A Case of Mistaken Identity

We are researching the life and work of John Mallon. You can visit the Table of Contents here.

Having learned of a set of circa 1889 stained glass windows at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco, we sought to determine whether they were the work of Mr. John Mallon. Seeing images of the glass online we were convinced they came from his studio: colorful, whimsical, with lots and lots of jewels, they appeared to carry the signature Mallon style. So we reached out to UUSF’s Director of Communications, Jonathan Silk, who had serendipitously and very recently found an old VHS tape describing the 1983 restoration of UUSF’s sanctuary windows. Recorded in 1985, the video walks through the restoration process in its entirety, from dismantling to cleaning to rebuilding and reinstallation. You can watch the video below.

After further research on the part of Mr. Silk we determined the glass was not in fact produced by Mallon, but by the Wells Glass Company of Chicago. At this time a more extensive set of windows were procured for $2,250 (or $62,300 in 2017 dollars) and some were destroyed or sold along the way, ostensibly due to the 1906 quake and/or other projects.

Though we were displeased at finding these were not Mallon windows, it was a pleasure stumbling on this interesting video. It showcases the care and skill that goes into antique glass restoration, and also describes the beauty and interestingness of American Victorian-era stained glass. Please take a moment to check it out!

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Episode 3: Heavenly Heritage | Windows for the Dominican Sisters

We are researching the life and work of John Mallon. You can visit the Table of Contents here.

Given their age and lack of documentation, Mallon windows are not easy to find. So imagine our joy when we located what may be Mallon glass at the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael.

The motherhouse stood for just over 100 years before it was heavily damaged by fire.Title: Dominican Convent, San Rafael, California, circa 1908 [postcard]Date: circa 1908Collection: General CollectionOwning Institution: Marin County Free LibrarySou… — The motherhouse stood for just over 100 years before it was heavily damaged by fire.
Title: Dominican Convent, San Rafael, California, circa 1908 [postcard]
Date: circa 1908
Collection: General Collection
Owning Institution: Marin County Free Library
Source: Calisphere
Date of access: July 28 2018 22:12
Permalink: https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/13030/kt287035cv/

Built in 1889, these windows were created for the Sisters' motherhouse in San Rafael, California. Unfortunately the building was destroyed by fire in 1990 and subsequently replaced with separate convent and administrative buildings. Within the new administrative building you will find the Sisters' Heritage Room.

Please consider visiting the Heritage Room or donating to the congregation. Lovingly curated by their archivist, Sister Patricia Corr, the Heritage Room holds artifacts of the congregation's interesting and vital history, including windows possibly created by Mr. Mallon himself.

The Heritage Room is filled with cherished items saved from the heavily damaged motherhouse. On either side are the colorful, arched stained glass panels attributed to John Mallon. Previously situated in the motherhouse sacristy the windows live up to their significance: generous with color, jewels, textured roundels, and striking grisaille details, they articulate ecclesiastical patterns and Victorian order and charm all at the same time.

Tap the photos below to view the Heritage Room windows.

Heritage Room windows | © 2018 Lucas Stained Glass Design + Restoration

Visit Cappy Thompson's page to get an idea of how the artist may have achieved the windows' effects. In the case of the Sisters' windows, rather than hand painted in the grisaille fashion the bold black patterns appear stenciled onto the glass. This would have been the artist's choice of industry over artistry: given the period within the second Industrial Revolution, and that Mallon's studio likely had a substantial project pipeline, he probably developed or adopted processes - like stenciling vs. hand painting - to increase productivity. Once the stencils were applied the panes would have been kiln fired to fuse the enamel paint onto the glass. Prior to that the artist likely "stained" the glass by painting the various colors onto the panes followed by an initial firing. The artist also likely created their own roundels by firing glass in round, textured molds.

In addition to the windows in the Heritage Room there may reside another Mallon window on the Sister's property. In fact this particular window provides pretty good evidence of Mallon's work.

Oregon window from the San Diego Hall of Justice commission 1889 | Courtesy: Superior Court of California, County of San Diego

A short stroll from the Heritage Room you'll find a transom window that once graced the front entry to the old motherhouse. Here it sits for safekeeping. Interestingly this window bears some similarity to another set of Mallon windows, also produced in 1889, for the San Diego Hall of Justice. Note the foliate scrolls, jewels, and the central seal in the Sisters' window, and compare those details to the Oregon window pictured here.

