Mary Lowndes
Encyclopedia
Mary Lowndes was an important British stained-glass and poster artist, and an active member of the Suffragette
movement. She was a leading light in the Arts and Crafts Movement
and Chair of the Artists Suffrage League (ASL).
and then at Britten & Gilson's, a firm which developed Norman Glass, a Slab glass that was used by Christopher Whall
and his followers. In 1897, with the then foreman of the firm, A. J. Drury, she founded Lowndes & Drury. In 1906 they founded the Glass House
in Lettice Street, Fulham
, which provided a purpose-built stained-glass studio and workshop for independent artists. Christopher Whall, Robert Anning Bell and Wilhelmina Geddes all produced work there. Like Geddes, Lowndes was a lesbian.
In January 1907 Lowndes established The Artists' Suffrage League
(ASL) to create dramatic posters, postcards, Christmas Cards, and banners for suffrage events. She became its chair. Work by Lowndes and The Artists' Suffrage League may be seen at The Women's Library, London. Even underwear in suffragette colours appeared in stores. Between 1903 and 1914 the methods used by the women’s suffrage movement began to change and they began to engage in public demonstrations and other propaganda activities. Lowndes’ training as a stained-glass designer encouraged the use of bold shapes and a love of full, rich colours, using striking combinations of green and blue, magenta and orange.
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
movement. She was a leading light in the Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
and Chair of the Artists Suffrage League (ASL).
Work
She first worked under Henry HolidayHenry Holiday
Henry Holiday was an English historical genre and landscape painter, stained glass designer, illustrator and sculptor. He is considered to be a member of the Pre-Raphaelite school of art.-Early years and training:...
and then at Britten & Gilson's, a firm which developed Norman Glass, a Slab glass that was used by Christopher Whall
Christopher Whall
Christopher Whitworth Whall was an English stained glass artist who worked from 1897 into the 20th century.He was an important member of the Arts and Crafts Movement, who became a leading designer of stained glass. His most important work is the glass for the Lady Chapel in Gloucester Cathedral...
and his followers. In 1897, with the then foreman of the firm, A. J. Drury, she founded Lowndes & Drury. In 1906 they founded the Glass House
The Glass House (Fulham)
The Glass House was a purpose-built stained-glass studio and workshop for independent artists established in 1906, in Fulham, West London. It was closely connected with the Arts and Crafts Movement....
in Lettice Street, Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, which provided a purpose-built stained-glass studio and workshop for independent artists. Christopher Whall, Robert Anning Bell and Wilhelmina Geddes all produced work there. Like Geddes, Lowndes was a lesbian.
In January 1907 Lowndes established The Artists' Suffrage League
Artists' Suffrage League
The Artists' Suffrage League was one of several suffrage societies founded in this period. The period between 1903 and 1914 was one of resurgence in the women's suffrage movement...
(ASL) to create dramatic posters, postcards, Christmas Cards, and banners for suffrage events. She became its chair. Work by Lowndes and The Artists' Suffrage League may be seen at The Women's Library, London. Even underwear in suffragette colours appeared in stores. Between 1903 and 1914 the methods used by the women’s suffrage movement began to change and they began to engage in public demonstrations and other propaganda activities. Lowndes’ training as a stained-glass designer encouraged the use of bold shapes and a love of full, rich colours, using striking combinations of green and blue, magenta and orange.
Stained glass
- All Saints' Church, Childwall
- St George's Church, AltrinchamSt George's Church, AltrinchamSt George's Church, Altrincham is in the town of Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England . The church is a Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Bowdon.-History:The original church was...
- St Andrew, Boxford, BerkshireBoxford, BerkshireBoxford is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of West Berkshire, part of Berkshire in England.The village is on the east bank of the River Lambourn, about northwest of Newbury but south of the M4 motorway...
- St Mary, EwshotEwshotEwshot is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It lies in the north east of the county, close to the Surrey border.Ewshot consists of Ewshot Village proper, a later development known as Ewshot Heights plus the outlying hamlets of Beacon Hill, Warren, Doras Green and a newer estate of...
- St Mary’s, WelwynWelwynWelwyn is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The parish also includes the villages of Digswell and Oaklands. It is sometimes called Old Welwyn to distinguish it from the newer settlement of Welwyn Garden City, about a mile to the south.-History:Situated in the valley of the...
- All Hallows, Gospel OakGospel OakGospel Oak is an inner urban area of north London in the London Borough of Camden below Hampstead Heath. It is bordered by the more affluent areas of Belsize Park to the west, Kentish Town to the south, Eastern Hampstead to the North and Dartmouth Park and Tufnell Park to the east...
- St Mary, Pimlico, London
- St. Yeghiches (Armenian), Kensington, London
- St John the Baptist, WittershamWittershamWittersham is a village and civil parish, part of the Isle of Oxney, south of Ashford in Kent, South East England, near Tenterden.The Domesday Book does not mention Wittersham, but it does assign the manor of Palstre to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. Palstre was only one of four places in the Weald,...
- St Leonard, Heston, London
- St Peter, Great CheverellGreat CheverellGreat Cheverell is a village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire. In some sources the Latinized name of Cheverell Magna is used, especially when referring to the ecclesiastical parish.-History:...
, Wiltshire - St Peter, HenfieldHenfieldHenfield is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, northwest of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester at the road junction of the A281 and A2037. The parish has a land area of . In the 2001 census 5,012...
, Sussex - St Mary and St Blaise, BoxgroveBoxgroveBoxgrove is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of the English county of West Sussex, about five kilometres north east of the city of Chichester. The village is just south of the A285 road which follows the line of the Roman road Stane Street.The parish has an area of...
, Sussex - St Christopher, HaslemereHaslemereHaslemere is a town in Surrey, England, close to the border with both Hampshire and West Sussex. The major road between London and Portsmouth, the A3, lies to the west, and a branch of the River Wey to the south. Haslemere is approximately south-west of Guildford.Haslemere is surrounded by hills,...
- St Andrew's, MeonstokeMeonstokeMeonstoke is a village in Hampshire, England. Meonstoke lies in the Meon Valley where it cuts through the Middle Chalk of the South Downs. Old Winchester Hill is at the edge of the parish to the east....
Further reading
- M. Lowndes 'Banners and Banner-Making', Appendix 5 in The Spectacle of Women by Lisa Tickner, University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226802459 March 1988