR y 99 Figure 31; is a working drawing of a fireplace flat that could be used for the structures considered in this chapter. The flat is six feet wide and twelve feet high. (The height of the flat varies with the; standard height of the entire set of flats. The flat should be the same vertical dimension as the rest of the setting. The width may also vary to conform with specific problems.) The size of the fire- place Opening will vary according to the necessities of any particular design. In this case it is four feet wide and five feet high. The Opening may be modified by the same means as were the basic units, see Figure 2. The toggle rails, or “middle brace" are attached with key- stones which are secured with Number 8 wood screws, seven-eighths of an inch in length. The use of screws rather than clout nails is to facilitate the raising and lowering of the toggle rails to attach various pieces of ornament from‘the face of the flat. The two vertical stiles, or braces, are also attached in this manner, and with the same purpose in mind. Both toggle rails and stiles may then be altered to accommodate the various pieces of external trim that must‘be placed on the front of the flat. Figures 23 to 25 could be accomplished by the use of painted trim and slight modification of the fireplace opening, but Figure 26 has a number of upright pilasters that should be three dimensional. These would probably be one inch by four‘inch pieces of lumber, cut to the correct length and nailed through the flat into the toggle rails at the rear. Figures 27, 28, 29 and 30 all require the hanging of a picture at various heights. These pictures would be hung on the movable stiles and toggle rails. Figure 30 is a special case and has already'been taken up earlier in the chapter. Figure 33 requires no special exterior trim. 100 SCAle/z’i-I' FIGURE N934 STANDARD FLAT CONSTRUCT/UN ugw KEYSTONES, APPLIEQ WITH scesws , E ' Iz’o" _ ......f Io':—————'+r‘- I'oi'v-J A FIREPLACE FLAT . WITH AOIUSTABLE T0 GGLE RAIL! AND ST/LES CHAPTER VI SUMMARY Because of the hmportance placed on chimney pieces as central decorative and architectural features in home construction and planning, and because of the apparent lack of interest and information regarding the use of the chimney piece as an important part of the realistic stage setting, both as a decorative feature and as a central factor in the establishment of locale and period, the author attempted to dis- cover certain basic designs that would satisfy the underlying structural requirements of several periods, with the addition and subtraction of varying amounts of external trim. As a corollary to this problem was the need to design units that would take up little storage space and that could be simply and easily constructed. Study of the major architectural periods with which the plays most commonly'produced'hy educational and community theatre are concerned, led to the design of three basic units to meet the needs of the "typical" chimney piece designs of each of these periods. The first of these designs had, as an outstanding feature, a very high mantel. Six periods were discovered to have chimney pieces in which the high mantel played an important part. Basic unit number I, was designed to be adapted to meet the demands of all of these periods with 103 the addition of certain pieces of trim, molding and, in some cases, an overmantel structure. The second basic unit was designed with a four foot mantel height. This proved to be the most pOpular height and reoccurred in nine of the twelve periods studied. Basic unit number II was flso adaptable by the addition of certain trim, molding, and , in some cases, overmantel structures. Basic unit number III was designed with a mantel height of three feet. This mantel height was a.rather special case and occurred prim- arily in the French styles of decoration. Only two major periods, as set up for this study, contained.a.mantel of this height. This unit was also capable of adaptability by means of external trim, molding and , when apprOpriate, overmantel structures. The study also revealed that most of the periods had typical structures that could be represented by the addition of trim, molding and overmantel structures directly to a fireplace flat, without the use of a separate basic structure. A flat of this type was suggested for use in these instances. Because of their high degree of adaptability, the three basic units form an.economical solution to the chimney piece problem while still giving the designer a flexibility in.the materials