Christopher Whitworth Whall (1849 – 23 December 1924) was a British

stained-glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

artist who worked from the 1880s and on into the 20th century. He is widely recognised as a leader in the Arts and Crafts Movement and a key figure in the modern history of stained glass.

Early life and studies

Christopher Whall was born in the rectory at Thurning, Northamptonshire, where his father, William Whall, was the rector. He was educated at home with his siblings until his teens. In 1863 he was sent to

Rossall School Rossall School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for 0–18 year olds, between Cleveleys and Fleetwood, Lancashire. Rossall was founded in 1844 by St Vincent Beechey as a sister school to Marlborough College ...

in Lancashire. The drawing master there was William Coulter of the

Royal Hibernian Academy The Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the RIA, the academy retained the word "Royal" after most of Ireland became in ...

. He left Rossall School in 1865, and in 1867 enrolled as a

probationer Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

at the Royal Academy Schools. On 8 January 1868 he was admitted as a student there - which was incidentally a professional path taken against his parents' wishes.Catalogue of exhibition held by William Morris Gallery. London Borough of Waltham Forest. 17 November 1979 to 3 February 1980. Many of Whall's design(s) for stained glass windows were shown at this exhibition. The catalogue also contained some biographical detail.

Career

Whall moved to

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anc ...

to live with his mother after his father's death in 1874. He had hoped to find work as a portrait painter, but was offered few commissions. In 1874 Whall met the designer,

A. H. Mackmurdo Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo (12 December 1851 – 15 March 1942) was a progressive English architect and designer, who influenced the Arts and Crafts Movement, notably through the Century Guild of Artists, which he set up in partnership with ...

, founder of the

Century Guild The Century Guild of Artists was an English group of art enthusiasts that were active between c.1883 and 1892. Their work was primarily based on 18th century motifs, though some work was Art Nouveau in style. History The Guild was founded in 1882 ...

, and through him Selwyn Image, and contributed to the Guild's publication, ''Hobby Horse''. In 1875 and 1876 he exhibited at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purp ...

. At this time he gained the patronage of a

Hanoverian The adjective Hanoverian is used to describe: * British monarchs or supporters of the House of Hanover, the dynasty which ruled the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901 * things relating to; ** Electorate of Hanover ** Kingdom of Hanover ** Province o ...

, Baroness von Boselager, who gave him funds to travel to Italy, where he was to stay for almost three years, travelling in central and northern Italy, studying architecture and paintings. In 1878 in

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as ...

he converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Before going to Italy he had sought work as a portrait painter and as a studio assistant to other artists, but had had little success. When he returned to London in 1879, almost penniless, he was befriended by the

Rosminian The Rosminians, officially named the Institute of Charity ( la, Institutum Caritatis), abbreviated I.C., are a Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men founded by Antonio Rosmini and first organised in 1828. The ...

Order of Charity at St Ethelreda's Church in Ely Place, Holborn and became a lay member of that Order. At St Ethelreda's he designed the side windows in the upper chapel, these windows being made by W.G. Saunders. By 1882 he was to leave the religious community at Ely Place, move to No.18 Wharton Street in Clerkenwell and work as an illustrator of newspapers, novels and children's books, as well as assisting other painters and giving drawing lessons. He carried out designs during this period for several stained glass makers including John Hardman Trading Co. Ltd as well as

James Powell and Sons The firm of James Powell and Sons, also known as Whitefriars Glass, were London-based English glassmakers, leadlighters and stained glass window manufacturers. As ''Whitefriars Glass'', the company existed from the 17th century, but became well ...

Early Arts and Crafts Movement

Detail of Resurrection window (1893) by Christopher Whall

Whall's career as an independent designer and maker of stained glass began in the late 1880s. This coincided with the emergence of the Arts and Crafts Movement through bodies such as the

Art Workers' Guild The Art Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British painters, sculptors, architects, and designers associated with the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of a ...

and the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society. Whall was actively involved in these two organizations for thirty years and was an influential spokesman for the medium of stained glass. In 1912, Whall was elected to the role of Master of the Art Worker's Guild. Indeed, through

he was to exhibit at that Society's exhibitions at the New Gallery in 1888 and 1889. The architects with whom he was to work at

Holy Trinity Church Holy Trinity Church may refer to: Albania * Holy Trinity Church (Berat), Berat County * Holy Trinity Church, Lavdar, Opar, Korçë County Armenia * Holy Trinity Church, Yerevan Australia * Garrison Church, Sydney, South Wales, also known as ''H ...

