Helen Maitland Armstrong (1869–1948) was an American stained glass artist who worked both solo and in partnership with her father, Maitland Armstrong. Her work is considered among the finest produced in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[1]
Helen Maitland Armstrong, cartoon for a memorial window shown at the 1893 World's Columbian Exhibition.
East window of Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Baltimore, Maryland, by Helen Maitland Armstrong, above reredos by Louis Comfort Tiffany, photographed after 1933. The window depicts the glorification of God and was installed ca. 1904.
She studied at the Art Students League of New York but received much of her artistic training from her father, who made her a junior partner in his firm of Maitland Armstrong & Co.[4][5][6]
Career
Armstrong's oeuvre centers on stained glass windows for churches but also includes mosaics, murals, and illustrations.[4] The stained glass she created both solo and in business partnership with her father until his death in 1918 is considered among the finest in late 19th and early 20th century America, ranking alongside the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany and John La Farge, both of whom were friends of Armstrong and her father.[1] She is a member of the first generation of women artists to take advantage of the new stained glass techniques pioneered by La Farge and Tiffany, along with Lydia Field Emmet and her sister Rosina Emmet Sherwood.[7] Her earliest work dates from the 1890s; in 1893, a cartoon for one of her stained glass windows was shown in the Women's Building at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.[8]
Armstrong and her father together created drawings for stained glass windows—many of them memorials—for the First Congregational Church (St. Louis, Missouri), Christ's Church (Rye, New York), Jekyl Island Chapel (Brunswick, Georgia), First Presbyterian Church (Newburgh, New York), All Souls' Episcopal Church (Biltmore, North Carolina), Earl Memorial Chapel (Troy, New York), and Vassar College.[9][10][11]
Armstrong's solo work—which the New York Times termed "exceptional"—included stained glass window designs for dozens of churches and chapels, as well as a government building and several private residences.[5][10] She designed 16 windows using a 15th-century painted-glass technique for a private mausoleum for Alva Belmont in Woodlawn Cemetery.[12] One of her windows for St. Andrew's Dune Church in Southampton, New York, was blown out by the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 and found intact afterwards half a mile away.[13]
Armstrong's masterpiece may be the east window at Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland, created as part of a general renovation of the church in 1904. Depicting the glorification of God, it is the focal point of the interior.[14] Above it is a mural showing the Lamb of God, and beneath it is a stone reredos by Tiffany with other Christian symbols such as the peacock (symbolizing resurrection).[14]
Armstrong also illustrated a number of books for the publisher A.C. McClurg.[15] Amstrong and her sister Margaret illustrated several books together, including Max Müller's 1906 Memories: A Story of German Love.
Armstrong died in the house where she was raised at 58 W. 10th St. in New York City on November 26, 1948.[5] She was interred in the cemetery at Christ Episcopal Church in Marlboro, New York.[16]
The Metropolitan Museum in New York holds a collection of her drawings and watercolors for stained glass windows as well as designs for an altarpiece and a mural.[13]
Selected solo commissions
Christ's Church (Marlborough, New York)
Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Bernardsville, New Jersey)
City Hall (Paterson, New Jersey)
Sailors’ Snug Harbor Chapel (Staten Island, New York)
^ abJones, Robert O. D. Maitland Armstrong: American Stained Glass Master. Sentry, 1999.
^ abGullans, Charles, and John Espey. Margaret Armstrong and American Trade Bindings. Los Angeles: UCLA Library Department of Special Collections, 1991.
^ abEvans, Curtis. "Had I But Known Authors #2: Margaret Armstrong, HIBK Patrician". The Passing Tramp (blog), January 28, 2012.
^ abcDryfhout, John H. The Work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens. UPNE, 2008.
^ abcd"The D. Maitland Armstrong House – No. 58 W. 10th Street". Daytonian in Manhattan blog, March 19, 2013.
^Jaffe, Irma B. The Italian Presence in American Art, 1860–1920. Fordham University Press, 1989.
^Cashman, Sean Dennis. America in the Gilded Age. New York University Press, 1993.
^Elliott, Maud Howe, ed. Art and Handicraft in the Women's Building of the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893. Goupil & Co., 1893.
^Catalogue of the Twentieth Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1905.
^ abcCatalogue of the Twelfth Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1897.
^Catalogue of the Fifteenth Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1900.
^Stasz, Clarice. The Vanderbilt Women: Dynasty of Wealth, Glamour, and Tragedy. St. Martin's Press, 1991.
^ ab"The Collection Online". Metropolitan Museum of Art website. Accessed 2015-11-14.
^ abZanow, Lois, and Sally Johnston. Monuments to Heaven: Baltimore's Historic Houses of Worship. AuthorHouse, 2010
^"Recent Work of Illustrators: Helen Maitland Armstrong". Brush and Pencil, vol. 10, no. 1 (April 1902), pp. 27–30.
