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Esther Bruton and the Cirque Room murals (Part 1)
One of Esther Bruton’s biggest opportunities came shortly after Prohibition was repealed in December 1933. Now that Americans were able to imbibe in public establishments once again, many hotels began to update and refurbish their bar areas. The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco hired architect Timothy Pflueger to redesign their cocktail lounge, and he, in turn, provided Esther with one of her most important and successful mural projects.
Pflueger, a San Francisco native, was known for his Art Deco style. Many of his buildings incorporate artwork such as murals and sculpture, and he collaborated regularly with local artists. At some point he and Esther Bruton became friends, which is not surprising given his interest in the Bay Area art scene. In fact, Esther Bruton was one of Pflueger’s “favorite artists.”[1] Pflueger and Bruton would work together on several projects, and over the years they developed a close and productive professional relationship.
Pflueger and his partner James R. Miller designed an Art Deco cocktail lounge at the Fairmont Hotel that caused an instant sensation in the press. The playful and lavish space literally sparkled with a silver leaf ceiling, silvered Venetian blinds, gold moldings, and mirrored octagonal columns. The modern metal tables, leather upholstery, and sleek semi-circular bar added to the modern luxury on display. In addition to the decadent materials and surfaces, Pflueger wanted an artistic component to his design. He decided the lounge would be decorated with large murals, and he hired his friend Esther Bruton to paint them.
It’s not clear how the lounge earned its name -- “The Cirque Room” -- or how a circus theme was chosen, although it seems likely that Esther had a hand in the decision. The circus had long been a favorite subject of hers, and she turned to this theme regularly in many of her woodcuts and etchings. Esther had never worked on a project of this size -- she would complete nine large murals in the space -- but she drew on her past successes and rose to the challenge using every ounce of creativity she could muster. Perhaps her most important artistic decision was to return to the gold color she had used so successfully in the Pueblo screens she painted in Taos. In fact, Esther used actual gold leaf to add shimmer to the murals.
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Having never worked with this tricky medium before, Esther hired professional gold leafers to help her with the process, but they “did such a terrible job” and “wasted so much gold leaf” that she fired them.[2] As was frequently the case with the Brutons, Esther asked for help from her sisters. Margaret and another friend came to the rescue. They “did a very workman-like job of it, in half the time, I’m sure, and half the gold leaf.”[3] This was a typical arrangement for the Bruton sisters. As Helen remembered, “We didn’t often collaborate actually, but one would always be sort of standing by, to help if necessary.”[4] On a background of sparkling gold, Esther painted brightly colored figures, including flying trapeze artists, acrobats, a ringleader, and every type of performing animal imaginable, including tigers, horses, zebras, giraffes, and elephants. Her murals created a fanciful yet elegant statement that melded perfectly with Pflueger’s lavish vision for the Cirque Room.
If you are interested in renting out the Cirque Room for a meeting, wedding, or other special event, you can find more information here.
All photos are of Esther Bruton's Cirque Room murals in the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. Photos by the author.
Next week: Esther Bruton and the Cirque Room murals (Part 2)
[1]Therese Poletti. Art Deco San Francisco: The Architecture of Timothy Pflueger. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2008, p. 176.
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