Alabama Yesterdays: Random wanderings through Alabama history
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Birmingham Photo of the Day (31): Shades Mountain Filtration Plant in 1908
Yet another example from the 1908 book Views of Birmingham is the photograph below of the massive Shades Mountain water filtration plant, long a part of the Birmingham Water Works.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Films Based on Augusta Wilson's 1867 Novel St. Elmo
Recently I made one of my frequent visits to Lantern, the Media History Digital Library, a wonderful resource that makes available full texts of 20th century magazines devoted to film, television and radio. I always find interesting items there, and this time I stumbled across an advertisement for the 1923 silent film, St. Elmo. You can see that ad below. I knew there had been more than one film version of Augusta Jane Evans Wilson's novel, so I decided to investigate; here's what I found.
First, some background in case you aren't familiar with Wilson. She's one of Mobile's legendary residents; although born in Columbus, Georgia, she spent most of her life in the city. She published nine novels before her death in 1909, and some of them such as St. Elmo and Beulah made her one of the bestselling American novelists of her day.
Like many female authors of that time, she began writing to supplement her family's income. St. Elmo sold over a million copies and made her the wealthiest female writer in America before Edith Wharton. Only Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur sold better among American novels in the nineteenth century.
There is a town in Mobile County named after the novel. Several of her works, including St. Elmo, can be found via Project Gutenberg. A recent book about Evans is The Life and Works of Augusta Jane Evans Wilson, 1835–1909 by Brenda Ayres [Ashgate, 2012].
In her entry on Wilson in the Encyclopedia of Alabama, Sarah Frear describes the story of St. Elmo. "In it, Evans depicted a moral struggle between good and evil. The novel's male protagonist, St. Elmo Murray, is at first a cynical and cruel man, but he is gradually converted to Christianity through his love for the virtuous heroine, Edna Earle. Edna willingly gives up her literary career when she marries St. Elmo, and this choice reflects Evans's belief that women were happiest, and most powerful, when they devoted themselves to their families and homes." Perhaps Wilson created a bit of wish fulfillment for herself in this story.
From what I can determine, five silent film versions of the novel were made: two short ones in 1910, one in 1914, and two more in 1923. The first 1910 version was produced by the Thanhouser Company and released in March. The second one, produced by Vitagraph, came out the next month. You can follow the links below to Wikipedia articles giving more details on both films. The Internet Movie Database also has entries here and here. Both films ran for one reel, or some 10-12 minutes.
The 1914 version was released in August and "promised 194 gorgeous scenes". Follow the Wikipedia link below for stills from a couple of them and more information on the film. This version was much longer, running six reels. I know a bit about silent film history, but did not recognize any cast members in these three films. I would imagine they are known only to serious silent film buffs and scholars.
However, I am familiar with the leads in the 1923 American version of Wilson's novel. John Gilbert played St. Elmo Thornton in the rising star period of his career. In 1924 Gilbert changed to MGM Studios and soon became as big a box office draw as Rudolph Valentino. Known as "The Great Lover", Gilbert made three films with Greta Garbo. Gilbert's career declined after the arrival of talkies, and he died in 1936 at the age of 38.
His co-star in St. Elmo was Barbara La Marr, known as "The Girl Who Is Too Beautiful." By 1923 she was a major star, but her career did not last much longer. A hard-partying young lady, alcoholic and probably a drug addict, La Marr died in 1926. She was 29 and married to her fifth husband at the time. She and Gilbert reportedly had a steamy affair during production of St. Elmo.
Another familiar name is Warner Baxter, who had a much longer career and died in 1951 at 62. Among many other films silent and sound, he played The Crime Doctor in a series of ten movies popular in the 1940's.
The last film adaptation of the novel, also released in 1923, was a British production. Like so many silent films, apparently no prints of any of these five versions of Wilson's novel have survived.