, Sloane Street,

John Dando Sedding John Dando Sedding (13 April 1838 – 7 April 1891) was an English church architect, working on new buildings and repair work, with an interest in a "crafted Gothic" style. He was an influential figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, many of wh ...

and

Henry Wilson Henry Wilson (born Jeremiah Jones Colbath; February 16, 1812 – November 22, 1875) was an American politician who was the 18th vice president of the United States from 1873 until his death in 1875 and a senator from Massachusetts from 1855 to ...

were also prominent within the Movement. It was John Dando Sedding who was to give Whall his first independent commission, for the Lady Chapel East window of St Mary's church in Stamford,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershir ...

, which he completed in 1891. Whall’s participation in the early activities of the Arts and Crafts Movement came soon after a life-changing event that had taken place in 1887. In that year he had converted the cow-shed at his cottage in Dorking into a workshop, where he set about learning all the processes of the craft: cutting, painting, firing and glazing, so that, in future, no part of the making of his windows would be beyond his control. This was a direct protest against the division of labour, then almost universally prevalent among commercial manufacturers, which Whall and others saw as incompatible with the production of stained glass as an ''art'' rather than simply a trade. During his time at Dorking, Whall was assisted by Louis Davis and

Reginald Hallward Reginald Francis Hallward (1858 – 30 March 1948) was a British artist who was born at Sandown on the Isle of Wight. He was a glassmaker, poet, painter and book designer. Whall's artistic style included using images from nature, a wide range of glass colours and textures, and new glass materials. Whall's application of white glass for his windows was unique for the time period. He was one of the earliest Arts and Crafts Movement stained glass artists to include slab glass in his work. Whall's work was considered groundbreaking in his use of Prior's "Early English" glass. The east window he created for St. Mary's Stamford was the first large stained glass window to contain the new material.

Stained glass work and teaching

For the decade after the Whalls left Dorking in 1896 he had no premises of his own for firing and glazing his stained glass, and during this period he worked closely with the firm of Lowndes and Drury and it was in their workshops that all his windows were fabricated between 1897 and 1906 (either at Park Walk in Chelsea or at Lettice Street). Lowndes and Drury was founded in 1897 by the artist Mary Lowndes, and Alfred John Drury with the aim of providing independent designer-craft workers with the necessary facilities to carry out their stained glass commissions. At various times, particularly in the 1880s and 1890s, Whall was commissioned to design windows by

. During this time period, Whall created stained glass windows for churches in London, throughout England, and Wales. (See List of works by Christopher Whall)

Central School of Art and Crafts The Central School of Art and Design was a public school of fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central School of Arts and Cra ...

Christopher_Whall_and_Royal_College_of_Art_Students_1902

The

Central School of Art and Crafts The Central School of Art and Design was a public school of fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central School of Arts and Cra ...

was founded by the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

in 1896. Whall was hired by the school's directors,

George Frampton Sir George James Frampton, (18 June 1860 – 21 May 1928) was a British sculptor. He was a leading member of the New Sculpture movement in his early career when he created sculptures with elements of Art Nouveau and Symbolism, often combining ...

and William Lethaby, to be among the eleven teachers at the school. He taught the craft of stained glass. Students taking Whall's class were a wide assortment of ages, backgrounds and level of experience. During the first school year, Whall taught his classes alone, but by 1897 he had hired

Alfred Drury Edward Alfred Briscoe Drury (11 November 1856 – 24 December 1944) was a British architectural sculptor and artist active in the New Sculpture movement. During a long career Drury created a great number of decorative figures such as busts and ...

, an experienced glazer to teach the crafts of leading and glazing. Whall's method of teaching, which he called the "Ruskin method", taught students to combine close observations and detailed workmanship along with more traditional artistic skills. He encouraged students by giving them small tasks to perfect before working up to large, more complex work. Whall was a gifted communicator and a popular teacher. Whall resigned from his teaching position in 1905, but continued to work with the stained glass classes in an informal supervisory role. His successor at the school was

Karl Parsons Karl Bergemann Parsons (23 January 1884 – 30 September 1934) was a British stained glass artist associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. Early life, 1884 – 1898 Parsons was born in Peckham in south London on 23 January 1884, the 12th ...

