BALTIMORE (Oct. 24, 2023) – Among its many architectural treasures, Charm City has an abundance of stained-glass windows dating back to the mid-19th century. But will this beloved art form continue here in the decades to come? Anthropologist and author Linda Rabben explores all this and more in her newest project – the first illustrated book on the social history of stained-glass decoration in Baltimore.
Through A Glass Darkly: The Social History of Stained Glass in Baltimore traces the evolution of “Charm City Style” – beginning when foreign craftsmen brought their skills to Baltimore and founded art-glass studios that served customers for generations. But now, Baltimore’s most skilled and experienced stained-glass makers are approaching the end of their careers.
Rabben was inspired to write about the connections between decorative art elements in the built environment and Baltimore’s long history of racial, ethnic and religious discrimination after moving to Baltimore in 2021. Observing numerous stained-glass windows in her new hometown, she wondered:
- Who made and bought the windows?
- What did they say about the class, race, sex and social networks of the makers and buyers?
- What were the economics of the glass industry?
- Where did art glass fit in the development of the Aesthetic Movement, the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, the Prairie School of architecture, the House Beautiful and City Beautiful movements?
- How did Baltimore City’s annexations of big chunks of surrounding counties in 1888 and 1918 affect settlement patterns?
- How was the countryside transformed into segregated suburbs and neighborhoods full of detached houses containing art-glass windows?
Next came almost two years of primary and secondary research on art glass in Baltimore homes, houses of worship and public buildings, as well as the Maryland Center for History and Culture, the Pratt Free Library Maryland Room, the University of Baltimore and Johns Hopkins University Special Collections and other archives. She also took hundreds of photographs of stained-glass windows and collaborated with professional and student photographers.
“Through this process, I’ve met talented artists and artisans with great experience, dedicated historians happy to share their expert knowledge, and neighbors who’ve welcomed me into their homes,” Rabben says. “I’ve had the pleasure of admiring and documenting hundreds of beautiful windows, and I’m thrilled to be sharing what I’ve learned about them.”
Through A Glass Darkly focuses on the social, economic and cultural contexts of this traditional art and craft, as well as the people who made and still make the windows. The 100-page, self-published book is filled with color and black-and-white images of beautiful windows, transoms, panels and doors that Rabben discovered while walking around the city.
MICA student photographer James Benoit produced additional color pictures, MICA design student Elva Dong designed and laid out the book, and CHAP director Eric Holcomb contributed the Foreword. The Maryland State Arts Council, along with various nonprofit and private sources, provided partial financial support.
For release Nov. 1 – just in time for holiday gift season, the book invites Charm City buffs, decorative-arts aficionados, architects, historians, artists and crafters, students, city planners, social scientists, civil and human rights activists, and stained-glass makers to enjoy “these feasts for the eye and the stories they tell.”
It already is earning praise:
“Linda Rabben opens our eyes, guides our curiosity to discovery, and enriches our experience of the thousands of stained-glass windows spread out in all corners of the city. Through Rabben’s careful analysis, we learn how stained glass fits into larger themes of city design and social history. What may be the most important aspect of the book is the documenting of current-day stained-glass artisans, providing clues as to where the artistry is now and where it may go.” – Eric Holcomb, author, The City as Suburb: A History of Northeast Baltimore since 1660
“Anthropologist Linda Rabben went out looking for hidden charms in her adopted city. She discovered them in plain sight – a treasure trove of stained glass, from Tiffany pieces to art by local master practitioners. In the use of such design elements, she found connections to Baltimore’s long history of discriminatory racial, ethnic and religious stratification. This wonderfully illustrated book is her love letter to Baltimore, an indispensable guide to those looking for pleasant surprises among urban relics.” – Antero Pietila, author, Not in My Neighborhood: How Bigotry Shaped a Great American City
“A nicely illustrated, delightful journey through the spaces of Baltimore illuminated through stained glass.” – Edward Papenfuse, Society of American Archivists Distinguished Fellow, retired Maryland State Archivist
At $40, the book will be sold at the Maryland Center for History and Culture Museum Store, Red Emma’s Bookstore and Coffee House, the Baltimore Museum of Industry Gift Shop and The Ivy Bookshop. It also can be purchased at Rabben’s speaking events, including:
- Book talk, Light Street branch library, Baltimore, Saturday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m.
- “Speaking of Books” talk at McKeldin Library (4109 University of Maryland College Park), Monday, Nov. 13, 12:30 p.m.
- Through A Glass Darkly launch on opening day of an exhibition of local stained-glass makers’ work that Rabben is curating at The Peale community museum, 225 Holliday St. (across from Baltimore City Hall), Saturday, Nov. 18, from 2 to 4 pm. The exhibition will run until Saturday, Jan. 7, 2024.
For updated information about Rabben’s events and retailers carrying the book, visit her website or follow her on Facebook.
About the Author
Since 2015, Linda Rabben has been an associate research professor of anthropology at the University of Maryland. In addition to writing and publishing poems for more than 50 years, she has published Sanctuary and Asylum: A Social and Political History, My Brazil: Reports from the Interior, Journeywoman: A Writer’s Story, and other non-fiction books and articles on human rights and related subjects. Through a Glass Darkly is her 11th nonfiction book. Passionate about creating new opportunities for the traditional craft and the next generation of stained-glass makers, she will continue her project in 2024, by promoting the formation of a professional stained-glass training and apprenticeship program in Baltimore.
