Hugh Easton's Neo-Baroque Art and the Stained-Glass Closet in Postwar Britain*

Abstract

Hugh Ray Easton (1906–1965) was a leading mid-twentieth century British designer of stained-glass windows. His works combined neo-baroque style with an aesthetic that was attuned to glamour in contemporary media such as film and homoerotic physique magazines. His work was installed in a large number of Anglican churches as well as in a range of other buildings. He was particularly noted for his war memorial windows including those at Westminster Abbey. These featured images of military service personnel, Jesus, saints, and angels modelled on an ideal type of youthful, muscular, blond masculinity. The article argues for a reappraisal of Easton's art and explains that the relative absence of critical discussion of these artworks can be explained by homophobia on the part of the artistic establishment and the closeting of same-sex desire within the Church of England.