Story via Annals of Science.

By Jasmine Allen

Abstract

Stained glass has been significantly overlooked in studies of nineteenth-century visual culture. This article examines the important role that stained glass played within ‘the era of public glass’ by exploring the dialogues between stained glass and ‘spectacle’ in the late Georgian and early Victorian periods. The first International Exhibitions held in London and Paris, between 1851 and 1862, provide a unique vantage point from which to assess key developments and changing attitudes towards stained glass after the Georgian era. Uniquely, they provided a secular, competitive and international environment where the stained glass of several nations could be seen. The article considers stained glass in a broad cultural and material context, encouraging new art-historical approaches to the medium alongside traditional historical, iconographical and ecclesiological methodologies. In order to do this, I consider stained glass in relation to other theatrical, illusory and illuminated spectacles involving glass transparencies, such as the diorama and Magic Lantern. I also draw attention to a number of ‘para-stained-glass novelties’, objects that were intended to recreate the appearance or effects of stained glass in other media. What can the kaleidoscopic display of stained glass at the International Exhibitions tell us about mid-Victorian visuality, imagination and the taste for spectacle? And what implications does this have for future scholarship on the marginalized medium of stained glass?

[Full article here]