The Berkeley marionette maker and the San Francisco WPA

Above: The caption for this photo reads, "Marionette from Hansel and Gretel made by Henrietta Tietjen under supervision of Ralph Chesse in 1936 at Settlement House, San Francisco. Courtesy Henrietta Tietjen." This photo comes from: Michael R. Malkin, "W.P.A. Puppets," The Antiques Journal, March 1976, pp. 26-28 and 48. Image scanned from a personal copy of the magazine, and used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: A WPA poster, promoting a 1937 Federal Theatre production of The Emperor Jones, at Columbia Theatre, 135 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, "with Ralph Chesse's Marionettes." Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Above: The caption for this photo, taken in San Francisco, ca. 1937, reads: "Marionettes - Emperor Jones - Title: Emperor Jones vision in the forest. Fed. Theatre Proj." Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: Ralph Chesse in 1968. Unknown photographer, from the Oakland Tribune, May 12, 1968, courtesy of newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

The wonderful world of Ralph Chesse

Ralph Chesse was born in New Orleans in 1899 or 1900, but lived most of his life in Berkeley, California (from about 1926 to 1983). He had a long and successful career in puppeteering and theater, and created other types of art as well. During the New Deal, for example, he was one of several artists who painted murals in Coit Tower (playground scene, second floor). 

Shortly after painting the mural in Coit Tower, Chesse was put in charge of California's WPA puppet program. In San Francisco theaters, he oversaw many Federal Theatre marionette productions, including: The Emperor Jones, Alice in Wonderland, The Crock of Gold, Hansel and Gretel, and The Mikado.

After his stint in the WPA, Chesse worked on many projects, including the television puppet show, The Wonderful World of Brother Buzz, a long-running program designed to teach children to be kind to animals (see a summary and video clip at "Brother Buzz TV Series," Vimeo, Latham Foundation).   

In 1983, from his living room in Berkeley, Chesse remembered the New Deal: "It was a great experiment for everyone, an opportunity. But the sad thing about the whole project and the WPA... was that the government was not interested in establishing a national art - only in putting unemployed artists to work. Once the problem (of unemployment) was solved, the projects were cut off... I had definitely set my mind on having a space in Coit Tower. Everyone was clamoring for space... I'm so glad I lived in a period in which I could relate to what's going on. I can't say the same about the last 25 or 30 years [1950s to 1980s]. But I go on my merry way and amuse myself" ("Coit artists still creating after 50 years," Oakland Tribune, October 5, 1983, pp. D1 and D3). 

Ralph Chesse died in Oregon in 1991, "survived by two sons, a daughter, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren" ("Ralph Chesse, S.F. marionette virtuoso, dies," The San Francisco Examiner, March 20, 1991, p. 15).

Above: The description for this photo reads: "Fed. Theatre Proj. San Francisco - Calif. Marionette Production - 'The Crock of Gold' The Philosophers' Cottage." Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: An advertisement for Ralph Chesse's The Mikado, from The San Francisco Examiner, November 3, 1936. p. 17. Image from newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: Children enjoying The Wizard of Oz, a traveling puppet show in San Francisco, ca. 1936-1939. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

"The next day [in San Francisco]... We had a run through of Ralph Chesse's marionette shows, Alice in Wonderland, Twelfth Night, and The Emperor Jones. Not since shadow plays in Sicily or Athens have I seen such humor as in the Dormouse, the White Knight, and the twitching of Malvolio's mustachios."

--Hallie Flanagan, Director of the WPA's Federal Theatre Project, in her book Arena (New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1940, p. 280).

Listen to the WPA's Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra

 
Above: Part of an article about the WPA's Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, from the Daily News (New York City), November 12, 1936. Note: This is not necessarily the same broadcast that you will hear below. Image courtesy of newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: The WPA's Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra plays on the radio, ca. 1936. Note that the radio host discusses the WPA in the beginning, and then again at 7:08-7:36, and then one final time at 14:05- 14:26. If you have any problem listening to the audio, try refreshing your web page or clicking the "pop out" button in the upper right-hand corner of the audio box (if you don't see the "pop-out" button, move your mouse pointer to the upper-right hand corner of the audio box and it should appear).

