Thinking of Stained Glass Windows For Your Next Project?
Recently, our family just returned from a visit to Washington D.C. As typical tourists, we visited all the usual monuments, memorials, and museums. It was a great trip and I would have to say that even though we’ve never been there prior…our whole family walked away from the vacation refreshed and filled with knowledge and experiences that will last us forever. One of our favorite places from this trip happened to be a spot that many people don’t realize is actually completely accessible to them…right from their own homes. The Library of Congress was an absolutely fascinating and amazing place to see.
At this point, you may be wondering…”What does this have to do with stained glass windows or stained glass window film?”. Just hang tight…we’re almost there. You see, the Library of Congress is of course a HUGE library that is accessible to anyone who is over the age of 16 and applies to get a “reader card”. This card allows you to physically enter into the library’s reading room and browse through the millions (not exaggerating here) of collections that are on site. What you might not know is that the government has been working extremely hard to digitize many of the pieces in their collections. I was absolutely stunned to find the things I have…all online…all from my own home. Its free, its available to anyone with an Internet connection, and I’m going to share with you a few patterns and photos of stained glass windows that will blow you away.
So…. if you are an amateur hobbyist who is learning to work with stained glass, or perhaps you are looking for a way to custom design your windows using decorative window film…would you like to be able to view patterns that other stained glass masters have used in churches, and buildings around the country for free? Yep…I knew you would. Check out a few of these photos of stained glass window patterns that i found from the Library of Congress website for free. Amazing beautiful work indeed. As I poked around their website I found several ways to search for photos of stained glass examples. One particular search was actually an entire collection of works completed by J&R Lamb Studios company. Rather than tell you myself…I’ll just repeat what it says on the website page:
The online presentation of the Lamb Studios Archive offers images of nearly 2,500 design sketches for stained glass windows, murals, mosaics, furnishings, metalwork, and interior architecture. The drawings feature striking watercolors created from the 1860s to the 1990s, primarily for churches, synagogues, and other sacred spaces. The J. & R. Lamb Studios was founded in 1857 and is the oldest decorative arts firm in continuous operation in the United States. The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division acquired the drawings from Donald and Donna Samick, the current Lamb Studios president, in 2003. The firm’s historic business records and photographs were donated by Barea Lamb Seeley and Charles Anthony Lamb in 2004.You can see this entire amazing collection of stained glass windows and other decorative arts here by clicking this link: http://loc.gov/pictures/collection/lamb/
I think that as you see the mastery of skill and beauty that this company produced, you’ll also be able to take away inspiration and design elements for your own projects.
If you haven’t seen this type of decorative window film yet…I suggest that you take a look at it (Click Here), an then consider implementing some of the beautiful design ideas taken from the Library of Congress collection. I find it just absolutely incredible that all this information is literally at our fingertips and able to help us all make our homes more beautiful and pleasant to live in. Best of luck to you in your new project!
