Scenes by Herman Rosse
Artist Herman Rosse (1887–1965) studied in his native Netherlands, at the Royal College of Art in London, and at Stanford. In 1913 he and his wife moved to the United States, where Rosse was a prolific architect, designer, and teacher. He first made set and costume designs for theatre while living in California. 
Later, in Illinois, he did further work for the stage in conjunction with Ben Hecht, Kenneth Macgowan, the Goodman Theater, and Mary Garden’s Chicago Grand Opera; and in New York, he was involved with drama, vaudeville, and musicals. He also worked in theatre in London and the Netherlands, and was an artist or art director for several films, including Frankenstein (1931) and The Emperor Jones (1933). In 1948 he was appointed Resident Stage Manager at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, a post he held for a dozen years. In 1949 he designed the medallion for Broadway’s Tony Award.
A large part of Herman Rosse’s design archive has come to the Chapin Library since 1988, due to the generosity of members of his family. A selection of (mostly unlabeled) scenic designs by Rosse, from a 2008 gift by his son, Dr. Michael D. Rosse, is on view on the main floor of Sawyer Library through the end of October. – WGH
Shown is an unidentified set design (1920s?) by Herman Rosse.