Quick Facts
Biography
Veronica Mary Whall (1887–1967) was an English illustrator, painter and successful stained glass artist. She was the daughter of Christopher Whall, who was a leader of the Arts and Crafts Movement in stained glass. With him, she was co-director of the Whall & Whall stained glass studio.
Personal life
Veronica Whall was born in 1887 in Stonebridge, near Dorking, Surrey. She showed artistic talent at a very young age and was only 13 when she drew Saint Catherine as part of a window for the Lady Chapel of Gloucester Cathedral.
Whall attended the L.C.C. Central School of Arts and Crafts, including classes run by her father.
In 1953, after closing Whall & Whall, she moved to Huntingdonshire, devoting much of her time to goat-keeping. She died in 1967 or 1970.
Paintings and illustrations
In addition to the successful career that Whall enjoyed as a stained glass artist, she also painted. One of her works, The Elf Hour, was a Victorian fairy watercolour painting. In 1907 it was exhibited during the summer at the New Gallery in London. She also made a set of four watercolour and chalk works of the seasons.
In the 1911 census, Whall gave her occupation as a self-employed "Artist in water colour". She made the illustrations for the 1912 and 1913 editions of Ships. Sea Songs and Shanties. W.B. Whall was the author and her uncle. In 1912 she illustrated and coloured by hand a limited edition book for John Lyly entitled Cupid & Campaspe. She also wrote, illustrated and coloured by hand her own book, The Story of Peterkin in the Wood, which was printed by her brother Hew B. Whall in 1912.
Like her father, she collaborated with Charles Sydney Spooner, who taught at the Central School of Art. In 1916, Spooner led the team who worked on the Apsidal Chapel created for display at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society 11th Exhibition, October–November 1916 at the Royal Academy of Arts. Veronica and her father worked on the chapel's frieze.
She exhibited some of her works at the 1914 Decorative Arts exhibition in Paris.
Stained glass
Whall worked as a designer in her father's studio from 1914 through to 1918. Otherwise, there were few opportunities for women stained glass artists to work in "the male-dominated commercial studio system".
Whall & Whall
She was co-director, with her father, of Whall & Whall Ltd in London, which was established in 1922. Edward Woore was the studio-manager, with whom she did some works. Whall & Whall made stained glass works for cathedrals in England, Australia and New Zealand. After her father's death in 1924, she continued the company, assisted by her brother Christopher John, until it closed in 1953.
Works
Many of her works outside the United Kingdom are to be found in New Zealand, such as those at the Christchurch Nurses' Memorial Chapel , which are good examples of her work with Priors Slab glass. In 1889 architect E.S. Prior developed Priors glass, which is similar to the "luminosity and varied colouring of early medieval glass." Christopher Whall was a pioneer of the use of slab glass in his works.
Commissioned by Joseph Davis, Whall made for Whalley Methodist Church St. Francis of Assisi and The Madonna and Child windows, which are said to be among her best works.
She created 73 windows for King Arthur's Hall, Tintagel, Cornwall, that opened in 1933. As of 1997 it is considered to be the largest collection of stained glass panels of King Arthur made in the 20th century and a great example of Arts and Crafts workmanship.
Regarding the art of stained glass making, Whall said:
The three things technically essential to the making of a stained glass window are glass, lead and light... for lead is our medium, and light is our colour.