In 1911, aged 16, Paine enrolled at the Salford School of Art under Messrs. P.J.J. Brooks and B.D. Taylor, where he was apprenticed to the art of making stained glass. The clarity of design and meticulous craftsmanship he learned there is reflected in all his subsequent work in a variety of genres.
His first exhibit at the Royal Academy was a design (1702) for a stained glass window in 1916. Nothing further is known about it.
From 1921 to 1923 Paine worked for Guthrie & Wells in Glasgow, decorators, furniture dealers and makers of stained glass. During that time Paine’s creative work was mostly in stained glass.
Paine described the technique in an article, ‘The Craft of Stained Glass’ published in The Studio, vol 105, May 1933. (This information courtesy of Rona Moody, stained glass artist)
Designs above: ‘The Green Lizard’; ‘The Golden Cock’ – ‘Le Coq D’or’, a bedroom panel. Location and date unknown.
Following his return to England in 1931 Paine collaborated with Anna (‘Daisy’) Luther (1896-1960) on stained glass commissions. Design and painting by Paine, glass cutting and leading by ‘Daisy’. They called themselves ‘The Firm’.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor
Four panels (below) from a series of eight illustrating the nursery rhyme. The whereabouts of the remaining four is unknown as is the date though they were probably produced in the nineteen thirties. Each panel is signed CPDL – Charles Paine ‘Daisy’ Luther.
Studies for stained glass
The Shepherds
‘Fear not: for I bring you good tidings’
‘The Shepherds’ was exhibited at the Royal Academy (1132) in 1944. The lamb strongly resembles the ‘wicked’ lamb on the Spring poster in the well-known Welwyn series.
In 1943 Paine exhibited a design for stained glass (934) at the RA – ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord’ (The Song of Simeon)
The Annunciation
Nothing further is known about this study.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John Bless the bed that I lie on (Location and date unknown)
Ephphatha
(Be opened)
This is very probably the window that Paine designed for The Deaf, Blind and Dumb Institute in Glasgow. The building was subsequently demolished but the window may have survived. Its present whereabouts is unknown.
A study in white
Black-headed gull window panel, probably for a bathroom. Private commission. Probably 1930s. Location unknown.
Location and date unknown.
Eider Duck window design 1935
Window panel for Gun Room. Private commission. Both panels signed CPDL. Rough (left) inscribed, ‘Eiderduck 35’. Final design (right) inscribed lower right, ‘Panel for gun room Dr. Tudge Chipstead Surrey. July 1935’
Drake’s Drum
Presumably these four stained glass window designs were a private commission, probably in the 1930s. I have no further information.
‘Drake’s Drum is a snare drum that Sir Francis Drake took with him when he circumnavigated the world. Shortly before he died he ordered the drum to be taken to Buckland Abbey and vowed that if England were ever in danger and someone was to beat the drum he would return to defend the country. According to legend it can be heard to beat at times when England is at war or significant national events take place.’ (Wikipedia)
Stained glass window design by Charles Paine and Anna Luther. (Location and date unknown)
St. Christopher memorial window
William McCreath (1839-1922), Provost of Girvan, memorial window Girvan U.F. Church.
‘To the Glory of God and in loving memory of William McCreath, Provost of Girvan, and for fifty years an office Bearer in this church. Erected by his Widow and family.’
The United Free Church at Girvan was subsequently converted into flats and the present whereabouts of the window is unknown. Very probably made while Paine was at Guthrie and Wells 1921-3. The window was widely admired. Also admired was his window at Bathgate, West Lothian, but I have no information beyond the fact that it existed.
Sir Peter Mackie memorial window. St. Ninian’s Scottish Episcopal Church, Troon.
To the glory of God and in memory of Logan Mackie Captain Ayrshire Yeomanry killed in Palestine 27th December 1917 only son of Sir Peter and Lady Mackie
The memorial is the East window of the church and was given by Sir Peter and Lady Mackie in memory of their son, James Logan Mackie. The window was designed by Charles Paine and Daisy Luther and made by Guthrie and Wells in 1957.
Sir John Bailey window roughs
The Annunciation
The Shepherds The Three Kings The Flight into Egypt
Madonna and child
Nothing further is known about this commission.
Charles Paine A.R.C.A. 