A New Deal for Brooklyn

Above: A Brooklyn Bridge breadline, early 1930s. Unknown photographer, photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

 
Above: Part of an article from the Times Union (Brooklyn, New York), December 27, 1933, p. 10. During the winter of 1933-1934, the New Deal's Civil Works Administration (CWA), employed over 4 million jobless Americans. Image from newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: "Waterfront--Brooklyn," an oil painting by Harry Shokler (1896-1978), created while he was in the New Deal's Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), 1933-1934. The final report of the PWAP shows Shokler living at 11 Columbia Street... and so he may have seen this exact scene right from his home. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Above: A graphic from the final report of the Work Division of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), highlighting the diversity of work it facilitated. In this 1934-1935 report, we learn that "In Brooklyn, N.Y., a 400-foot tunnel under one of the busiest streets, over the subway roof and under water and gas mains, has been constructed to connect the modern heating system of the new Municipal Building with the Hall of Records, the Borough Hall and the Supreme Court Building, which has been so inadequately heated by antiquated methods as to endanger the health of employees" (p. 80).

Above: A 1936 photograph of the Lefferts House in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York, taken for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). The National Park Service explains that "HABS was just one of many cultural programs initiated during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 'New Deal' administration... The individual state 'surveys' were funded through both the Civil Works  Administration (CWA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA)..." Photo by E.P. MacFarland and provided courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Above: The library building at Brooklyn College, 1936, one of several buildings at the college that were funded by the PWA. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: "Paper Boquet," a painting by Joseph P. Pandolfini (1906-1987), created while he was in the WPA's Federal Art Project, ca. 1935. Pandolfini had also worked in the New Deal's Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), and the final report of the PWAP showed him living in Brooklyn at 6605 18th Avenue. According to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts, Pandolfini taught painting at the Brooklyn Museum. Image courtesy of the General Services Administration.

Above: From the Brooklyn Citizen, December 2, 1936, p. 14. Image from newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: The caption for this photo, taken ca. 1935-1939, reads: "Floyd Bennet Airport, Brooklyn, New York - Field house, between hangar 5 and administration building." Note the WPA sign on the building. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: The caption for this WPA photo, taken ca. 1935-1938, reads: "Entrance to one of the group of buildings composing the new Zoo in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, N.Y. From excavation to roofing, including the artwork, the buildings were constructed and equipped entirely by work relief program labor. Brooklyn now has one of the most modern zoos in the country." Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: "Fulton Street, Brooklyn," an artwork by Ann Nooney (1900-1970), created while she was in the WPA's Federal Art Project, ca. 1935-1939. Image courtesy of the General Services Administration.

Above: A WPA poster, advertising a free music performance by the WPA's Federal Music Project, ca. 1935-1939, at 912 Union Street, Brooklyn, New York. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Above: Part of an article from The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 2, 1941, p. 19, reporting on an upcoming WPA music event at Prospect Park, featuring pianist Grace Castagnetta (1909-1996). Image from newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: Part of an article from the Daily News (New York, New York), July 13, 1941, highlighting the success of the National Youth Administration's Brooklyn Work Center. The work center was located at 980 Atlantic Avenue. Image from newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: NYA enrollees at the Brooklyn Work Center, 1941 (from the newspaper article cited in the previous caption). Image from newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: A Brooklyn writer to the Daily News (New York, New York), July 12, 1940, fearing that a Wendell Wilkie presidency might mean the end of the National Youth Administration, which in turn might lead the writer to suicide. Image from newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: Part of an article from The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 31, 1942, p. 8, noting an upcoming WPA music event at the Brooklyn Museum, including opera singer Edis De Philippe (1918-1978). Image from newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: The aircraft carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, October 27, 1945. During the New Deal, the PWA funded many improvements to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and the Franklin D. Roosevelt was built there from 1943-1945. Public domain photo, courtesy of Wikipedia.

The Southern CCC Boys of Big Sur, California

All photos, information, and quotes below are from the "Official Annual, 1938, Civilian Conservation Corps, Fresno District, Ninth Corps Area" (unless otherwise noted).

