John La Farge (American, 1835–1910). <em>Stained Glass Window "Hospitalitas,"</em> 1906–1907. Glass, 82 1/2 x 52 in. (209.6 x 132.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Herbert L. Pratt, 15.493. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 15.493_bw.jpg)

John La Farge (American, 1835–1910). Stained Glass Window "Hospitalitas," 1906–1907. Glass, 82 1/2 x 52 in. (209.6 x 132.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Herbert L. Pratt, 15.493. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 15.493_bw.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Is the stain glass "Hospitalitas" a replica or the original?

This is an original. It was made for a private home in Brooklyn, but the owners later gave it to the Brooklyn Museum only eight years after it was completed and installed. It was originally in the home of Herbert L. Pratt, still standing at 213 Clinton Avenue, where it was installed in the stairwell landing in the entrance hall.

Who made this?

That stained glass window was designed by John LaFarge, one of the leading American stained glass makers and a rival of Louis Comfort Tiffany of Tiffany & Co. It widow was made for a private house in Brooklyn. The woman in the window symbolizes "Hospitality" and was installed in at the entrance hall in the home, welcoming people in with open arms.

Tell me more.

This stained glass window was made for a private house in Brooklyn. It was designed by one of the leading American stained glass window makers of the time, John Lafarge. The popularity of stained glass at the turn of the 20th century reflected the Gilded Age fascination with medieval art and craftsmanship. The woman symbolizes hospitality and was installed at the entrance of the house, welcoming visitors with open arms.

What technique and materials did they use to paint faces on stained glass?

To produce the effect you see here, the artists would have simply painted on the back of the glass with a vitreous enamel. It fuses with the glass itself so that the decoration is durable.

Thanks! Amazing collection and app!

I'm so glad you like the museum, and I'm happy you're enjoying the app!

Dime más.

Esta vitral fue diseñado por John LaFarge, uno de los principales fabricantes de vitrales estadounidenses. Fue hecha para una casa particular aquí en Brooklyn. La mujer en la ventana simboliza "Hospitalidad" y se instaló en el pasillo de la casa, dando la bienvenida a los invitados con los brazos abiertos.

Stained Glass Window "Hospitalitas"

Decorative Arts and Design

Debate as to who was the true inventor of the opalescent, or iridescent, glass that figured so prominently in American stained glass, arose between Louis Comfort Tiffany and John La Farge in their own time, and continues today, although it seems that La Farge may have been the first to explore this medium. Hospitalitas was designed for the Brooklyn house of Herbert L. Pratt, still standing at 213 Clinton Avenue, where it was installed in the stairwell landing in the entrance hall. Only eight years after it was made, the window was given to the Museum. This may be explained by La Farge's waning popularity at the end of his career. La Farge's earlier windows were often lush, Asian-inspired floral compositions in the Aesthetic Movement style. Hospitalitas, dressed in classical garb and flanked by columns, may have been La Farge's attempt to reconcile his art with the neoclassicism of the Beaux-Arts style popular at the time.

MAKER John La Farge, American, 1835–1910

MEDIUM Glass

DATES 1906–1907

DIMENSIONS 82 1/2 x 52 in. (209.6 x 132.1 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Decorative Arts and Design

ACCESSION NUMBER 15.493

CREDIT LINE Gift of Herbert L. Pratt

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION John La Farge (American, 1835–1910). Stained Glass Window "Hospitalitas," 1906–1907. Glass, 82 1/2 x 52 in. (209.6 x 132.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Herbert L. Pratt, 15.493. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 15.493_bw.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 15.493_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.