The ad below for the 1923 American film claims "For the past twenty years St. Elmo has been the most called for book in the libraries throughout America." One might think Wilson would be seldom read today, but she still has her fans. Some of them have commented enthusiastically on the GoodReads site. A much longer modern reaction can be found at Vintage Novels.
Source: Alabama Department of Archives & History
A still from the Thanhouser Company's one reel silent film released in March 1910
Source: Wikipedia
A New York newspaper ad for Vitagraph's April 1910 adaptation, also a short single reel film.
Source: Wikipedia
Poster for the Balboa Amusement Producing Company's 1914 release
Source: Wikipedia
First, some background in case you aren't familiar with Wilson. She's one of Mobile's legendary residents; although born in Columbus, Georgia, she spent most of her life in the city. She published nine novels before her death in 1909, and some of them such as St. Elmo and Beulah made her one of the bestselling American novelists of her day.
Like many female authors of that time, she began writing to supplement her family's income. St. Elmo sold over a million copies and made her the wealthiest female writer in America before Edith Wharton. Only Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur sold better among American novels in the nineteenth century.
There is a town in Mobile County named after the novel. Several of her works, including St. Elmo, can be found via Project Gutenberg. A recent book about Evans is The Life and Works of Augusta Jane Evans Wilson, 1835–1909 by Brenda Ayres [Ashgate, 2012].
In her entry on Wilson in the Encyclopedia of Alabama, Sarah Frear describes the story of St. Elmo. "In it, Evans depicted a moral struggle between good and evil. The novel's male protagonist, St. Elmo Murray, is at first a cynical and cruel man, but he is gradually converted to Christianity through his love for the virtuous heroine, Edna Earle. Edna willingly gives up her literary career when she marries St. Elmo, and this choice reflects Evans's belief that women were happiest, and most powerful, when they devoted themselves to their families and homes." Perhaps Wilson created a bit of wish fulfillment for herself in this story.
From what I can determine, five silent film versions of the novel were made: two short ones in 1910, one in 1914, and two more in 1923. The first 1910 version was produced by the Thanhouser Company and released in March. The second one, produced by Vitagraph, came out the next month. You can follow the links below to Wikipedia articles giving more details on both films. The Internet Movie Database also has entries here and here. Both films ran for one reel, or some 10-12 minutes.
The 1914 version was released in August and "promised 194 gorgeous scenes". Follow the Wikipedia link below for stills from a couple of them and more information on the film. This version was much longer, running six reels. I know a bit about silent film history, but did not recognize any cast members in these three films. I would imagine they are known only to serious silent film buffs and scholars.
However, I am familiar with the leads in the 1923 American version of Wilson's novel. John Gilbert played St. Elmo Thornton in the rising star period of his career. In 1924 Gilbert changed to MGM Studios and soon became as big a box office draw as Rudolph Valentino. Known as "The Great Lover", Gilbert made three films with Greta Garbo. Gilbert's career declined after the arrival of talkies, and he died in 1936 at the age of 38.
His co-star in St. Elmo was Barbara La Marr, known as "The Girl Who Is Too Beautiful." By 1923 she was a major star, but her career did not last much longer. A hard-partying young lady, alcoholic and probably a drug addict, La Marr died in 1926. She was 29 and married to her fifth husband at the time. She and Gilbert reportedly had a steamy affair during production of St. Elmo.
Another familiar name is Warner Baxter, who had a much longer career and died in 1951 at 62. Among many other films silent and sound, he played The Crime Doctor in a series of ten movies popular in the 1940's.
The last film adaptation of the novel, also released in 1923, was a British production. Like so many silent films, apparently no prints of any of these five versions of Wilson's novel have survived.
The ad below for the 1923 American film claims "For the past twenty years St. Elmo has been the most called for book in the libraries throughout America." One might think Wilson would be seldom read today, but she still has her fans. Some of them have commented enthusiastically on the GoodReads site. A much longer modern reaction can be found at Vintage Novels.