Above: There appears to have been at least two CCC companies that served at "Camp Big Sur" (or, "Camp SP-12"). The first formed in 1933 (see "Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park," California Department of Parks and Recreation), but the two photos above show the men of Company 5435. This company "was organized May 10, 1936, at Fort Mcpherson, Georgia. It was composed of enrollees from Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama." These CCC boys first worked in Virginia, and then, on October 8, 1937, they got on a train and made their way to Big Sur, California.

Above: A closer look at some of the men from Company 5435, as well as their pet dogs. Company 5435's work at Big Sur included "maintenance and construction of buildings, roads, two swimming pools, and an open air theater."

Above: First Lieutenant Langdon A. Livingston, commanding officer of Company 5435. Livingston was born in North Carolina on September 24, 1911 and died in South Carolina on December 20, 1987 (see his Find a Grave entry, including obituary).

Above: Commander Livingston, surrounded by camp personnel at Big Sur.

Above: Dr. Benjamin Israel Winick, surgeon for Company 5435. Winick was born in Russia on October 10, 1908, and died in California on February 11, 1995 (see his Find a Grave entry).

Above: Company 5435 in formation.

Above: The cooks and kitchen workers of Company 5435, making sure the CCC boys got their three squares.

Above: Constructing the camp kitchen building.

Above: "Unloading sand from trucks."

Above: Enrollees in their reading room.

Above: Enrollees learning how to type.

Above: The CCC boys enjoying leisure time in their recreation room.

Above: The Big Sur CCC camp, and its surroundings.

In light of the recent Big Sur wildfire and evacuations, it's worth remembering the firefighting work of the CCC. In California, the multitude of CCC camps (about 100 across the state) allowed the boys to quickly reach the fires and thus extinguish them before they got out of control. The enrollees also built firebreaks, constructed truck trails to remote areas, and removed wildfire fuel. All these strategies helped reduce wildfire damage. See my blog post, "CCC fire prevention and firefighting: How successful was it?" February 27, 2021.

How FDR and the New Deal made Las Vegas

 
Above: A postcard shows the WPA-built War Memorial Building in Las Vegas, Nevada. The building was constructed in 1936-1937 and demolished in 1971. Postcard by "C.T. Art-Colortone," scanned from personal copy, and used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: The back of the postcard describes the building. Postcard by "C.T. Art-Colortone," scanned from personal copy, and used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

The making of Las Vegas

A National Register of Historic Places registration form, for the Las Vegas High School Neighborhood Historic District, highlights how FDR and the New Deal made Las Vegas:

A Civic Facility:

"For several years a convention center had been supported by Las Vegas's forty or more fraternal lodges... Satisfied that the building would qualify as a 'civic auditorium' and thus fulfill its project

guidelines, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) contributed $80,000 worth of free labor and materials. When it opened in 1936, the War Memorial Building provided Las Vegas with its first

major venue for conventions - a major step toward developing a full-scale resort economy."

The New Deal pledge:

"As the supply center and distribution point for supplying Boulder City and the construction of the [Hoover] Dam, Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal pledged millions more to outfit Las Vegas with new streets, sewers, and other improvements."

Infrastructure:

"Blessed suddenly with... new advantages, Las Vegans took the initiative, improving their government, developing new industry and pursuing New Deal funds to expand their town's infrastructure."

Parks and Schools:

"The New Deal also 'finished' the half-built City Park (located on the old fairgrounds between Stewart, Washington, Fifth and Main), equipping it with trees, driveways, baseball fields, and other

recreational facilities. Then, following a major fire in May 1934 which gutted the city's old high school (which now functions as a grade school) Public Works Administration officials agreed to build a new grade school at Fourth and Bridger (today the Clark County Courthouse Annex and listed on the National Register of Historic Places)."

Golfing, Fishing, and More Tourism:

"The New Deal continued to build facilities that would eventually contribute to Las Vegas's emergence as a resort city. Thanks to the WPA, a public golf course and fish hatchery (in the City Park) for newly created Boulder Lake (today Lake Mead) both opened in 1937. Access to Las Vegas was also improved when New Deal funding finished the paving and widening of the Los Angeles Highway - an event which forever abolished southern Nevada's remoteness."

