Monomad Challenge - Stained Glass

This is my entry for the #monomad challenge by @monochromes! You can read more about the contest and how to enter HERE!

I took these photos on my most recent visit, in January, to the home that I grew up at. The stained glass windows are all original to the house.

My first photo and last photo are photos that I took on the first level of the house. This is the stained glass window on the second floor landing on the stairs. I just wondered (after all these many years) if this window was the same design as the window shown in my entry photo but turned upside down. It is very close but upon further inspection there are some slight differences most notably the eyes. I always thought (and still do) that the stained glass in my first photo resembled a lion and this one resembled a fish.

This is the last stained glass window I have to show which is over the front door. There used to be long stained glass panels along the sides of the door as well. One was broken years ago by a delivery person (by accident) and the other someone tried to steal. My father was home when it was being pried out and thwarted the thief. After that he took the side panels out all together. Stained glass theft in Baltimore City and most of Maryland has been prevalent for years. My father passed in 1996 and it was happening often then. The house next to ours had similar stained glass and when the woman left the stained glass was taken (stolen) within just a few days. The second house that I lived in had the large front stained glass window removed when I was away for a couple of days. Not very long before I left that house and moved to where I am today the wrought iron front gate was taken in the middle of the night. My husband and I recently drove past that house and he remarked that he remembered when that happened. He was surprised to walk up to the house and found the gate was no longer there. Sadly, it was not very surprising to me. Just a fact of life sometimes. There is money in certain things and a couple of those things just happen to be original stained glass and wrought iron gates. I do believe a lot of thefts are related to drug use and people wanting to sell items for drug money. Of course there are also the shady businesses and people that offer that money and most really don't care where those items come from. Again, sad but all true!

*Article on stained glass theft written in 2001

All photos and text by me @deerjay. All rights reserved.
*Unless otherwise noted.