and forms that he may use in planning the setting. Three units that just need slight modification to serve in almost any period that a designer may use, provide the designer with an Opportunity to use ideas that he might not 10h consider if the entire unit had to be built, or if he had only one stock chimney piece with permanentLy attached trim and, therefore, limited use. The lack of storage facilities, mentioned in the introduction, that makes it almost impossible to have a supply of chimney piece units for each period that may be used in future designs is also circumvented. The three basic units store one inside the other, in- the manner of nested tables, and therefore take up very little space. The basic units are light in weight and easily portable, because of their canvas and light wood construction. The construction utilizes only those materials that would be found in a standard scene COD? struction shep, or that could be purchased quite inexpensively. The choice of the three heights of six.feet, four feet and three feet for the mantel shelf appeared, from the research, to give the most flexibility of use. 'With the exception of the very early periods of the study, each.period is covered by at least two units, giving the designer a wide latitude, in choice of shape within any given period as well as giving him the choice of the period in the first place. BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Andrews, Harry Lee, and Bruce Weirach. Acting and Play Production. New York: Longmans Green and Company, 1923'.- Barton, Lucy. Historic Costume for the Stage. Boston: Walter H. Baker Company, 1938. Bennett, Rodney. Let's 23 a Play! London: Thomas Nelson's Sons, Limited, 1939. Blum, Daniel. Theatre World. New York: Greenburg: Publishers, Boyd, A. K. The Technigue o__f Play Production. London: George and Harrap and Company, Limited, 1952. Bradwell, Eric. Play Production for Amateurs. London: George Allen and Unwin, Limited, 193K iBurris-Meyer, Harold, and Edward C. Cole. Scenery for the Theatre. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1938. Campbell, Wayne. Am___a____teur Ainct and Pla Production. New York: The Macmillanfi Company, 193 . Campbell, William. F_‘____orm and St le 2;: Thesis Writing. New York: Houghton Hifflin Company, 19 Carter, Jean, and Jess Ogden. The Play Book. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1937. Clark, Barrett H. How t_o Produce Amateur P.1aE Boston: Little, Brown and Company, —1930. Committee of the Graduate Council of Michigan State College. Handbook for Graduate Students. East Lansing: Michigan State College Press, 1950 . iCornberg, Sol, and Enanuel Gebauer. A Sta Crew Handbook. New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 19 *Crafton, Allen and Jessica Roger. The Complete____ Acted Plgy. New York: F. S. Crofts and Company, 19h}. i Indicates play production and scene construction texts which mention fireplaces or chimney pieces. 106 Grafton, Allen and Jessica Roger. The Process _9_f P1_ay Production. New York: F. S. Crofts and Company, 1928. Crump, Leslie. Directigg for the Amateur Stage. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1933.— iDavis, Eugene C. Amateur Theatre Handbook. New York: Greenberg: Publisher, 1915. Desmond, Harry W. , and Herbert Croly. . Stately Homes 2 America. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1903. Dolmen, John, Jr. T___he Art of Play Production. New York: Harper am Brothers Publishers, —1§Eo. *Downs, Harold. Theatre and Stage. London: Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons, Limited, 19 Dnnnmond, A. M. A Manual o_fP lay Production. New York: Published by the author, 1937. Dyer, Ernest F. Producing School Plays. London: Thomas Nelson and Son, Limited, 193 . Eberlein, Harold, Abbot McClure and Edward Holloway. '_I'___he Practical Book g_f_ Interior Decoration. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1919. Ewer, Monica. P135: Production £93; Evgyone. London: Noel Douglas, 1929. Fernald, John. The Play Produced. London: H. F. W. Diane and Sons. Field, Wooster Bard. House Planning. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Comparv, 1910. French, Lillie Hamilton. Th__e_ Ho__u_s_e Dignif ied. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1908. iGassner, John, and Philip Barber. Producing the Play and The New Scene Technician's Handbook. New York: The Dryden Press, 1953. Gibson, Louis H. Beautiful Houses. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell and and Compamr, 189;. - GiJJnan, Roger. Gre___a__t Styles__ of Interior Architecture. New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1921:. 