Wilhelmina Geddes
Encyclopedia
Wilhelmina Geddes was an Irish stained glass
artist. She had a workshop at the An Túr Gloine
and was a member of the Arts and Crafts Movement
. Important achievements included windows at St. Bartholomew’s
in Ottawa
, Canada
.
Geddes was born on 25 May 1887, the eldest of four children, in County Leitrim
, in what is now the Republic of Ireland. She studied as an artist at the Belfast School of Art and in Dublin under William Orpen
. She was invited by Sarah Purser
to join An Túr Gloine
(Tower of Glass) which was a cooperative stained glass studio in Dublin, where she learned stained glass techniques from others in the cooperative. On her 38th birthday she moved to London where she had a studio at the Glass House in Fulham
, which had been set up by Mary Lowndes
and A.J. Drury, where her pupils included Evie Hone
.
Her work was considered pioneering and represented a rejection of the Late Victorian
approach. She created a new view of men in stained glass windows, portraying them with close-shaven crew cuts. Her three-light window for Ottawa had already attracted considerable attention in London, where it was briefly exhibited en route from Dublin to Canada. It is known worldwide to stained glass connoisseurs as the “Ottawa Window”.
Always known as erratic, Geddes had a nervous breakdown in 1925 and spent six months in hospital under medication. She had fears of contact with comets or dead stars. Indeed she had included coloured shooting stars in her windows from 1914.
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...
artist. She had a workshop at the An Túr Gloine
An Túr Gloine
An Túr Gloine was a cooperative studio for stained glass conceived in late 1901 and established January 1903 at 24 Pembroke Street, Dublin, Ireland, on the site of two former tennis courts. It was active throughout the first half of the 20th century...
and was a member of the Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
. Important achievements included windows at St. Bartholomew’s
St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church (Ottawa)
St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church is an Anglican Church in Ottawa, Canada. The parish was founded in 1866 and the building completed in 1868. Its architect is uncertain but believed to have been Thomas Seaton Scott who designed a number of other prominent Ottawa structures...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Geddes was born on 25 May 1887, the eldest of four children, in County Leitrim
County Leitrim
County Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
, in what is now the Republic of Ireland. She studied as an artist at the Belfast School of Art and in Dublin under William Orpen
William Orpen
Major Sir William Newenham Montague Orpen, KBE, RA, RHA was an Irish portrait painter, who worked mainly in London...
. She was invited by Sarah Purser
Sarah Purser
-Early life:She was born in Kingstown in County Dublin, and raised in Dungarvan, County Waterford. She was educated in Switzerland and afterwards studied at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin and in Paris at the Académie Julian.-Artist:...
to join An Túr Gloine
An Túr Gloine
An Túr Gloine was a cooperative studio for stained glass conceived in late 1901 and established January 1903 at 24 Pembroke Street, Dublin, Ireland, on the site of two former tennis courts. It was active throughout the first half of the 20th century...
(Tower of Glass) which was a cooperative stained glass studio in Dublin, where she learned stained glass techniques from others in the cooperative. On her 38th birthday she moved to London where she had a studio at the Glass House in Fulham
The Glass House (Fulham)
The Glass House was a purpose-built stained-glass studio and workshop for independent artists established in 1906, in Fulham, West London. It was closely connected with the Arts and Crafts Movement....
, which had been set up by Mary Lowndes
Mary Lowndes
Mary Lowndes was an important British stained-glass and poster artist, and an active member of the Suffragette movement. She was a leading light in the Arts and Crafts Movement and Chair of the Artists Suffrage League .-Work:...
and A.J. Drury, where her pupils included Evie Hone
Evie Hone
Evie Hone was a Dublin born Irish painter and stained glass artist.She was related to Nathaniel Hone and Nathaniel Hone the Younger. Her most important works are probably the East Window for the Chapel at Eton College, Windsor and My Four Green Fields, now located in Government Buildings...
.
Her work was considered pioneering and represented a rejection of the Late Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
approach. She created a new view of men in stained glass windows, portraying them with close-shaven crew cuts. Her three-light window for Ottawa had already attracted considerable attention in London, where it was briefly exhibited en route from Dublin to Canada. It is known worldwide to stained glass connoisseurs as the “Ottawa Window”.
Always known as erratic, Geddes had a nervous breakdown in 1925 and spent six months in hospital under medication. She had fears of contact with comets or dead stars. Indeed she had included coloured shooting stars in her windows from 1914.
Other stained glass
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