, former student and studio—assistant, and a strong follower of Whall's teachings.

Royal College of Art

Whall also taught at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It of ...

, informally from 1897, with the assistance of

to a formal teaching position at the school in 1901. A kiln was not available during Whall's time at the school, and the firing of students' glass painting was done at Lowndes and Drury studio. Whall taught at the school until 1909. Stained Glass Work, frontispiece and title page

Stained Glass Work, frontispiece and title page

Stained glass manual

Whall's experienced his work as a stained glass artist and teacher as a vocation. While an instructor at the

, Whall was encouraged by school director, William Lethaby to write an instructional book about his craft. The book, ''Stained Glass Work'', was published in London by John Hogg in 1905. Whall's manual, was part of a series of books, which included the following manuals: lettering by Edward Johnston, silverwork by

, bookbinding by Douglas Cockerell and wood-carving by George Jack. This series has been almost in continuous print since the early 1900s, and continues to be influential today.

The move to Ravenscourt Park

Christopher Whall's studio-workshop at Ravenscourt Park, Hammersmith, c 1910

In 1907, Whall decided to establish his own studio-workshop and took over the building at 1 Ravenscourt Park,

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

. The site, was formerly used by his friend

Charles Spooner Charles Spooner (died 5 December 1767 London) was an Irish mezzotinter, who worked in London towards the end of his life. Life He was born in County Wexford, and became a pupil of John Brooks. He came to London before 1756. There he mainly wo ...

, the architect, as a furniture making workshop. Whall hired Spooner to convert the upper floor and attic into a large studio with several large windows for cartooning and glass-painting, and the ground floor into a glazing workshop and kiln room. The building was used by Whall and his apprentices during 1907-1908, but the conversion was not fully completed until 1909. Whall's studio included innovative labor-saving devices, including "an improved tray for loading painted glass into the kiln and an easily movable glass-painting easel". Whall's studio-workshops were always collaborative in nature. Whall fostered an environment where experimenting and continually learning was key, even for the instructor. He stocked the workshop with plants, insects, and items from nature for inspiration for colour and design. A

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

blue plaque on the Ravenscourt Park house commemorates his life there.

Later career and death

By the early 1920s, Whall was suffering from the early stages of leukemia. He handed over the management of his studio to stained glass designer and former pupil, Edward Woore. Despite his illness, Whall continued to design and do some glass-painting, using a specially constructed adjustable chair. In 1922, at the age of 73, Whall created the firm of Whall & Whall LImited, naming himself and his daughter Veronica as co-directors. She was a skilled stained glass artist and craftsman and created a number of stained glass works under the firm's name. Whall's health continued to decline and he died on 23 December 1924, at the age of 75. Whall & Whall, under the management of

Veronica Whall Veronica Mary Whall (1887–1967) was an important stained glass artist, painter, and illustrator associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement. Her father, Christopher Whall, was the leader of the Arts and Crafts Movement in stained glass. ...

continued on long after her father's death.

Artists influenced by Whall

Although there is no record of Whall having undertaken commissions in Ireland, except for Loughrea Cathedral, it does seem that he can be linked to the early 20th century stained glass revival in that country. The artist Wilhelmina Geddes was certainly influenced by Whall. Geddes was the artist who created the work "The Crucifixion" in St Luke’s Church in

Wallsend Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This ...

