Veronica Mary Whall (1887–1967) was an important British

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

artist, painter, and illustrator associated with 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 ...

. Her father, Christopher Whall, was the leader of the movement in stained glass. She was educated in the techniques of painting and stained glass making in her father's studio-workshop. She later became his studio assistant and designer for his studio in 1914. In 1922, Whall and her father co-founded a stained glass studio together, which she managed for nearly thirty years after his death in 1924.''Panel. Whall, Veronica, born 1887 – died 1970''
'sic'' Victoria and Albert Museum. 30 September 2012.''Veronica Whall.''
Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851–1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2012.

Early life and education

Veronica Whall was born in 1887 in Stonebridge, near Dorking, Surrey. She showed artistic talent at a very young age and was only 13 when she drew Saint Catherine as part of a window for the

Lady Chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chape ...

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...

. Whall, her mother, and her siblings were often used by her father as models for his stained glass designs. Whall attended the L.C.C.

Central School of Arts and Crafts The Central School of Art and Design was a art school, school of fine arts, 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 ...

, including classes taught by her father. Like other talented students at the school, Whall worked as a student apprentice at her father's studio-workshop.''Halls: Stained Glass Windows by Veronica Whall.''
The Fellowship of the Knights of the Round Table of King Arthur. Retrieved 30 September 2012.

Career

Whall was employed by her father, Christopher Whall as a studio assistant after she graduated from the

. She and other assistants worked with Christoper Whall in completing the many stained glass commissions that Whall's studio-workshop created. In addition to the successful career as a stained glass artist, she also painted. One of her works, ''The Elf Hour'', was a Victorian fairy

watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting method"Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to the ...

painting. In 1907 it was exhibited during the summer at the New Gallery in London. Veronica Whall window in Westfield

In the 1911 census, Whall gave her occupation as a self-employed "Artist in water colour". In 1912 she illustrated and coloured by hand a limited edition book for John Lyly entitled ''Cupid & Campaspe.'' She also wrote, illustrated and coloured by hand her own book, ''The Story of Peterkin in the Wood'', which was printed by her brother Hew B. Whall in 1912. She exhibited some of her works at the 1914 Decorative Arts exhibition in Paris. Veronica_Whall_window_in_Keswick

Like her father, she collaborated with Charles Sydney Spooner, who taught at the Central School of Art. In 1916, Spooner led the team who worked on the Apsidal Chapel created for display at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society 11th Exhibition, October–November 1916 at the

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

. Whall and her father worked on the chapel's frieze. She was promoted to designer in her father's studio in 1914, and worked as designer until 1918. In 1922, Whall and her father opened a studio together which they both co-directed. When Christopher Whall died in 1924, Whall managed the studio, assisted by her brother Christopher, until the studio closed in 1953. Whall & Whall, during its time, completed numerous stained glass works for cathedrals in England, Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. In 1953, Whall moved to

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the e ...

, devoting much of her time to goat-keeping. She died in 1967.''History''.
Whalley Methodist Church. Retrieved 30 September 2012.

Stained glass works

Whall was a prominent and well respected stained glass artist during her career. She completed many stained glass commissions during her lifetime, initially working for Christopher Whall's studio workshop and later at the Whall & Whall studio. Many of her works outside the United Kingdom are to be found in

, such as those at the Christchurch Nurses' Memorial Chapel,Commissioned by Joseph Davis, Whall made for Whalley Methodist Church, '' St. Francis of Assisi'' and ''The Madonna and Child'' windows. These windows are said to be among her best works. She created 73 windows for King Arthur's Hall, Tintagel, Cornwall, that opened in 1933. As of 1997 it is considered to be the largest collection of stained glass panels of

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

made in the 20th century and a great example of Arts and Crafts workmanship.Norris J. Lacy.
The Arthurian Handbook, Second Edition.
'. Taylor & Francis; 1 October 1997. . p. 236.

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whall, Veronica British stained glass artists and manufacturers 1887 births 1967 deaths Christopher Whall English illustrators Alumni of the Central School of Art and Design English women artists