Windows for the world explores the display and reception of nineteenth-century British stained glass in a secular exhibition context. International in scope, the book focuses on the global development of stained glass in this period as showcased at, and influenced by, these exhibitions. It recognises those who made and exhibited stained glass and demonstrates the long-lasting impact of the classification and modes of display at these events. A number of exhibits are illustrated in colour and are analysed in relation to stylistic developments, techniques and material innovations, as well as the broader iconographies of nation and empire in the nineteenth century.

Reviews

'Readers of this book will emerge with a strong sense of how stained glass evolved into an international medium and how this was facilitated or impeded within the context of the international exhibitions. Allen's pertinent analysis provides insights about how the exhibitions functioned, how exhibitors attempted to promote their works, and the ways that historicist styles were adapted to meet contemporaneous issues. This book is both an important contribution to our understanding of the international exhibitions and welcome stimulus for opening up the study of stained glass to the analytical attention that it deserves.'
Journal of Design History

Introduction
1 Exhibiting stained glass: classification, organisation and status
2 A multitude of displays
3 Stylistic eclecticism in nineteenth-century stained glass
4 Competition and exchange: exhibitors and their networks
5 Stained glass as propaganda
Conclusion: reappraising nineteenth-century stained glass
Appendix
Bibliography
Index

Author

Jasmine Allen is Director and Curator of The Stained Glass Museum, the only museum dedicated to the art of stained glass in the UK, which boasts a national collection of stained glass from medieval to modern. She gained her PhD from the University of York.