Joan Howson (1885–1964) was a British stained glass artist of the

Arts and Crafts movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

. She trained at the

Liverpool School of Art The John Lennon Art and Design Building (formerly the Art and Design Academy) in Liverpool, England, houses Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool John Moores University (abbreviated LJMU) is a public university, public research univers ...

before becoming a student and apprentice to Caroline Townshend. They later developed a lifelong partnership creating stained glass works under the name of their company, Townshend and Howson.

Personal life

Howson was born on 9 May 1885 in

Flintshire Flintshire () is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, the Dee Estuary to the north-east, the English county of Cheshire to the east, Wrexham County Borough to the south, and Denbighshire to the west. ...

to Ethel and George John Howson. George had attended

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

and was in later life an

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

. Ethel Dealtry's father was vicar of

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

, where George was curate. Joan had four older brothers, one of whom died in infancy.''Joan Howson''
University of Wales: Gwydr Lliw yng Nghymru – Stained Glass in Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2012.''Joan Howson.''
Sussex Parish Churches: Architects and Artists H. Retrieved 19 August 2012 Her brother

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

served in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and later became chairman of the

Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. Membership Service in th ...

's Poppy Factory. She was involved in the woman's

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

movement and socialism.

Biography

Howson trained at the

from 1909 to 1912. She also studied music in Paris. After completing her training at Liverpool, she met Caroline Townshend at The Glass House studios in London. Howson became a student and apprentice to Townshend in 1912. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Howson worked in a hospital laundry and later joined a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

group working in northern France. In 1920, she and Caroline Townshend began their partnership, Townshend & Howson, under which they obtained commissions; they signed their works joining both of their initials. They moved to 61 Deodar Road in

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

which they had converted to house a studio and workshop, which was shared by fellow stained glass artist

M. E. Aldrich Rope Margaret Edith Rope, known as M. E. Aldrich Rope (29 July 1891 – 9 March 1988) was an English stained-glass artist in the Arts and Crafts movement tradition active between 1910 and 1964. She was a cousin of Margaret Agnes Rope of Shrewsbury, ...

. They were neighbours to

Edward Woore Edward Woore or Davie Woore (1880–1960) was a British stained glass artist''Edward Woore''< ...

and other stained glass artists.''Caroline Townshend.''
Sussex Parish Churches: Architects and Artists T-U-V. Retrieved 19 August 2012 During the Second World War, with Townsend and Rope, she cared for evacuee children at three hospitals in North Wales. Townshend died in 1944. Howson returned to Putney and resumed her work there, often restoring medieval glass. She maintained both her late partner's initials and name in the company business. Two of her notable commissions were for

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

with the Department of Medieval Art, and a commission for the Church of St Mary Magdalene in

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent () or Newark is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...

to restore stained glass from the 14th century. The

Archdeacon of Suffolk The Archdeacon of Suffolk is a senior cleric in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The archdeacon is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy in the territory of the archdeaconry. History The archdeaconry of Sudbury s ...

had donated a box of medieval glass fragments from Combs church, Suffolk, the result of an 1871 explosion, to the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

. Howson was given the fragments to reassemble in 1939 and carried out the work without charge. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the box of glass was taken to safety in a mine at Portmadoc, North Wales. After the war, she received the retrieved fragments but it would be several years before she resumed work on the project, which she completed in 1952; the results were installed in the southeast windows of the church.History – Stained Glass
St Mary's Church Combs. Retrieved 20 August 2012. Meanwhile, an important restoration commission was for

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, to restore Chapter House windows damaged during the war; she worked on this with

Mary Eily de Putron Mary Eily de Putron (1914–1982) was an Irish and Guernsey stained glass artist and archaeologist who also served in the WAAF during World War II. Early life and education Putron was born to Annie Kate Shaw and Cyril de Putron at Bushy Park, D ...

, Leonard Banks, George Braggs, Nancy Collins, Bernardine Kellam Harris, Thomas Merritt, Eric Szabo and Percy Whale.

Personal life

Biography

Gallery

References

Further reading