POWELL, Harry James
English glass artist associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement. Harry James Powell was the grandson of James Powell, founder of James Powell and Sons Glass Company (originally known as Whitefriars Glass Works) in London.
The late 17th-century Whitefriars Glass Works, on the site of the Whitefriars monastery in the City of London, was bought in 1834 by a merchant James Powell (1774-1840). In 1844, his sons added a stained-glass department to cater for the growing demand for windows. In 1851, the firm was commissioned by the stained-glass specialist Charles Winston (1814-64) to re-create medieval glass through its proper chemical constituents. This ‘antique’ glass was produced on a large scale from 1853 and was used by many other studios. Powell’s was one of the most successful Victorian firms because it had a policy of employing many distinguished artists as freelance designers. Although there was no distinctive house style, standards of design were high. Edward Burne-Jones provided cartoons from 1857 to 1861. He was succeeded in 1863 by Henry Holiday (1839-1927), whose style changed from Pre-Raphaelite to classical during his long association with the firm, which continued until 1891. By the end of the century, the firm was also producing fine tableware, paperweights and tesserae for mosaics.
Twentieth-century works include windows for Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and are generally ‘signed’ in the border by the figure of a friar. In 1962, it became Whitefriars Glass Ltd. The stained-glass department closed in 1973 and the glassworks in 1980.
Harry James Powell introduced the style and techniques of fine Venetian glass art to his company, which was to become one of the forerunners of the Arts and Crafts movement. Powell’s company was one of the first to introduce Art Nouveau to glass art and, in its day, was heralded as the best glassworks in England.
