Théâtre

An exceptional photo album including 51 original photos of Sloan in costume for his roles in The Wandering Jew Busted Blossoms The Melon Thief Her Husband’s Wife Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Spirit of 1820 which were productions for The Literary Theater of Los Angeles at the time under the auspices of UCLA Extension Division. The remainder of the album features 43 photographs devoted to the Fowler Brothers bookstore window displays built and designed by the talented artist/actor where he was employed until about 1926.

1819 · 62578 — Los Angeles CA: Richard H. Sloan The Literary Theater ca. 1918-1923. Oblong 4to. 11.25 x 7.25 in. 62 pp unpaginated. on thick black paper stock. With 94 original silver gelatin mounted photographs sized from 3 x 4.5 in up to 7 x 9.5 in. 1 photo laid-in 2 blue colour-tinted nearly all w/ neat white ink cursive manuscript lettering and 1 small newspaper clipping tipped-in. Flexible black ribbed cloth post-binder punch-sewn at gutter margin w/ black braid manufacturer’s label for “Hanson†out of Chicago IL on rear pastedown minor bumping to couple corners edgewear couple scuff marks still VG exemplar. A nicely self-curated photo album visually tracing the acting and design aspirations of a young California actor and bookstore salesman from just after World War I into the Roaring 20’s. The album opens with a striking series of photographs depicting the many different costumes worn and designed by young Sloan for Literary Theater productions in Los Angeles CA including “The Wandering Jew;†as a Chinese artist & potter in “Busted Blossoms†captioned “with apologies to D.W. Griffith†-- adapted from the Griffith’s 1919 extravagant melodrama starring Lilian Gish & Richard Barthelmess as Cheng Huan the Chinese potter; The Melon Thief as a Greek immigrant jst landed on Ellis Island; his poster and costumes for “Her Husband’s Wife†Lars in Ibsen’s “When we dead awaken†as well as roles of Wilhelm II Hamlet a pirate and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. He worked as the stage manager for the Literary Theater and also was set designer and prop builder including backdrops and dioramas. The second half of the album is almost entirely devoted to his window displays and bookstore book release displays many featuring dioramas and miniature stage dioramas for various themes. These include stained glass window backdrops for the elaborate Book Window and Stationery Window for Easter 1921 the 1920 book release of Angela Ashford’s stories “Daisy Ashford†including stories dictated by the young precocious 8-year-old; an architectural window in April 1921 featuring iconic Southern California Arts & Crafts architectural titles such as “California Gardens†and Wilson’s “California Bungalows.†Also included are the elaborate diorama featuring thatched palm-tree hut and display additions for Fredrich O’Brien’s “Mystic Isles of the South Seas;†Elk’s Lodge stationery & books in purple & white Humpty Dumpty & House that Jack Built in celebration of the 1921 Children’s book Week E. Philip Oppenheim’s Great Prince Shan filled with Asian iconography; as well as elaborate display for multiple illustrated editions of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam including photo of actors in costume for theatrical production and stacks of copies of Zane Grey’s Wanderer of the Wasteland released January 1923. Fowler Brothers bookstore was at one time the oldest family-owned bookstore in Los Angeles operating from 1888 to 1994 and finally closed due to pressures from large chain stores and subway construction in the 1990’s. Originally founded as a religious and Sunday School supply house it eventually survived six different downtown locations and was originally founded by brothers J.W. Fowler and Robert A. Fowler of South Pasadena. Siegfried Lindstrom grandson of J.W. Fowler was still running the shop when it closed. Sloan 1899-1993 would leave Los Angeles before 1930 and moved to San Francisco where he became longtime window dresser and display artist for the iconic Nathan Dohrmann Department Store noted for their stock of china glassware lamps and art goods. Richard H. Sloan, The Literary Theater, hardcover