Charles Winston (18141864) was the leading 19th-century authority on glass-painting. The numerous tracings which he made of interesting ancient glass reproduced both the design and the colouring of the originals. Towards the end of his life he became more interested in the scientific side of his subject; he made numerous elaborate chemical experiments with the assistance of his friend Charles Harwood Clarke which led to improvement in the manufacture of coloured glass. Winston also claimed to have discovered the secret of the medieval processes but was at the same time strongly opposed to servile imitation of medieval models. To illustrate this work, he chose Philip Henry Delamotte (18211889), the British photographer and illustrator best remembered for his photographic images of the Crystal Palace in 1854. A letter from Delamotte, apparently to the former owner of the book, is attached to a front page.