An Airport:

"Of greater importance, however, was the new airport Las Vegas hoped to receive as a by-product of President Roosevelt's program to strengthen western air defenses. For the previous five years, Western Air Express had successfully blocked efforts to use New Deal funding to build a municipal airport on its property. Now, with American security threatened by Hitler, federal officials brushed aside the company's interests [and the airport was built]."

Above: Upcoming street work for Las Vegas, funded by the New Deal's Public Works Administration (PWA), from the February 5, 1937 edition of the Nevada State Journal (p. 6). Image courtesy of newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: PWA fish-rearing ponds for Las Vegas, from the June 1, 1937 edition of the Nevada State Journal (p. 9). The article reports: "Sportsmen predict the bass [from the New Deal fish-rearing ponds] will make [Lake Mead] a fishermen's paradise." Today, the National Park Service notes that, "Lake Mead has become famous for its striped bass with an occasional catch weighing in at over 40 pounds. Popular fish include rainbow trout, catfish, sunfish, largemouth bass, striped bass, smallmouth bass and crappie." Image courtesy of newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: A PWA-built grammar school for Las Vegas, as well as a list of some other PWA projects for Nevada statewide, from the June 20, 1937 edition of the Nevada State Journal (p. 9). Image courtesy of newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

This MLK Day, let's remember how African American CCC units helped restore our nation's history at Yorktown and Jamestown

 
Above: Colonial National Historical Park (CNHP) is part of our national park system and consists of the Yorktown Battlefield, the Jamestown Settlement, Colonial Parkway, and few other related areas of Virginia (nearby Colonial Williamsburg is privately run, but of course contributes to the overall history and experience of the area). Image from Google Earth, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: At any give time, between 1933 and 1941, up to 1,000 African American CCC enrollees worked on the restoration of the Yorktown Battlefield and the Jamestown Settlement, and assisted in the construction and landscaping of Colonial Parkway. Here, we see some of the enrollees in a choral group at CNHP, participating in the CCC's 4-year anniversary celebration, April 4, 1937. Photo by the Daily Press newspaper staff, courtesy of newspapers.com, and used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: Photo by the National Park Service, courtesy of the Daily Press (December 3, 1933) and newspapers.com, and used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: The completed Swan Tavern in Yorktown, re-built by the CCC. Photo by the National Park Service, provided courtesy of the Daily Press (May 24, 1936) and newspapers.com, and used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: A replica of a ship's gun deck, created with items found on a British ship sunk in the York River, which the CCC helped salvage as part of an underwater archaeology project. Photo by the National Park Service, provided courtesy of the Daily Press (May 24, 1936) and newspapers.com, and used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: CCC workers removing a tree, to be relocated somewhere on Colonial Parkway. Photo courtesy of Colonial National Historical Park and the Daily Press (January 8, 2015), and used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: American Battery No. 2, from the Battle of Yorktown, restored by the CCC. Unknown photographer, provided courtesy of the Daily Press (May 14, 1939) and newspapers.com, and used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

A large, and largely forgotten history of the CCC at Colonial National Historical Park

The CCC's work at CNHP is mostly forgotten, which is unfortunate because its work was historically important and massive. From 1933 to 1941, the African American CCC men restored the battlefield, protected the park from wildfires, assisted in the construction and landscaping of Colonial Parkway, rebuilt historic structures, created walking trails and bridle paths, assisted in archaeological digs, and much more. A 1995 Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) observed: “For a decade the CCC actively restored [CNHP’s] landscape, and much of the innovative work accomplished during the 1930s was done so only because of their involvement. Today, the restoration work completed by the CCC holds up better than projects initiated just twenty years ago.”

During the New Deal, the CCC--white companies, black companies, and integrated companies--restored many historic sites across the nation. This, along with the history work of the WPA and other New Deal-era agencies, created an incalculable volume of work that still contributes to history tourism,  genealogy, and our understanding of American history.