Not only do they both include the jeweled and delicate foliate elements, but they also feature central seals symbolizing the windows' subjects. In the case of the motherhouse window, the seal shows the Dominican Sisters' ecclesiastical heraldry. At the center of the other window you will find a depiction of the Oregon state seal. For the Oregon window it is believed Mallon used a process he patented that same year in which image transfers were fused to the glass by kiln firing, then painted with colored enamels and fired again. Is it possible the same process was utilized for the motherhouse seal?

Determining whether windows were produced by John Mallon will continue to take some sleuth work. This visit to the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael was beneficial in potentially identifying some techniques inherent to Mallon as well as affirming his attribution. At the very least the Sisters are safeguarding some beautiful, noteworthy windows.

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Palate Refresher: Take a Tour of Villa Montezuma

As we previously wrote, John Mallon provided a number of windows for Villa Montezuma located in San Diego, California. Built in 1887 for an eccentric musician, spiritualist, and writer, the house is a nice example of Victorian decoration. Something great about this video is that it pays close attention to Mallon's windows of which there are many more than we initially thought. Please enjoy!

ETA: Four years and a pandemic later, and we finally had the opportunity to visit the enchanted Villa Montezuma! If you are in the San Diego area, we highly recommend taking a tour of this beautiful house. The glass is something to behold and a remarkable example of Mallon’s range. You can read more about the house courtesy of the Friends of the Villa Montezuma.

We are researching and sharing the life and work of John Mallon. You can access the Table of Contents here.

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Industry and Artistry in Glass - Episode 2: a Birdseye View of John Mallon's Life and Career

We are researching and sharing the life and work of John Mallon. You can visit the Table of Contents here.

Before we further proceed we should take a bird’s eye view of Mr. Mallon's life and work. Included are his commissions of which we are aware, understanding that we have significant gaps to fill. As new information comes to light we will update this page.

1828: Born in Ireland

1832: Emigrated to the United States and settled in NYC

1841: Father passed away

1843: Entered into glass-cutting apprenticeship with Joseph Stouvenel & Bros., 27 Gold Street, New York, New York

1848: Married Elizabeth Hanson

1848: Gold discovered at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California

1854: Opened a glass-cutting business on 34th between Lexington and Third Avenue, New York, New York

1858: Sold his business and set sail for the Fraser River gold fields

But meanwhile the Frazer (sic) River bubble had burst, and he landed in San Francisco only to be met with disappointment. He would have returned to New York, but the thought of having to face his friends again after the failure of his plans and his hopes was too much for him. He determined to remain in San Francisco, and began casting about for some business opening... (Morrison)

1858: Began operating a glass-cutting business in the Pioneer Flour Mill building at Market and First Streets, San Francisco, California

1859: Relocated to "more commodious quarters" (Morrison) at Chase & McDonald's Mill on Beale near Market Street, San Francisco, California, then to the Mechanics' Mill until it burned down at a considerable loss to Mallon

7/20/2018 Update: The previous citation may be incorrect. According to a July 24, 1871 Sacramento Daily Union article, a fire at the Mechanics' Mill impacted other business around the corner, namely that of "John Mallon, glass cutting establishment, Fremont street, near Mission, loss $5,000; insured for $1,000." This raises the possibility that Mallon moved to the Fremont location not because of the fire but in order to expand his operations. Regardless, the loss was indeed considerable: $5,000 in 1871 is equivalent to $100,000 in 2018.

Mallon's San Francisco: Market Street in 1865 | Courtesy: SAN FRANCISCO HISTORY CENTER, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY — Mallon's San Francisco: Market Street in 1865 | Courtesy: SAN FRANCISCO HISTORY CENTER, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY

The encouragement he met with in his efforts to introduce decoration on glass was at first very small indeed. The people had little taste for art, and little thought or desire for decoration of any kind. Under these circumstances Mr. Mallon set himself systematically to work to create the taste he found was lacking, to educate the public up to an appreciation of the beautiful and the artistic. He made up many samples of windows and other artistic work, and placed them all over town in situations where they could not but attract the attention of the public. (Morrison)

1869: Moved to 19 Fremont Street near Market Street, San Francisco, California

1869: Added embossing and staining capabilities and expanded to 222 and 224 Howard Street, San Francisco, California

1874: St. Peter's Episcopal Church commission, Carson City, Nevada

1879: Exhibited at the San Francisco Mechanics' Institute's Fourteenth Industrial Exhibition (you can see a stereograph of Mallon's booth in this interesting article on the history of these important exhibitions). The first took place in 1857 and once Mallon arrived in San Francisco it's likely he held a booth at nearly every subsequent fair. The following excerpt is from a report of the nineteenth exhibition that took place in 1885:

John Mallon Stained Embossed Etched Cut and Bent Glass...fairly rivaled the Music Stand and Art Gallery in its attraction of visitors the liberal allowance of space for the exhibit being almost constantly thronged by architects and persons of cultivated tastes. Each succeeding year's exhibit of the Mechanics Institute has shown a decided advance by Mr. Mallon in his important specialty and a corresponding growth in public interest for his department. The success he has achieved under the stimulus of business enterprise and correct art taste awakens no sentiment in the heart of California lower than that of pride in the "Workman and his Work". (Mechanics' Institute)

The report describes works such as "Angel of the Resurrection", "Marguerite" and "Falconer and Dog" - companion pictures that "are beautiful examples of what may be achieved by the artistic use of jewel glass," and "Transom of Glass Effects” - an eclectic arrangement of opalescent glass, jewels, cracked dishes, roundels, and antique glass.

1881: Residential commission, San Francisco, California (featured in this video)

1886: St. Peter's Catholic Church commission, San Francisco, California

1887: Villa Montezuma commission, San Diego, California (we shared a few pictures of this installation here)

1888: Presbyterian Church commission, San Diego, California

In 1888 mention was made of the "Mechanic’s Fair, where one of the most attractive displays is the exhibition of stained glass. John Mallon, designer at the Pacific Glass-Cutting Works (19 Fremont Street, San Francisco) displays a Memorial Window designed for the Presbyterian Church of San Diego, an especially handsome production." (Henderson)

The story is that the church was built at "8th and D Streets"* adjacent to the original building on land donated by Alonzo Horton. The building and furnishings cost $36,000 (nearly $1MM in 2018 dollars) and soon after the congregation nearly went into default due to San Diego's bust of the 1880's.

Additionally, in 1888 Mallon's son Peter L. was interviewed by George Morrison for the The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft (or Bancroft’s Works). Much of the notes from this interview are now being utilized for our research.

*What may be currently 8th Avenue and Broadway

1889: Dominican Sisters' Motherhouse commission, San Rafael, California

1889: Hall of Justice commission, San Diego, California

Rhode Island window from the San Diego Hall of Justice commission 1889 | Courtesy: Superior Court of California, County of San Diego

1889: Filed patent US447991A: Method of Decorating Glass and Porcelain, a chemical method of impressing an image on glass (or porcelain) then making it permanent by kiln firing

1890: Stanford Window commission, Sacramento, California

As early as 1890 Mallon started to advertise his facilities at a new address - 1211, 1213, and 1215 Howard Street in San Francisco, California - and his son Peter L. as the manager.

1891: Immanuel Lutheran Church commission, Alameda, California

1897: Passed away

Bibliography:

Henderson, John D. Rae Tauber. "Documents in Architectural History" The Journal of San Diego History. Fall 1975, Volume 21, Number 4. Online

Mechanics' Institute. "Report of the ... Industrial Exposition of the Mechanics' Institute of the City of San Francisco, Volume 19." 1885. San Francisco, California. Online

Morrison, George H. 1888. "Biographical Sketches of John Mallon. Based on notes furnished by Peter L. Mallon to George H. Morrison concerning the art glass manufacturing company established by his father in San Francisco, 1858." UC Berkeley Bancroft Library.

Smythe, William Ellsworth. History of San Diego, 1542-1908. 1908. The History Company. San Diego, California. Online

The Bay of San Francisco the Metropolis of the Pacific Coast and its Suburban Cities. 1892. Lewis Publishing Company, Alameda County, California. Online

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Palate Refresher: John Mallon and Victorian American Art Glass Techniques

Take a short stroll with Chicago Art Historian, Rolf Achilles, as he describes various techniques and materials that set American stained glass apart from European artistry. The location is the now defunct exhibit of Victorian American art glass in Chicago's underground Macy's pedway, an odd location that made beautiful windows available to the public.

The sound isn't optimal but trust us this is worth it. You will see a very special Mallon window at 3:42 (it's the last window).

We are researching and sharing the life and work of John Mallon. You can visit the Table of Contents here.

