Henry Holiday (18391927) was a polymath who counted figures such as Lewis Carroll, William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones and Emmeline Pankhurst as his friends. Most significantly, he was unquestionably one of the greatest stained-glass artists of the Victorian-Edwardian period, yet his considerable achievements have not received the recognition that they deserve.
Taking Holidays commissions for New York State churches as its focus, George Bryants ground-breaking study places the artists transatlantic accomplishments in the context of the social, artistic, religious and economic shifts that shaped his success in the US during Americas Gilded Age a period where existing social hierarchies were challenged by new money and European immigration that ended with the outbreak of the First World War. Also providing a clear understanding of the technical and aesthetic differences that set Holiday's stained glass apart from that of his contemporaries such as Edward Burne-Jones, La Farge, and Tiffany, Bryant's truly original publication, based on substantial archival research, makes a significant contribution to our understanding of nineteenth-century stained-glass design and Henry Holiday's important achievements.
Arvustused
'Bryants detailed accounts of many of Holidays magnificent windows point to the artists colossal artistic achievement; they also point to the fragility of the medium. [ ...] Stained-glass windows are difficult to record accurately and the brilliance of Holidays colour palette shines through in these reproductions.' Morna ONeill, Apollo Magazine Winner of the Victorian Society of New York book award 2023. 'Bryant has successfully situated Holiday as an artist in his own right, dynamically addressing key moments in a long and rich career. The book is a visual and intellectual feast and a very welcome addition for scholars of this period to digest.' Reviewed by Dr Marie Groll, The York Glaziers Trust, for Vidimus, Issue 151
Introduction; Part I: Holiday's early life and career (three chapters covering 1839- 1876); Part II: Holiday in the 1880s (six chapters, with a focus on specific commissions); Part III: Holiday in the 1890s and beyond (six chapters, which include specific commissions); Conclusion; Appendix; Notes; Bibliography; Acknowledgements; Illustration credits; Index
George Bryant is a historian, author and former architect based in Philadelphia. He is a recognised authority on Henry Holiday. His interest in Victorian architecture and art dates back to his student days at the Bartlett School at University College London. Since then, he has published articles in Architectural History, The Journal of Stained Glass, and the New York Landmarks Conservancys Common Bond. George has given presentations at national and international conferences and for the Society of Architectural Historians, the Victorian Society of New York, the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the Chestnut Hill Conservancy, as well as the American Glass Guild.