Augusta Jane Evans Wilson
Source: Alabama Department of Archives & History
Title page of a United Kingdom edition. The book was published under her maiden name; she did not marry Colonel Lorenzo Wilson until 1868.
A still from the Thanhouser Company's one reel silent film released in March 1910
Source: Wikipedia
A New York newspaper ad for Vitagraph's April 1910 adaptation, also a short single reel film.
Source: Wikipedia
Poster for the Balboa Amusement Producing Company's 1914 release
Source: Wikipedia
Ad for St. Elmo from Motion Picture News 12 September 1914
Advertisement for the 1923 Fox Film Corporation release
Source: Motion Picture News July-August 1923 via Lantern
Monday, April 6, 2015
Alabama on U.S. Postage Stamps (1): Some African-Americans
Alabama people and themes have been featured on numerous U.S. postage stamps over the years, and I want to explore some of them in a few posts. Other nations have also honored Alabamians in this way.
My father Amos J. Wright, Jr., was a stamp collector in the 1960's and gave my brother Richard and I an appreciation of the hobby. I still collect them, although they simply end up in a shoe box. We still have my dad's stamp albums, as well as several boxes of stamps that never made it into albums. He pretty much dropped the hobby when his interest turned to Alabama archaeology.
The stamps below feature African-Americans connected with our state in some way. I've added comments on some of them.
The U.S. Postal Service recently featured "Stamps Reflect History of Tuskegee University" on its blog.
This stamp featuring Booker T. Washington was issued on April 7, 1940, and was the first U.S. stamp to honor an African-American.
Another stamp was issued in 1956 to honor the centennial of Washington's birth.
African-American author Ralph Ellison is best known for his 1952 novel Invisible Man. Ellison, who attended Tuskegee Institute, died in 1994. He arrived at Tuskegee on a music scholarship but left to study the visual arts in New York City. He eventually detoured into writing. This stamp was issued on February 14, 2014.
This George Washington Carver stamp was issued on February 3, 1998. I recently described "That Time Mom Saw George Washington Carver in Camp Hill" on this blog.
Florence, Alabama native William "W.C." Handy had a long career as songwriter and arranger and is known as the Father of the Blues. He died in 1958 and this stamp was issued in 1969.
Although Tanner never visited Alabama as far as I know, I wanted to include him because his sister Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson has an important connection to the state. Henry Ossawa Tanner was the first African-American artist to achieve fame internationally. He moved to Paris in 1891 and remained there until his death in 1937. As I wrote in another post, his sister was "The First Certified, Practicing Female Physician in Alabama." She practiced at Tuskegee Institute for several years after finishing medical school in Philadelphia in the spring of 1891. Their father was Benjamin T. Tanner, a prominent minister in Pittsburgh. This stamp was issued in 1973
African-American author Ralph Ellison is best known for his 1952 novel Invisible Man. Ellison, who attended Tuskegee Institute, died in 1994. He arrived at Tuskegee on a music scholarship but left to study the visual arts in New York City. He eventually detoured into writing. This stamp was issued on February 14, 2014.
This George Washington Carver stamp was issued on February 3, 1998. I recently described "That Time Mom Saw George Washington Carver in Camp Hill" on this blog.
Florence, Alabama native William "W.C." Handy had a long career as songwriter and arranger and is known as the Father of the Blues. He died in 1958 and this stamp was issued in 1969.
Although Tanner never visited Alabama as far as I know, I wanted to include him because his sister Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson has an important connection to the state. Henry Ossawa Tanner was the first African-American artist to achieve fame internationally. He moved to Paris in 1891 and remained there until his death in 1937. As I wrote in another post, his sister was "The First Certified, Practicing Female Physician in Alabama." She practiced at Tuskegee Institute for several years after finishing medical school in Philadelphia in the spring of 1891. Their father was Benjamin T. Tanner, a prominent minister in Pittsburgh. This stamp was issued in 1973
Jesse Owens is one of many legendary athletes born in Alabama. This stamp was issued on September 10, 1998.
