Hiller, H. G.
Henry Gustave Hiller (1864-1946) was a stained glass artist, naturalist and illustrator. He was born in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Lancashire. Despite showing early artistic talent he initially entered the wholesale warehouse trade. He developed his artistic talents with classes at Manchester Technical Art School, Owen’s College and, finally, Manchester School of Art, where he was taught by Walter Crane. He worked at the studio of Reuben Bennett, before establishing his own studio in Liverpool in around 1904. He retired to Anglesey in 1940. Although primarily known for his stained glass he worked in a wide variety of mediums, including plasterwork.
Hillier was also a keen microscopist and an amateur entomologist and arachnologist, with a particular interest in the life histories of spiders. He was an active member of Liverpool’s natural history societies in his leisure time where he combined his passion for natural history with his artistic talent.
Sources:
Stained Glass Marks & Monograms, complied by Joyce Little, and edited by Angela Goedicke & Margaret Washbourn (NADFAS, 2002)
The Arts and Crafts movement in the North West of England: a handbook by Barrie and Wendy Armstrong, Wetherby, England (Oblong, 2005)
Archives of Natural History, Volume 51 Issue 1, Page 61-72, ISSN 0260-9541 Available online June 2024