107 Glazier, Richard. A Manual of Historic Orname___n_t. London: B. T. Batsford, Limited, 1926.— Hamlin, Talbot. ArchitectureT hr_ough the Asge . New York: G. P. Putnam 's Sons, 1910. Hayward, Charles H. English__ Rooms and Their Decoration 31‘ a _Gl_____ance. 2 vols. London: The Architectural Press, 1925. iHeffner, Hubert, Samuel Selden and Hunton Sellman. Modern Theatre Practice. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Incorporated, 191:6. Hewitt, Bernard, and J. F. Foster. Play Production. New York: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1952. Hobbs, Mabel. Play Production Made Eapy. New York: National Recreation Association, 1933. HQ_ to Pl___an _a_n_d Build Your Fireplace. San Francisco: Lane Publishing Compamr, l9 Hume, Samuel, and Lois Foster. Theatre gpd School. New York: Samuel French, 1932. *Jefferys, M. V. 0., and R. W. Stafford. ILay Production. London: Methuen and Company, Limited, 1936. Knapp, Jack S. H_c_>_w t__g Produce a P1 . New York: National Recreation Association, Incorporated, l9 *Kock, Frederick, and the staff of the Carolina Playmakers. Play Produc1_g for School and Little Theatre Stages. University of North Carolina Extension Bulletin, Vol. IV, No.1. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1935. Krows, Arthur E. Play Production in; America. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 191 Lees, C. Lowell. Ply Production and Direction. New York: Prentice- Hall Incorporated Publisher, 191:8. Mackay, Constance. Costumes and Scene £95 Amateurs. New York: Hem'y Holt and Company, 1915. Mantle, Burns, Walter Chapman and Louis Kronenberger (eds) . Best film. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1900-1953. Mitchell, Thomas. T___he Stapping—Stone_ to Architecture. New York: Longmans, Green and Company, 198 8. 108 Patterson, Augusta Owen. American Homes of To-Day. New York: The Macmillan Company Publisher, 1921?: Purdom, C. B. Producin PlaE. London: J. M. Dent and Sons, Limited, 1951. Rogers, Meyric. American Interior Basie. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1957. Russell, Mary M. Producing Your Own Play. New York: Richard R. mith, Inc., 1931. Saylor Henry H. Diction 92 Architecture. New York: John Wiley Sc’Sons , Inc.,—1.937722 *Schonberger, Enanuel. Play Production for Amateurs. New York: Thomas Nelson and Sons , 1938. Smith, Milton. th Book 9; Pl_ay Production. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1923. Strange, Thomas Arthur. English Furniture, Decoration, Woodwork and Allied Arts. London: McCorquodale and Company, Limited, 19%: . French Interiors, Furniture, Decoration, Woodwork 2&9. Allied Hts. London: MoCorquodale and Company, Limited, 1950. Stratton, Clarence. Producing 1p Little Theatres. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1921. Wharton, Edith, and Ogden Codman, Jr. flip Decoration 23 Houses. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1897. APPENDICES APPENDIX A PARTIAL LIST OF PLAYS SET 1N 1th PERIODS STUDIED RCMANESQUE AND “NORMAN E13 D_e_a_t_1_1 pf Tintagiles , by Maurice Maeterlinek Tpe §_i_1_1_g_'_s_ Henchman, by Edna St. Vincent Millay Pelleas 212 Melisande, by Maurice Maeterlinck Tristan _a_xpi Isolde, by Richard Wagner GOTHIC Joan E! Lorraine, by Maxwell Anderson The Lady's Np: £95 Burnin , by Christ0pher Fry Saint Joan, by George Bernard Shaw RENAISSANCE AND TUDOR GOTHIC gpp 2;: 1929 2513: by Maxwell Anderson Th3 Firebrand, by Edwin Mayer 213.9. £23113: by Sam Benelli 3.4.3.51 Stuart, by John Drinkwater ELIZABETHAN TE 251:5 Lady pf _tpe Sonnets, by George Bernard Shaw Elizabeth them, by Maxwell Anderson 223 Fountain, by Eugene O'Neill ESE M3 E12, by Cole Porter and Sam Spewack My 2"; Scotland, by Maxwell Anderson 110 RESTORATION Ag _Se Te Bed, by James Fagen English Nell, by Anthony Hope 1.113. Rela so, by John Van Brough Sweet Nell 31; Old PM: by Paul Kester GEORGIAN £139; Beggar's Opera, by John Gay David Garrick, by Tom Robertson Pride epg Prejudice, by Helen Jerome (from Jane Austin) LATE GEORGIAN AND COLONIAL Berkley M, by John Balderson Billy 133991, by Louis Come and Robert Chapman 9.9.2.39. Washington Slept Hepe, by George Kaufman and Moss Hart The Patriots, by Sidney Kingsley Sleepy 1321121, by Russell Maloney and Miriam Battista Valley For e, by Maxwell Anderson BAROQUE AND ROCOCO Comedies , by Moliére Cygano £12 Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand pr Blas, by Victor Hugo Saint Helena, by R. C. Sherriff and Jean de Casslin 111 CIVIL WAR (mow) Ape Lincoln, by John Drinkwater Ape Lincoln _i;n_ Illinois, by Maxwell Anderson 3332 Barretts 2; Wimpole _a__t-.5335, by Rudolph Besler Bloomer 2131, by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harberg Deeipe U_1_1_d_e_1_'_ 21e__Ells_g_, by Eugene O'Neill The Farmer Takes _a_ Wife, by Frank Elser and Marc Connolly Great Expectations, by Alice Chadwick (from Dickens). Harriet, by Florence Ryerson and Colin Clement _Tpe 11y Gpeep, by Mervyn Nelson £113: Yep: We on, by Allen Jay Lerner Prologee 32 M, by E. P. Conkel Si ature, by Elizabeth McFadden Tpe Wisteria Trees, by Joshua Logan VICTORIAN A_llison's House, by Susan GlaSpell £1182].