The United Arab Emirates featured Owens on a stamp in 1973.
The United Arab Emirates featured Owens on a stamp in 1973.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
The Alabama Bicentennial is Coming!
In April 1798 Congress created the Mississippi Territory which included land that is now Alabama. In 1817 the Alabama Territory was created and on December 14, 1819, that territory became the 22nd state. The territorial and early statehood time is a fascinating period in Alabama history.
The state of Alabama will be celebrating it's bicentennial with numerous events in 2017 through 2019. The Alabama Bicentennial Commemoration has been established in the state tourism department to coordinate and promote those events. What will your community be doing to celebrate?
Below are a few maps of the state from that early period.
Mississippi Territory in 1804
This 1817 map shows the state of Mississippi and the Alabama Territory.
Here is the Alabama Territory in 1818.
And here is the state of Alabama in 1822.
All maps are taken from UA's wonderful Historical Maps of Alabama digital collection.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Birmingham Photo of the Day (30): 3rd Avenue at Night in 1908
Once again I want to feature in this series a photograph from the 1908 publication Views of Birmingham. As the BhamWiki site notes, the book was a 64-page promotional effort published by a banking firm. You can read the introduction below the photograph. "Birmingham is destined to be the greatest of Southern cities," it declares.
The photograph shows 3rd Avenue at night. Since I recently watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind for the first time in a while, this shot makes me think of the Mother Ship landing on the street car tracks.
The photograph shows 3rd Avenue at night. Since I recently watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind for the first time in a while, this shot makes me think of the Mother Ship landing on the street car tracks.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Easters Past in Alabama
I plan to do several posts related to holidays and their celebration in Alabama or parts of it. The first was a look at "A Vintage Valentine's Day in Birmingham." Next up is Easter; some historical goodies from the Digital Collections at the Alabama Department of Archives and History are below with information and/or comments. We've been sending Easter cards for a long time!
This postcard is dated April 6, 1912.
This card dates prior to 1920.
This Easter egg hunt from the 1930s is taking place on the playground of the Cowikee Community House in Eufaula. The complex served the families in the Cowikee Cotton Mills village.
Company party for the families of employees at Gamble's, Inc., in Montgomery, March 25, 1967
Another of several photos on the ADAH site taken at that March 1967 Gamble's party. Adults could have fun, too!
This window display was at the Silver's store on Dexter Avenue in Montgomery; the photograph was taken on April 3, 1949.
Easter decorations inside the Church of the Ascension on Clanton Avenue in Montgomery, April 22, 1962
On April 8, 1917, Helen Keller wrote a letter to a Mrs. Burton in Montgomery. Apparently the lady had sent some Easter lilies, and Keller was responding to thank her. The flowers were "a message of hope that cheered me" when she was "grieving over the fearful world-tragedy." Two days earlier the United States had declared war on Germany and was thus about to enter the European war already in progress.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Birmingham Photos of the Day (29): Three Churches in 1908
I'm continuing to draw photographs from the wonderful 1908 publication Views of Birmingham.
The top photo is the "Baptist Church", perhaps the one built of Bedford Stone and dedicated on Easter Sunday in 1905. If so, it is the First Baptist Church of Birmingham now located on Lakeshore Drive in Homewood. The property was sold to AmSouth Bank in the 1980s. The Encyclopedia of Alabama has an entry on Southern Baptists in Alabama.
The Methodist building still stands and is now the First United Methodist Church of Birmingham. More information on the building is available on the BhamWiki site and on Methodism in Alabama at the Encyclopedia of Alabama.
The Episcopal church also still stands and is now known as St. Mary's-on-the-Highlands Episcopal Church. The congregation was organized in 1887. An EOA entry on the history of the Episcopal Church in the state is available here.
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