 On a Clear Day
You Can See
Forever
Windows of yesterday, today
and tomorrow
by Anne Moore
photography by Robert French
Ah, the window C9 It’s just a hole in the wall, you may say. Well, that is how the window started out. Initially, animal hide or cloth coverings or wooden shutters were used to cover such “holes” when needed. These coverings evolved over time, and materials came to be used that allowed light to pass through while keeping the elements of nature out.
Mullioned glass windows, made up of small pieces of glass leaded together, were preferred by rich Europeans, while paper windows were popular in China and Japan. Windows with panes made of flattened animal horn were used in Northern Britain in the 14th century. Glass window panes were found to have been used in Italy almost 3,000 years ago. Larger, more modern windows for home use were made possible as the industrial glassmaking process developed.
In the 13th century, Norsemen called a hole in a roof a vindauga (vindr for wind and auga for eye) whilst in merry Old England, the word eagpyrl meaning “eye-hole” was later replaced by the present term, “window.” The Latin word fenestra was used in most Germanic languages. In 17th-century England, a similar word, fenester, would describe a window with glass.
Today, there are many factors to consider when selecting a window. For example,
what style of home do you envision? An Italian villa? Gothic? Ranch? Spanish or Mediterranean? A window’s shape and style can be found to complete the look you want to create. If you’re building a new house, the architect has designated the window style to complement the overall design and feel of the house. Remodeling? Windows for older, special stylized homes such as Victorian, Craft, Rock or even an early 20th-century stucco bungalow — most any of the many influences brought to Texas by immigrants from so many countries — can also be found in the San Antonio area.
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