Scenes from the first window of the North aisle. One of a series of three designed by William Blake Richmond, 1909, in Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street, London SW1. The theme is Charity, with women shown to be engaged in good works. The window was installed in memory of Viscount Chelsea, funded by 5th Earl Cadogan, and is recorded in the Order Book of James Powell and Sons (see bibliography).
Closer view of two of the figures. On the left, a woman is leading a circle of girls in singing, with birds among the leaves in the background, one clearly singing too. A very small child sits at her feet. On the right, another brings comfort to a fallen woman: a tiny angel kneels by her shoulder, and the spiritual peace that she brings is represented by the doves and flowers around them both.
Lower panel: "Charity suffereth long and is kind; envieth not, vaunteth not [itself]." The scene on the left shows Jesus in the wilderness, while that on the right shows Jesus receiving the mothers and children, and holding one infant lovingly.
Lower panel (continuation): "...is not puffed up, and now abideth Faith, Hope, Charity." These two panels show two more episodes in the Bible: (left) Mary Magdalene anointing Jesus's feet at the meal in Simon's house (Luke 7, 36–50), and (right) Jesus preaching to and preparing to provide food for the multitudes, on two occasions recorded in the gospels.
Photographed (except for the order book entry, shown below) in 2013 by George P. Landow. Identified and added in 2024, with text and formatting, by Jacqueline Banerjee. [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite it in a print one.]
Bibliography
Cherry, Bridget, and Nikolaus Pevsner. London 3: North West. The Buildings of England. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002.
Eberhard, Robert. "Holy Trinity Church...." Church Stained Glass Records. Web. 11 September 2024.
Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street, London SW1: A Brief Guide. London: Holy Trinity Church, n.d.
James Powell Order Book. Interesting to see the print-out of the actual entry for Richmond's three widows:
11 September 2024