About 

This website was created as a complement to the exhibition John La Farge and the Recovery of the Sacred, shown at the McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College from September 1-December 13, 2015.  The exhibition was curated by Prof. Jeffery Howe, and this online project was an outgrowth of his research.

La Farge’s most significant work was in stained glass, and most of his production was for memorial installations in churches in New England. These cannot be moved, so anyone seeking to understand his work must travel to many different places or consult photographs. This website is intended as a guide to the sites with stained glass by La Farge in New England, suitable for both the traveler and the armchair historian.

This web resource includes all the churches, museums, and universities containing stained glass by La Farge in Massachusetts that I could identify, and many in Rhode Island, and some of the most notable windows in New York. There were a few that I have not been able to photograph yet, but I hope to add to this collection in the future. Two more remote churches have been included for their historical interest: Southwark Cathedral in London, and a Detroit church since one of the key windows is now in the Yale Art Gallery.

Links have been provided to the church and museum web sites, which should be consulted for opening hours. Some of the churches are only open for worship services and social hours afterwards, while others are open every day. Some may be available for visits by appointment.

The architecture of these churches is very interesting, and reflective of the major revival styles of the era. Short biographies of the architects are also provided.

This complex project received indispensable help from Boston College University Librarian Thomas Wall and his staff. In particular, Anna Kijas and Patrick Goncalves were responsible for the design and implementation of the website. This project is hosted by the Boston College University Libraries. Undergraduate Research Fellows Christine Spindler ('15) and Jean Bower ('17) helped with the editing and data entry of this project, and Keith Lebel ('15) worked on the timeline. Photographs were taken by Howe during 2014-2015.

 


Project Team

 Professor Jeffery Howe (Fine Arts Department)

  • Content creation and curation

  • Editorial review

Anna Kijas (Digital Scholarship Librarian)

  • Project management

  • Omeka development and implementation, metadata, and design

Patrick Goncalves (Digital Services Assistant)

  • Graphic design

Jean Bower (Undergraduate student assistant, Summer 2015)

Christine Spindler (Undergraduate student assistant, Spring 2015)

  • Metadata entry; fact/content checking



In consultation with:

Elliot Brandow (History and Digital Scholarship Librarian)

Este Pope (Digital Research and Instruction)

  • Digital scholarship support

Christopher Houston-Ponchak (Web Design and Communications Specialist)

  • Web design 

Ben Florin (Manager, Library Web Services)

  • Server hosting and maintenance