Samuel Bancroft (1840 - 1912), John Bancroft’s cousin, often traveled to England on company business. While there, he became very attracted to Pre-Raphaelite paintings and acquired a large collection. After Bancroft’s death, his family donated land and gave his collection to the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts, precursor of the Delaware Art Museum. This museum, located on Bancroft Parkway just a few blocks from Immanuel Church, has the largest Pre-Raphaelite collection outside of England. Another permanent collection is that of Howard Pyle, the father of American illustration and a native son of Wilmington. Among Pyle’s students in Wilmington were N. C. Wyeth, father of Andrew Wyeth, and Frank Schoonover (1877 - 1972), who later became a very close friend of Pyle’s. Schoonover painted more than 5,000 works and is known for his illustrations in The Arabian Nights, Robinson Crusoe. Hans Christian Anderson’s Fairy Tales. Grimms’ Fairy Tales. Kidnapped Robin Hood, Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates, and others. He also is the illustrator for 17 of the 21 stained glass windows of Immanuel Church, where he served as Senior Warden for more than 40 years and continued as Senior Warden Emeritus until his death.

     Howard Pyle taught his students the importance of light in their paintings, which helped prepare Schoonover for creating window illustrations. This is very evident at the Great Vigil on Easter Morning each year. As the first light appears, it is caught by the halos of Christ and the star of Bethlehem in the chapel windows; these alone shine before the rest of the windows are lit. Two weeks before Mr. Schoonover died, the Wilmington Society of Fine Arts held a birthday party for him. When asked about the stained glass windows, he was very off-hand, stating that “It is just an exercise in drawing a picture and putting a few lines through it.” However, in a letter found in the church files, he once stated, “If a window is to be outstanding, it should be magnificent in color; it should be alive and, above all, convey to the observer a dynamic life message that changes with every shift of daylight. If the windows creates such a reaction, it is because I’ve worked with a hand upon my shoulder.”

     The studios that fabricated the windows were D’Ascenzo (1926 - 1949) and Willet (1949 - 1970) of Philadelphia. It is the artist who must decide how the theme is to be treated, what figures will appear, what colors will be used, and how the picture will be broken by the “lead lines,” the heavy channels of lead in which pieces of colored glass are held. The studio then makes the sheets of glass in the necessary colors, cuts them to the required shapes, paints on the designs and bakes them at high temperature to fuse the designs in the colored glass. After being baked or “fired”, the pieces of glass are soldered into position in the lead channels as the picture is assembled. Immanuel Church continues to provide the means to assure the maintenance of these beautiful windows, of such great historical significance to the community.

     lmmanuel’s architecture is modified Gothic, as indicated by its pointed arches, ribbed vaults, sculpturing, and stained glass windows. The people of the Middle Ages believed that light best portrays God, Christ was referred to as Lux Nova (New Light). Sculpture and stained glass windows were pictorial because they served as teaching tools, necessary because most people in the Middle Ages were illiterate.

The entire church was originally decorated in old German glass, which was gray like that in the entrances. Imagine seeing these windows change one by one from gray to brilliant colors, looking carefully at each one as the early saints did. As you look at each one, offer thanks for the lives of those who gave these windows, and for whom they were given.