This is a drop dead gorgeous early Victorian stained glass window, circa 1875-1885, from the Pittsburgh area. This beautiful design is highly characteristic of the period. The early Victorian style was strongly influenced by English stained glass, thanks to the Centennial Exposition of 1876, which exposed Americans to international interior design. These modes immediately gained acceptance in America, and were widely imitated. The informal, sketchy painting style was unlike the highly controlled, realistic paintings coming out of old England. This type of window was used in American Victorian or Eclectic style architecture, and the unabashed use of a multitude of bright colors was only rivaled by the scandalously bright color schemes of the exterior paint schemes on the houses' exteriors.

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This quintessentially Victorian window features a five branched yellow granite cathedral palmate shell form as its centerpiece, which has deep red cathedral glass in between it's branches. This "fractured shell" motif is one which appeared frequently in mid to late Victorian era windows. It is further embellished by numerous swirling volutes of the same yellow granite cathedral glass. The central design is visually grounded by an area of light green granite in the center of the design. The majority of the background is clear glass. The background design is formed by a long row of overlapping gothic arches. These overlapped areas are accented with shield-like shapes of pale green and pink "hammered" cathedral glass above and below.

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Here is a charming Arts and Crafts style stained glass window which was salvaged from an old house in Pittsburgh. The window is datable to the 1920's, judging by the design and types of glass used. It is in its original wood frame or sash which was painted brown on the interior side and painted black on the exterior side. The frame is in good condition and all of the joints are sound. There are also two metal hooks built in at the top, which probably attached to the chains which raised or lowered it.

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This is an old stained glass window, circa 1920. It came from a huge, old building that housed the Elks Club in East Liverpool, Ohio, (139 W. Fifth Street) which is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. The window is one of a larger group of gnome themed windows that framed a large basement room at the highest part of the walls. The focal point of the panel is a trumpet playing gnome standing amidst grasses and flowers. The theme of the series of windows (which this was one of) was "gnomes preparing for a feast", and this particular gnome has been given charge of providing music. The gnome and his pastoral setting are done with kiln fired enamels on antique flashed glass, and the painting technique is excellent ~ very well rendered, down to the last detail, like an illustration. The glass is painted on both sides to give depth to the scene, and there is silver stain used to add gold areas to the scene, and sandblasted red flashed glass used to achieve the strong reds and lighter painted areas within the same piece of glass. There is a whole primer of stained glass painting techniques in this small area, showing that it was executed by a master craftsman.

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This is an old stained glass window, circa 1920. It came from a huge old building that housed the Elks Club in East Liverpool, Ohio, (139 W. Fifth Street) which is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. The window is one of a larger group of gnome themed windows that framed the basement walls at the highest part of the wall. The focal point of the panel is a smiling gnome standing amidst grasses and other plants. The theme of the series of windows (which this was one of) was "gnomes preparing for a feast", and this particular gnome has been given charge of providing the fruits, which he holds aloft in his wicker basket. The gnome and his pastoral setting are done with kiln fired enamels on antique flashed glass, and the painting technique is excellent ~ very well rendered, down to the last detail, like an illustration.

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This is an old stained glass window, circa 1920. It came from a huge old building that housed the Elks Club in East Liverpool, Ohio, (139 W. Fifth Street) which is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. The window is one of a larger group of gnome themed windows that framed the basement walls at the highest part of the wall. The focal point of the panel is a charming gnome walking in a grassy meadow. The theme of the series of windows (which this was one of) was "gnomes preparing for a feast", and this particular gnome has been given charge of providing the mushrooms, which he has just harvested with his gold knife. The gnome and his pastoral setting are done with kiln fired enamels on antique flashed glass, and the painting technique is excellent ~ very well rendered, down to the last detail, like an illustration. The glass is painted on both sides to give depth to the scene, and there is silver stain used to add gold areas to the scene, and sandblasted red flashed glass used to acheive the strong reds and lighter painted areas within the same piece of glass. There is a whole primer of stained glass painting techniques in this small area, showing that it was executed by a master craftsman.

Click to learn more...