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Industry and Artistry in Glass (or the Story of John Mallon and the Pacific Glass Staining and Embossing Works)

Episode 1: The Big Reveal

Yesterday we shared our plan to learn more about a set of mystery windows we restored a year ago. After some investigation we determined the maker to be none other than John Mallon, proprietor of the Pacific Glass Staining and Embossing Works spanning over 40 years in Victorian-era San Francisco, California. Given that stretch the man was prolific, both introducing art glass to the Western frontier and filling innumerable churches and homes with his creations. Unfortunately, in spite of this breadth, not much was recorded of him or his installations. Thus we are inspired to capture and share as much as we can of Mr. John Mallon's industry and artistry. Visit our Table of Contents here.

Throughout our precursory research we realized three things about his work:

His windows are colorful, highly textured, and make substantial use of jewels. He seemed to have every hue known to man at his fingertips and used color generously and even with a bit of abandon. As a result, his windows are lively, even fun, and portray an element of excitement.
His place in history tells a categorically San Francisco story. Having arrived during the Gold Rush and then staying for several booms, busts, earthquakes, and other notable events, as well as introducing and providing signature decorative elements for San Francisco's Victorian architecture, John Mallon's story is a distinct San Francisco story.
Aligned to the era's penchants for innovation and industry, Mallon was quite the builder himself. Not only did he grow his business from sole proprietorship to a factory of artisans, providing art glass for hundreds - possibly thousands - of homes and beyond, he also took out a patent on a technique for fusing images to glass.

All three are interrelated. His use of color, texture, and jewels align to the period's new technologies in art glass production while his industriousness and innovative spirit intersect the predilections of the time. Understanding the work of John Mallon is to understand an important swathe of San Francisco history as well as the hundreds of years of stained glass history itself.

To kick off our journey we're sharing some Mallon work not from San Francisco but from San Diego, California. Namely because these windows best illustrate our interrelated ideas. These windows were commissioned for Villa Montezuma in San Diego's Sherman Heights. The home was built in 1887 for musician, writer, and spiritualist, Jesse Shepard. Needless to say, the place needed to reflect its master's eccentricity. Perhaps during his many travels Shepard landed in San Francisco and observed the work of Mr. Mallon. In any event, it was Mallon who provided the art glass windows for Mr. Shepard's opulent house.

Observing these windows you'll see the liberal use of color and jewels. Nearly every window on the main floor consists of stained glass with many dedicated to the seasons, poets, playwrights, and composers. One even features the face of Mr. Shepard. While it seems the characters are painted there is a chance they actually utilized the method subsequently patented by Mr. Mallon and accomplished by a chemical method of impressing an image on glass (or porcelain) then making it permanent by kiln firing.

That wraps up our first episode in this journey. Please continue to check back as this mystery unfolds with more beautiful stained glass windows to come!

We are researching and sharing the life and work of John Mallon. You can visit the Table of Contents here.

Lucas Glass_John Mallon_Villa Montezuma_1.jpg

Lucas Glass_John Mallon_Villa Montezuma_3.jpg

Lucas Glass_John Mallon_Villa Montezuma_2.jpg

Villa Montezuma Windows | Courtesy Chris Nelson

Bibliography

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/sdut-Villa-Montezuma-museum-reopening-2015jun27-story.html

https://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/1970/july/shepard/

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pages/US447991-0.png

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Mystery Windows - A Journey into Stained Glass History

Last year we had the opportunity to restore some interesting windows in San Francisco's Western Addition. The Victorian era house featured several stained glass windows that were all variations of a theme: colorful floral motifs with high texture and generous use of jewels. The designs were repetitive, graphical, yet asymmetrical and almost as if they had been cobbled together. At first we thought they dated to a much later time frame, like the 1960's or 70's. But as we learned from the client, these windows were original to the house. You can see some snapshots in the gallery below.

In the months that followed we noticed other Victorians throughout the city with similar style glass. Assuming these windows all came from the same studio, we attempted to research their origin. Life got in the way, however, and the subject was forgotten.

After nearly a year and while walking through Haight-Ashbury we noticed one of these quirky windows on the landing of a somewhat neglected Victorian. Our curiosity was piqued once again and we resumed our research. After a few days of digging we determined who we believe to be the maker and his studio. Unfortunately stained glass artisans have been notoriously poorly documented in the past, and their works were rarely signed. Therefore, some added research is required, including visits to UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library and a couple on-site installations. Mind you, this work dates to pre-1906 San Francisco, which makes it pre-quake glass, very rare, and, in our opinion, a vital slice of our city’s history.

Our journey will be published as a series, so hang on to your corsets and toppers, folks: this is going to be fun! Visit our Table of Contents here.

Restoration 2017 Bob Lucas

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