10/18/2026
“Lucas and Valentino”
Allison Houchins, historical documentarian
With this being the season of “costuming”, I thought it might be interesting to examine the obsession that Diamond Jim had with costumes. The obsession extended beyond the costume itself to the notoriety that each brought to the lives of simple people flung into the spotlight. Come to think of it, that was a synopsis of James Paul Lucas’ life.
Born and raised in a small town, he left home at an early age to ride the rails as a “news butch”. This job carried him further north as he peddled current newspapers and other printed materials, along with ci**rs, ci******es, candies, and other wrapped possibles for travelers. I can but imagine that he gazed longingly upon the well-fashioned traveler of the era and dreamed of being like them…one day.
Through a multitude of career advancements and his own personal interests, Lucas would be named the General Manager of Samstag and Hilder Brothers Department Store in New York City. He was recruited by the company after showing his prowess as a street vendor, carrying status items such as umbrellas, parasols, walking sticks, fans, and the like. Items that were not necessarily critical, but that spoke volumes as status symbols. Items that carried messages. A ladies parasol protected her from the sun, preventing a tan that would notate “working class”. The other was the class that Lucas desperately wanted to be a part of.
In his new status and income, his collection acquisitions roared to museum level. He loved to boast that he owned the “one of its kind” no matter what it was! In the excessive and opulent era of the Roaring Twenties, the silent film industry further painted the image of Lucas’ dreams. It is not a stretch to believe he spent hours in darkened theaters absorbing the imagery of the silver screen. His collections had many distinct categories. There were clocks, taxidermized animals, bar sets, equine tack and gear, tactical military gear and guns, artwork, convention buttons- we could go on and on. But then there were the costumes. He admired elegant and fashionable apparel from screen stars and sought them with passion. Without a doubt, the costumes of the famous Rudolph Valentino outnumbered any others.
Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926) was a poor Italian immigrant who struggled through many jobs and life changes, before he too was “discovered” and become the iconic Latin Lover that set hearts aflame. Did Diamond Jim secretly long for something he did not possess? Were his collections a reflection of deeper conflicts? Did the costumes acquired from film legends bring inspiration to him?
In our own collection in the Lucas Mansion, we love this tapestry made in homage to Valentino’s great film “The Shiek of Arabi” . Just for fun, we include one of Lucas’ iconic images on the steps of Samstag & Hilder Bros. Look alike? You decide!