- §_t_1;e_et_, by Patrick Hamilton A1113 epd 1.112 Hep, by George Bernard Shaw er 93p, by Cole Porter and Abe Burrows Candida, by George Bernard Shaw Tpe £13131 Orchard, by Anton Chekov Diamond Lil, by Mae West Edwgpe 21.39.15, by William Dinner and William Morum Tpe M g ‘_t_h_e Peo 1e, by Henrik Ibsen 112 VICTORIAN - Continued The Four Poster, by Jan de HartOg Gigi, by Anita Loos (from Colette) Tpe Heiress, by Ruth and Augusta Goetz Egg m £119.33, , by Stephen Longstreet Tpe 52.11153. 9T Bernardo 5.3333: by Frederico Lorea The flee 9.1; Connelly, by Paul Green The Innocents, by William Archibald The King _a__n_d T, by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein Lace 2p Her Petticoat, by Aimee Stuart T__he Leading Lagy, by Ruth Gordon Life With Father, by Howard Lindsey and Russel Crouse Life With Mother, by Howard Lindsey and Russel Grouse The Little Foxes, by Lillian Hellman Mary Rose, by James M. Barrie The Millionheiress, by George Bernard Shaw m Strauss _(_}_o_e_s. Te 1325.329: by Robert Stoly and Robert Sour Elie B11, by Joe Quillan The 9_]_.d_ M: by Zoe Akin T’epTe :29, by Cornelia Otis Skinner Saint Louis Woman, by Harold Arlen and John Mercer Tpe _Spg 113.822: by Mmell Anderson Therese, by Thomas Job A Tree m _ip Brooklyp, by Belle and Sam Spewack 92 E Central Eerie, by Herbert and Dorothy Fields Victoria Reéna, by Lawrence Houseman 113 EELHJTIC The Green Goddess, by William Archer Green Grow the Lilacs, by Lynn Riggs The Magnificent Yankee, by Emett Lowery Make Way for Luc , by John Van Druten Misalliance, by George Bernard Shaw My Three Angels, by Bella and Sam Spewack The Next Half Hour, by Mary Chase Seventeen, by Booth Tarkington MODERN All contemporary plays APPENDIX B LIST OF BASIC UNITS WITH THEIR CORRESPONDING PERIODS BASIC UNIT NUMBER I 1. Restoration 2. Colonial or Late Georgian 3. Civil War (American) h. Baroque and Rococo « 5.'Victorian 6. Eclectic BASIC UNIT NUMBER 11 1. Elizabethan 2. Restoration 3. Georgian h. Colonial 5. Civil War (American) 6. Baroque 7. Victorian 8. Eclectic 9. Modern BASIC UNIT NUMBER III 1. Baroque and Rococo 2. Eclectic STYLES WITHOUT STRUCTURES Norman Gothic Tudor Gothic Elizabethan Restoration Georgian Colonial and Late Georgian Civil War (American) Baroque and Rococo . Eclectic 11. Modern \OOJ'QO‘U'l-C'WNH O [.1 0 11h WILLIAM E. BOYD William E. Boyd was born in St. Paul.Minnesota.on.February 26, 1932. His father is Assistant Superintendent of Safety for the Northern Pacific Railway and his mother is a clerk in the Federal Bureau of Internal Revenue. He attended Humboldt High School in St. Paul, graduating in 19b9. He then attended.Maca1ester College, in St. Paul, graduating in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Speech and Dramatics and a minor in English Literature and language (Spanish). While attending.Macalester College he was active in drama, appearing in eleven plays as an undergraduate. He received awards in 1953 as the outstanding male actor of the year and as the drama.major who contributed most for the preceding four years. He is a member, and was a chapter president, of National Collegiate Players. He was also a member of the Macalester Drama Club. He participated in Choral Reading and radio station WBOM for all four years of his undergraduate career. He was a.member of the student government and captain of the tennis team in his senior year. In the fall of 1953 he was awarded a graduate assistantship in technical theatre at Michigan State College, supervising the scene construction laboratories for an Introduction to the Theatre class and a Scenery Construction class. He began work on this thesis in the Winter term of 195h and completed it in the Summer term of that year. “an. «Ma.- .33 (17': 9 ""f 9 .73, USE ONLY ,-w‘bk-a- 1. i».- -‘w-.\~_—_—... i 7 ' “~"a~.4 1293 03196 3345 3 I'll-II I III I Illnl II III llll‘l |||u Ill-III! I I! I I III I ‘III I'll-l 'III III II