. It was in September 1901 that

Alfred E. Child Alfred Ernest Child (1875–1939) was an English stained glass artist, a lecturer in the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art and was associated with An Túr Gloine. Life and education Alfred Ernest Child was born in London in 1875. As a young ...

arrived in Dublin to take up the post of Instructor in Stained Glass at the newly reorganised

Dublin Metropolitan School of Art The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) is Ireland's oldest art institution, offering the largest range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the country. Originating as a drawing school in 1746, many of th ...

and it seems that Whall was one of those who were behind this appointment along with the painter Sarah Purser, the poet W. B. Yeats and

Edward Martyn Edward Martyn (30 January 1859 – 5 December 1923) was an Irish playwright and early republican political and cultural activist, as the first president of Sinn Féin from 1905–08. Early life Martyn was the elder son of John Martyn of Tullira ...

the art critic. Child had been trained by Whall and would try to bring Whall’s principles to a new generation of Irish artists. Child and his artist friends aimed to set up a workshop similar to that formed by Mary Lowndes and Alfred Drury in London and in 1903 Sarah Purser set up "The Tower of Glass" (in Gaelic "

An Túr Gloine An Túr Gloine (; Irish for "The Glass Tower") was a cooperative studio for stained glass and '' opus sectile'' artists from 1903 until 1944, based in Dublin, Ireland. History An Túr Gloine was conceived of in late 1901 and established January ...

"). Somewhat further afield, it was

Ralph Adams Cram Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and Church (building), ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival style. Cram and ...

, the architect, who introduced Whall’s work to the United States in the period 1906-1910, this at All Saints Ashmont, Boston and Boston’s Church of the Advent. For the Church of the Advent, Whall completed five windows depicting the five regions of the early church, starting with the first window on the East end of the South Nave wall with St. Ignatius of Antioch representing the Syrian Church and West of that St.Athanasius representing the African Church. On the North side starting at the West end is St. Ambrose of Milan for the Latin Church, then St. Chrysostom for the Greek Church and finally St. Columba, symbolising the Celtic Church.

Personal life

Whall married Florence M. Chaplin on 10 November 1884. In 1884 the family moved from London to Stonebridge, near

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp ...

, where they kept a small-holding with a cow, a pig and some chickens. Their five children were born between 1885 and 1894. Christopher John was born in 1885 and their daughter Veronica in 1887. The other children were Hew Bernard, Audrey (who died in infancy) and Louis. In 1896, with increasing demand for work and the necessity to spend more time in London, Whall and his family moved to Eyot Cottage,

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

where they shared the residence of architect,

. Whall and Spooner were professional associates and good friends. They often collaborated on commissions and both shared a mutual interest in leaded glazing. Whall's wife and children were often models for figures in his stained glass windows. They often visited the studio-workshop to view the works in process. When windows were completed, Whall would often host fellow artists, clients, friends and family in the studio for a private viewing. His wife, Florence and daughter, Veronica, would host the viewing party with tea, refreshments and music. Whall's daughter, Veronica, was a student in his stained glass classes. She later became one of her father's studio-assistants. After his death, she took over management of his studio-workshop. She was a skilled artist and had a successful career as a stained glass artist.

Images

Image:Christopher Whall Anunciation All Saints Dogmersfield.jpg, "Annunciation" (1898), Dogmersfield, Hampshire Image:Christopher Whall. The Good Shepherd.jpg, "The Good Shepherd" (1902), St Ethelbert. Herringswell. Suffolk Image:CW St. Elizabeth Hungary.jpg, "St. Elizabeth of Hungary"(1902), Brockhampton, Herefordshire C Whall St. Mary Virgin Ware.jpg, "Te Deum Laudamus" (1905),

Ware Ware may refer to: People * Ware (surname) * William of Ware (), English Franciscan theologian Places Canada * Fort Ware, British Columbia United Kingdom *Ware, Devon *Ware, Hertfordshire * Ware, Kent United States * Ware, Elmore County, A ...

, Hertfordshire Image:CWHall St. John the Baptist Burford.jpg, "St. "John the Baptist" (1907), Burford, Oxfordshire Image:CW Archangel, Gray's Inn Chapel.jpg, "Archangel Michael" (1920), Gray's Inn Chapel, London

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whall, Christopher 1849 births 1924 deaths English stained glass artists and manufacturers People educated at Rossall School Academics of the Central School of Art and Design Alumni of the Royal Academy Schools Arts and Crafts movement artists Masters of the Art Worker's Guild

Early life and studies

Career

Early Arts and Crafts Movement

Stained glass work and teaching

Central School of Art and Crafts The Central School of Art and Design was a public school of fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central School of Arts and Cra ...

Royal College of Art

Stained glass manual

The move to Ravenscourt Park

Later career and death

Artists influenced by Whall

Personal life

Images

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links