The Employments of Women: A Cyclopædia of Woman's WorkPenny, Virginia
General
The Employments of Women: A Cyclopædia of Woman's Work
Penny, Virginia
Women -- Employment
=273. Stainers.= Stained glass is now generally used for churches, and
to some extent for dwellings. The Germans are the most successful in
staining glass. There are two kinds of stained glass--the pot metal, the
coloring substances of which are fused in the glass and then burnt. The
pictures of the other kind are formed of small pieces, each one painted
separately, burnt, and united with blacklead. Frequently a window is
formed of hundreds of these pieces. A picture of stained glass looks on
the right side like a rich oil painting on canvas. I have been told
there are 18,000 shades of stained glass. G. charges $6 a square foot
for stained glass of a fine kind. There is a lady in England, that fills
large orders for the stained glass windows of churches and cathedrals.
Madame Bodichon writes as follows of a convent of Carmelite nuns she
visited at Mans, France: "By the direction of the sisters, glass windows
of all sorts, and in every stage of progress, were shown to us by an
intelligent young man--one of the artists in the employ of the convent.
He told us there were twenty-seven employés, two of them German artists;
but the sisters arrange everything, carry on all the immense
correspondence, and execute orders not only for France, but for America,
Rome, and England, and other countries. Three of the nuns are occupied
in painting upon glass themselves, but the principal part of the work is
done by the artists, under the direction of the ladies." It requires a
person of artistic skill and taste to excel in staining glass, and the
work is best appreciated by people acquainted with art. It would require
at least three or four years to learn the art well. A knowledge of other
styles of painting is not of much assistance. The paint must be put on
very thickly, but very evenly. There seems to be a combination of arts
in the business to one who performs all the parts. A man must be enough
of a glazier to cut glass, enough of a chemist to understand the colors
to be used and the length of time the glass should be exposed to heat,
enough of a designer to prepare his own patterns, and enough of an
artist to color with taste. A man can earn at least $18 or $20 a week,
who is proficient in the art. The business has increased greatly during
the last few years in the United States, and is continuing to increase.
Much of the stained glass used in the United States is of home
manufacture. The designs for stained glass are usually made by the
proprietor of an establishment. Skill in drawing is very desirable for
any one working at the business. The art is one that affords exercise
for inventive talent, artistic skill, and good taste. In a few
glass-staining establishments, girls do the tracing. It requires an
apprenticeship of four years to learn the grinding, enamelling, and
staining of glass. A boy is usually paid $1.50 a week the first year,
but he is expected to grind colors, clean brushes, go errands, &c. An
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