Adam Naming the Animals, by Christopher Whall (1849-1924)

Victorian Web Home —> Visual Arts —> Victorian Stained Glass —> Christopher Whall —> Next]

Adam Naming the Animals

Christopher Whall

1880

Collection: The William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow

This was one of a set of windows by Whall for St Alban's Church, Holborn, fulfilling his very first stained glass commission. [Commentary continues below.]

Photograph, caption and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. [Click on the image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links.]

Courtesy of the William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow.

The giraffe, elephant, stag, tiger, pelican and other creatures here make a delightful ensemble and the whole composition is heartwarming, but (according to the information on the gallery wall) Whall's dissatisfaction with these early efforts made him see the need for learning the process of stained glass production himself, and he went on to master all the stages of it. St Alban's, Holborn, a church designed by William Butterfield, was badly bombed during the war; it has one window by Whall in situ.

Related Material

Created 29 September 2016