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| Berrian Draft Registration |
The windows are well-known and admired. But what is all but unknown is that most of them were designed by long-term Tiffany designer John William Ketcham Berrian (1877-1953), who is also sometimes listed as John W.K. Berrian and John Ketcham Berrian.
Born in New York, he designed and installed stained glass windows for Tiffany for thirty-five years. When Tiffany died in 1933, Berrian continued to work with the firm until the mid-1940s, at which time he “withdrew hs connections” and “went into business by himself.” Berrian died on February 25, 1953. In anticipation of that, he had arranged for his funeral to be held in the Second Reformed Church in Hackensack. The church’s tenth window, which he had designed, was installed a few weeks later.
Of additional interest is that Berrian also served as a ship camouflage designer for the US Shipping Board during World War I. We know this from three sources: In an obituary in the Bergen Evening Record, it was noted that he had served as a civilian wartime camoufleur, for which “he created designs and effects for the camouflage of warships and transports.”
That is also confirmed by his draft registration card, dated September 12, 1918, in which his occupation is listed as a camoufleur for the US Shipping Board. In that capacity, he worked for William Andrew Mackay, which is confirmed by the inclusion of his name on a list of Mackay’s associates at 345 East 33rd Street in Manhattan.
Sources
"John Berrian Rites Slated In Second Reformed Church: One Of Country’s Foremost Designers, Builders Of Stained Glass Windows, Dies In Hospital" in Bergen Evening Record (Hackensack NJ), February 26, 1953, p. 2.
"Tenth Window To Be Shown At Reformed Church Sunday: Berrian’s Best To Be Unveiled, Dedicated At Special Service; Blends With Other Nine" in Bergen Evening Record, May 13, 1953.
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| John Ketcham Berrian / Stained Glass Wndow (detail) |