^"Christ Church - Marlboro". www.christepiscopalmarlboro.org. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
External links
Media related to Helen Maitland Armstrong at Wikimedia Commons
March 04, 2023
helen, maitland, armstrong, 1869, 1948, american, stained, glass, artist, worked, both, solo, partnership, with, father, maitland, armstrong, work, considered, among, finest, produced, america, late, 19th, early, 20th, centuries, born, 1869, october, 1869flore. Helen Maitland Armstrong 1869 1948 was an American stained glass artist who worked both solo and in partnership with her father Maitland Armstrong Her work is considered among the finest produced in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries 1 Helen Maitland ArmstrongBorn 1869 10 14 October 14 1869Florence ItalyDiedNovember 26 1948 1948 11 26 aged 79 NationalityAmericanOccupationstained glass artistParentMaitland ArmstrongHelen Maitland Armstrong cartoon for a memorial window shown at the 1893 World s Columbian Exhibition East window of Old St Paul s Episcopal Church Baltimore Maryland by Helen Maitland Armstrong above reredos by Louis Comfort Tiffany photographed after 1933 The window depicts the glorification of God and was installed ca 1904 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Selected solo commissions 4 References 5 External linksEarly life EditHelen Maitland Armstrong was born in 1869 in Florence Italy to American diplomat and stained glass artist Maitland Armstrong and his wife Helen who was a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant and a niece of the politician Hamilton Fish 2 3 Her six siblings included book designer and author Margaret Neilson Armstrong and magazine editor Hamilton Fish Armstrong 2 3 In 1878 the sculptor Augustus Saint Gaudens who was a friend of her father s created a bronze portrait plaque of her from a photograph 4 She studied at the Art Students League of New York but received much of her artistic training from her father who made her a junior partner in his firm of Maitland Armstrong amp Co 4 5 6 Career EditArmstrong s oeuvre centers on stained glass windows for churches but also includes mosaics murals and illustrations 4 The stained glass she created both solo and in business partnership with her father until his death in 1918 is considered among the finest in late 19th and early 20th century America ranking alongside the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany and John La Farge both of whom were friends of Armstrong and her father 1 She is a member of the first generation of women artists to take advantage of the new stained glass techniques pioneered by La Farge and Tiffany along with Lydia Field Emmet and her sister Rosina Emmet Sherwood 7 Her earliest work dates from the 1890s in 1893 a cartoon for one of her stained glass windows was shown in the Women s Building at the World s Columbian Exposition in Chicago 8 Armstrong and her father together created drawings for stained glass windows many of them memorials for the First Congregational Church St Louis Missouri Christ s Church Rye New York Jekyl Island Chapel Brunswick Georgia First Presbyterian Church Newburgh New York All Souls Episcopal Church Biltmore North Carolina Earl Memorial Chapel Troy New York and Vassar College 9 10 11 Armstrong s solo work which the New York Times termed exceptional included stained glass window designs for dozens of churches and chapels as well as a government building and several private residences 5 10 She designed 16 windows using a 15th century painted glass technique for a private mausoleum for Alva Belmont in Woodlawn Cemetery 12 One of her windows for St Andrew s Dune Church in Southampton New York was blown out by the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 and found intact afterwards half a mile away 13 Armstrong s masterpiece may be the east window at Old St Paul s Episcopal Church in Baltimore Maryland created as part of a general renovation of the church in 1904 Depicting the glorification of God it is the focal point of the interior 14 Above it is a mural showing the Lamb of God and beneath it is a stone reredos by Tiffany with other Christian symbols such as the peacock symbolizing resurrection 14 Armstrong also illustrated a number of books for the publisher A C McClurg 15 Amstrong and her sister Margaret illustrated several books together including Max Muller s 1906 Memories A Story of German Love Armstrong died in the house where she was raised at 58 W 10th St in New York City on November 26 1948 5 She was interred in the cemetery at Christ Episcopal Church in Marlboro New York 16 The Metropolitan Museum in New York holds a collection of her drawings and watercolors for stained glass windows as well as designs for an altarpiece and a mural 13 Selected solo commissions EditChrist s Church Marlborough New York Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Bernardsville New Jersey City Hall Paterson New Jersey Sailors Snug Harbor Chapel Staten Island New York St Andrew s Dune Church Southampton New York St John s Church Williamstown Massachusetts St Paul s Episcopal Church Baltimore Maryland Trinity Church Newport Rhode Island Unitarian Church Washington DC 5 10 References Edit a b Jones Robert O D Maitland Armstrong American Stained Glass Master Sentry 1999 a b Gullans Charles and John Espey Margaret Armstrong and American Trade Bindings Los Angeles UCLA Library Department of Special Collections 1991 a b Evans Curtis Had I But Known Authors 2 Margaret Armstrong HIBK Patrician The Passing Tramp blog January 28 2012 a b c Dryfhout John H The Work of Augustus Saint Gaudens UPNE 2008 a b c d The D Maitland Armstrong House No 58 W 10th Street Daytonian in Manhattan blog March 19 2013 Jaffe Irma B The Italian Presence in American Art 1860 1920 Fordham University Press 1989 Cashman Sean Dennis America in the Gilded Age New York University Press 1993 Elliott Maud Howe ed Art and Handicraft in the Women s Building of the World s Columbian Exposition Chicago 1893 Goupil amp Co 1893 Catalogue of the Twentieth Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York 1905 a b c Catalogue of the Twelfth Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York 1897 Catalogue of the Fifteenth Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York 1900 Stasz Clarice The Vanderbilt Women Dynasty of Wealth Glamour and Tragedy St Martin s Press 1991 a b The Collection Online Metropolitan Museum of Art website Accessed 2015 11 14 a b Zanow Lois and Sally Johnston Monuments to Heaven Baltimore s Historic Houses of Worship AuthorHouse 2010 Recent Work of Illustrators Helen Maitland Armstrong Brush and Pencil vol 10 no 1 April 1902 pp 27 30 Christ Church Marlboro www christepiscopalmarlboro org Retrieved 2022 02 08 External links Edit Media related to Helen Maitland Armstrong at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Helen Maitland Armstrong amp oldid 1075631308, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
