In Spring 1906 Henry Holiday closed his Church Row workshop and rented a studio at Lowndes & Drury's newly built Glass House, Lettice Road, Fulham.
Hadley et al (2008) found entries in Holiday's diary at this time showing that Glasby was so unhappy at losing his home and having to accept much inferior conditions of employment that he very nearly lost his job.
But Glasby continued to paint stained glass for Holiday for another fifteen years. Holiday paid Glasby at the rate of 14 shillings per foot for figure work and ten shillings for canopies. Glasby was able to undertake commissions from other artists, but could not undercut the rates paid by Holiday, and was not allowed to advertise by putting his name on the studio door. Glasby accepted these conditions, moved his family to 29 Clarendon/Carlton Road, Putney, SW 15 and began seeking his own outside commissions with considerable success.
Many of the sketches in the John Collins’ archive have the Putney address written initially on the back, but then crossed out for a substitute return address to Kensington.
Glasby continued to paint for Morris & Co which provided an additional income. One significant Window is the figure of Miriam 1911 in the Chapel of Cheadle Royal Hospital. It is based on a Burne-Jones' cartooon for the figure of Deborah drawn in 1896 for the Albion Congregational Church, Ashton-under-Lyne. it is described as "The sensitive glass-painting is the work of William Glasby...". [1]
Notes
[1] Peter Cormack F.S.A, An Exhibition of Morris and Company's Stained Glass for the Chapel of Cheadle Royal Hospital, pub in 2008 by Haslam & Whiteway Ltd.
Further Reading
V&A Archive of Art and Design Lowndes & Drury, stained glass makers: records, 1893 - 1987 Lowndes & Drury, stained glass makers: recordsCatalogue of records in the Victoria and Albert Museum: Archive of Art and DesignEmma Golding (vam.ac.uk)
Lowndes & Drury, stained glass makers: records Lowndes & Drury, stained glass makers: records - Archives Hub (jisc.ac.uk)
The Journal of Stained Glass, Vol. XLI (2017) The Glass House Special Issue, Vol. XLI (2017) The Glass House Special Issue | BSMGP
(c) Erika Szyszczak June 2021
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