Thomas A. O'Shaughnessy
Encyclopedia
Thomas Augustus "Gus" O'Shaughnessy (1870-1956), an Irish American
Celtic Revival
designer, who worked in stained glass
. He was employed as a Chicago Daily News
staff artist. He is best remembered for having created the greatest example of Celtic Revival architectural design in America. He personally executed and installed fifteen stained glass windows at Old St. Patrick's Church at Des Plaines and Adams, in Chicago between 1912 and 1922. He was inspired by the Celtic art exhibit at the World's Columbian Exposition
of 1893. The windows include a triptych
done with an especially beautiful blend of the Art Nouveau
and Celtic Revival styles. According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago History (getting the date usually ascribed to the Book of Kells
wrong):
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
Celtic Revival
Celtic Revival
Celtic Revival covers a variety of movements and trends, mostly in the 19th and 20th centuries, which drew on the traditions of Celtic literature and Celtic art, or in fact more often what art historians call Insular art...
designer, who worked in stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
. He was employed as a Chicago Daily News
Chicago Daily News
The Chicago Daily News was an afternoon daily newspaper published between 1876 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The Daily News was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty in 1875 and began publishing early the next year...
staff artist. He is best remembered for having created the greatest example of Celtic Revival architectural design in America. He personally executed and installed fifteen stained glass windows at Old St. Patrick's Church at Des Plaines and Adams, in Chicago between 1912 and 1922. He was inspired by the Celtic art exhibit at the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
of 1893. The windows include a triptych
Triptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
done with an especially beautiful blend of the Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
and Celtic Revival styles. According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago History (getting the date usually ascribed to the Book of Kells
Book of Kells
The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created by Celtic monks ca. 800 or slightly earlier...
wrong):
thanks to the genius of artist Thomas A. O'Shaughnessy, St. Patrick's was transformed, between 1912 and 1922, into the best-known example of Celtic Revival Art in America. Drawing inspiration from the ninth-century illuminated manuscript known as the Book of Kells, O'Shaughnessy created luminescent stained-glass windows and interlace stencils. Restored to their original beauty in 1996, O'Shaughnessy's designs continue to challenge conventional notions of Irish identity and sacred space.