Joan Howson (1885–1964) was a British stained glass artist of the Arts and Crafts movement. She trained at the

Liverpool School of Art The John Lennon Art and Design Building (formerly the Art and Design Academy) in Liverpool, England, houses Liverpool John Moores University's School of Art and Design. The school was formerly located at the Grade II listed Liverpool College of ...

before becoming a student and apprentice to

Caroline Townshend Caroline Charlotte Townshend (1878–1944) was a British stained glass artist of the Arts and Crafts Movement. She trained at Slade School of Fine Art and Central School of Arts and Crafts before becoming a pupil of Christopher Whall. She desi ...

. They later developed a lifelong partnership creating stained glass works under the name of their company, Townshend and Howson.

Personal life

Howson was born on 9 May 1885 in

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

to Ethel and George John Howson. George had attended

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

and was in later life an archdeacon. Ethel Dealtry's father was vicar of

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

, where George was curate. Joan had four older brothers, one of whom died in infancy.''Joan Howson''
University of Wales: Gwydr Lliw yng Nghymru – Stained Glass in Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2012.''Joan Howson.''
Sussex Parish Churches: Architects and Artists H. Retrieved 19 August 2012 Her brother

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

served in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and later became chairman of the

Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ...

Poppy Factory The Poppy Factory is a factory in Richmond, London, England, where remembrance wreaths are made. It was founded in 1922 to offer employment opportunities to wounded soldiers returning from the First World War, creating remembrance poppies and ...

. She was involved in the woman's suffragette movement and socialism.

Biography

Howson trained at the

from 1909 to 1912. She also studied music in Paris. After completing her training at Liverpool, she met

at The Glass House studios in London. Howson became a student and apprentice to Townshend in 1912. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Howson worked in a hospital laundry and later joined a Quaker group working in northern France. In 1920, she and Caroline Townshend began their partnership, Townshend & Howson, under which they obtained commissions; they signed their works joining both of their initials. They moved to 61 Deodar Road in

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

which they had converted to house a studio and workshop, which was shared by fellow stained glass artist M. E. Aldrich Rope. They were neighbours to

Edward Woore Edward Woore or Davie Woore (1880–1960) was a British stained glass artist''Edward Woore. ...

and other stained glass artists.''Caroline Townshend.''
Sussex Parish Churches: Architects and Artists T-U-V. Retrieved 19 August 2012 During the Second World War, with Townsend and Rope, she cared for evacuee children at three hospitals in North Wales. Townshend died in 1944. Howson returned to Putney and resumed her work there, often restoring medieval glass. She maintained both her late partner's initials and name in the company business. Two of her notable commissions were for

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

with the Department of Medieval Art, and a commission for the Church of St Mary Magdalene in

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...

to restore stained glass from the 14th century. The

Archdeacon of Suffolk The Archdeacon of Suffolk is a senior cleric in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The archdeacon is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy in the territory of the archdeaconry. History Originally in the Dioceses of No ...

had donated a box of medieval glass fragments from Combs church, Suffolk, the result of an 1871 explosion, to the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

. Howson was given the fragments to reassemble in 1939 and carried out the work without charge. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the box of glass was taken to safety in a mine at

Portmadoc Porthmadog (; ), originally Portmadoc until 1974 and locally as "Port", is a Welsh coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd and the historic county of Caernarfonshire. It lies east of Criccieth, south-west of Blaenau Ffesti ...

, North Wales. After the war, she received the retrieved fragments but it would be several years before she resumed work on the project, which she completed in 1952; the results were installed in the southeast windows of the church.History – Stained Glass
St Mary's Church Combs. Retrieved 20 August 2012. Meanwhile, an important restoration commission was for

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

, to restore Chapter House windows damaged during the war; she worked on this with

Mary Eily de Putron Mary Eily de Putron (1914–1982) was an Irish and Guernsey stained glass artist and archaeologist who also served in the WAAF during World War II. Early life and education Putron was born to Annie Kate Shaw and Cyril de Putron at Bushy Park, D ...

, Leonard Banks, George Braggs, Nancy Collins, Bernardine Kellam Harris, Thomas Merritt, Eric Szabo and Percy Whale.

Personal life

Biography

Gallery

References

Further reading