Ralph Chesse papers

Collection

Identifier: 781

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The papers of artist and puppeteer Ralph Chesse document his life and his careers in theater, art, puppetry, and television. The collection dates from 1926-1987 and includes an unpublished memoir, Chesse’s writings on marionette theater and other writings, promotional material for Chesse’s marionette shows, biographical materials, correspondence, and collected materials. Accompanying the papers are 123 examples of Chesse’s artwork.

Composed of various drafts, Chesse’s memoir, entitled “All Our Yesterdays,” documents his life from his birth into a New Orleans Creole family in 1900 up through 1934. The memoir documents the Chesse, Herriman, and Esnard families and their lives in New Orleans during the early 1900s, Chesse’s schooling in New Orleans and Chicago, his enrollment in art classes at the Chicago Art Institute, his interest and work in theater in New Orleans and San Francisco, his attempt to break into Hollywood, his movement into puppetry and marionette theater, as well as his marriage and family. Persons and venues mentioned include Marc Antony and Le Petit Theatre in New Orleans and Blanding Sloan, The Marionette Theater, and Coit Tower in San Francisco. Also present are a series of short vignettes based on Chesse’s family.

Chesse’s writings include a typescript entitled “The Marionette: A Theatre Art Form;” a draft of his book, The Marionette Actor; and a prospectus for a course on puppetry. Included in the collection is a psychological study of Chesse by Sallie Olson for a psychology course; correspondence largely pertaining to the publication and reception of The Marionette Actor; and collected publications and miscellaneous documents. Also present are two, small bound volumes. The first is labeled “Diary of a Bell Hop U.S.S. Grant 1941” but covers the 1931 voyage that Chesse and his brother, Roland, took serving on the US Army Transport U.S. Grant. The ship traveled from San Francisco to New York City via the Panama Canal, and Chesse’s diary covers the entire voyage from July 23-September 6, 1931. The second volume includes notes on cockfighting, likely witnessed by Chesse on a later voyage to the Far East that took him to Hawaii, the Philippines, China, and Japan. The single photograph is an undated one of Ralph Chesse’s grandfather, Alexandre Laurent Chesse.

Artwork accompanying the papers include 123 linocuts, woodcuts, and ink drawings. These include works related to Chesse’s marionette work, scenes of New Orleans during the early 1900s drawn to accompany Chesse’s New Orleans stories, and additional topics. Also present are a series of flyers advertising Chesse’s marionette shows and illustrations for book projects.

Dates

1926 - 1987

Creator

Chessé, Ralph (Raphael Alexandre) (Person)

Biographical Note

Ralph Chesse was a California-based artist who worked in the areas of painting, printmaking, theater, and puppetry. Chesse was born Raphael Alexandre Chesse on 6 January 1900 to Alexandre Laurent and Marie Henriette (nee Ticoulet) Chesse. The Chesses were a Creole family who lived in New Orleans, but Ralph was educated in New Orleans and Chicago, where additional family lived. He spent much of his youth between the two cities and became interested in painting at the age of seventeen, attending the Chicago Art Institute in 1918.

The following year, Chesse returned to New Orleans. His interest in theater led to work as an actor, makeup man, and assistant stage manager at Le Petit Theatre, where he worked with designer Marc Antony. His artwork was first exhibited in New Orleans in 1920. In 1923, Chesse traveled to California, first to San Francisco, then to Hollywood, where he worked as a time keeper on the United Artist lot. He returned to San Francisco, meeting artist and puppeteer Blanding Sloan, who introduced Chesse to marionette theater and puppetry.

In 1926, Chesse traveled to New York, working at the Neighborhood Playhouse as a scene painter and makeup man. In December of that year, he married Josephine Dupree and the couple moved back to San Francisco, where he continued working with Blanding Sloan. Chesse divided his time between acting, marionette shows, and exhibiting his paintings, drawings, and block prints. He opened his own theater, The Marionette Guild Theatre, on Merchant Street in San Francisco in 1929. In 1931, Chesse traveled to the Far East, visiting the Philippines, China, and Japan. In 1934, following the closure of the Marionette Guild Theatre, Chesse worked as one of 25 artists who were commissioned as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to provided artwork for the Coit Tower in San Francisco.

During the 1930s and 1940s, Chesse worked with the WPA and Federal Theater Project, as well as various freelance projects. In the early 1950s, he broke into television, creating his first TV series, Willie and the Baron. His children’s program, The Wonderful World of Brother Buzz, ran for 17 years, beginning in 1952. Other television projects were created and overseen by Chesse.

During the 1960s-1980s, Chesse continued to act, create marionette theater, and exhibit his artwork. A visit to the Caribbean inspired Chesse to return to black subject matter in his art, a topic which he had portrayed as early as the 1920s. He 1983, Chesse moved to Ashland, Oregon, where he resided until his passing in 1991.