Anthony F. Dumas was born on August 30, 1882 in Saint-Anne, France and is generally believed to have immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1884. Little is known of his professional life, but he was not employed or commissioned to make these drawings- it appears this was a hobby. His occupation was listed on his death certificate “ornamental plaster” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but it’s unclear how long he held that position or what positions he had at other periods. He was married and lived with his wife Marie in the Bronx and was a resident of New York City for at least the last 17 years of his life. He died at home on January 21, 1943.

(credit: American Theatre Architecture Archive, Theatre Historical Society of America)