Bathgate c1922 E.U. Congregational Ch., Marjoribanks Street. George Wolfe memorial windows. He proposed giving 10 windows and an organ in 1920. Have details of subjects etc if you would like
LikeLike
Any information you have would be of great interest.
LikeLike
Dear Rona,
I have just read your email of 21 September 2019 with your very kind offer of information about the Bathgate windows. I had not previously properly explored the WordPress site and am now trying to catch up on my incompetence. If you are still willing and I am not now persona non grata I would very much like to have your information.
Charles Paine was my uncle and I inherited an archive of his work but my knowledge of his stained glass is sparse as you will have seen on the blog. I would be grateful for any chance to add to it.
Kind regards
Mark Allaby
LikeLike
Hi Mark
Good to hear from you! I’d forgotten all about writing that, so I’m happy that you found it. Curiously enough, I have been corresponding with someone else about an uncle making Scottish stained glass – in this case, the nephew of William Wilson, who was 10 years younger than Charles Paine but also taught at ECA. I presume they knew each other or at least of each other, both being friends with Douglas Strachan. Do you know Wilson’s CIC windows? They have caricatures of professions, not unlike the “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor” set.
Curiously enough, I got an email last week from an elder from St Margaret’s Church, Dalry, who is giving a talk on “Peace be Still” which is the subject of window in the church designed by CP. It’s always been my favourite window in the kirk; many years ago I was asked by the minister, a good friend of my father’s, to give a talk on the windows and was not impressed that I told the children to run their hands over the Paine window to feel the depth of the etching. It clearly was on a tight budget, since there is an awful lot of white glass in it, but it’s a great window. I will ask the elder if he knows anything about the date (“20s” my notes say) or the donor. I was married in that church, so the window is even more special to me.
I need to trawl through my records to see what I have on CP’s windows and pull them altogether; unfortunately, the firm creating the window is frequently credited rather than the artist – so, for example, I have a note that CP designed a window at Lenzie and I have a lot of detail about what it contains but it is difficult to prove. A couple of years ago I spent a couple of days going through the Guthrie and Wells records in Glasgow but they tend to just say things like “Agreed to forward RAB 5 pounds for his design”.
Re the article “The craft of stained glass”, it was published in The Studio, vol 105, May 1933.
Anyway, I will have a rummage in my boxes of info in back records on my computers and pull together what I can!
BTW I love the illustrations on your site – some of the posters are glorious, and the stained glass designs are wonderful. As a stained glass designer and maker myself, I love the skill in making them look effortless.
All the best
Rona
LikeLike
Dear Rona,
Please forgive me for not replying sooner to your very kind and informative mail. I am getting a bit forgetful in my old age and seldom look at the blog as I have no new material to post. I will make a point of checking regularly in case you reply to this. I hope I am not guilty of plagiarism in using your words. I can’t now remember where I found them.
Do you have a copy of my book (2nd edition) ‘Charles Paine: an account of his life and work’? If not I would be pleased to send you a copy. I hope I haven’t said all this before!
I don’t know anything about William Wilson though I can see a similarity to Paine’s work in his designs. I haven’t seen the ‘Peace be Still’ window and would like to include it in my post on Stained Glass. I should, of course, be delighted to receive anything you can find about Paine’s windows. I know the images and information I have posted represent on a fraction of his stained glass.
Thank you for the information about ‘The Craft of Stained Glass’ which I will now add to the blog.
With best wishes
Mark Allaby
Sent from Outlook ________________________________
LikeLike
Hi Mark, I lived at 14 Gorey Pier and I vaguely remember Charles and Anna. When Anna died, Charles gave my mother a few things to remember Anna by. One was the stained glass panel which I now know to be called Le Coq D’Or. Charles also gave a water colour to my father which is very similar to Geffroi’s leap and St Catherine’s Breakwater. Kind regards,Gordon Stevenson
LikeLike
Dear Gordon,
Forgive me for not replying long ago. I seldom visit my website now. I came across a drawing book belonging to Paine among my papers the other day and have just posted it which is why I am here now.
Thank you very much for the very interesting information. Anything further you can tell me will, of course, be most welcome. Do you know anything more about the stained glass panel?
Would you be able to send me images of the paintings you mention?
I wonder if you have any memory of Paine’s second wife,my aunt Jane. They married in 1962.
Again my apologies.
Kind regards
Mark
LikeLike