A E Child, the name of the artist who created this window for Frank La Touche Vaugh in 1928. The window has been cleaned and reinstalled in Riverstown Church County Sligo Eire, to see the window as it is now click here. It took quite a lot of digging to unearth even the simplest of information about him. It was only through a little bit of lateral thinking that I discovered what little I have.

Alfred Ernest Child was born in England (date unknown at present) he died at 11 Frankfort Avenue, Rathgar, Dublin, Eire on the 17th November 1939, his will was proved at London England on the 25th April 1940. Probate was granted to his widow Annie Child and Arthur William Bennett a Land & Estate Agent.

I have also looked through many Art books and found these references to A E Child and his work. At the bottom of the page you will find links to several other pages on the Internet where I have found references to his work and former pupils of his.

He is listed in the Dictionary of British Artists by Christopher Wood, the entry reading as follows;
A E Child 24 Upper Pembroke Street, Dublin Ireland + RHA 2
The RHA stands for Royal Hibernian Academy,

From another book, the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts index of exhibitors. 1826 - 1975 vol 1 A - G page 131 I have the following;
Child A Ernest. Painter. 24 Upper Pembroke Street, Dublin
1908. 280 Design for stained glass window Irvinstown
1911. 360 design for East window Castletownberehaven.

From the Dictionary of British Art vol IV Victorian Painters is the following, which I must admit threw me somewhat;
Childs. Alfred Edward. FL 1867 - 1875. London painter of birds and animals. Exibt. 4 watercolours at
SS. 1867 - 75               (SS = Royal British Colonial Society of Artists)
FL = flourit - date that artist was working.

The address noted above, 24 Upper Pembroke Street, is I believe the address of the An Tur Gloine (The Tower of Glass) workshop run by Sarah Purser.

A E Child trained and later worked under the distinguished artist Christopher Whall.
Edward Martyn, an Irishman who had founded the Palasterian Choir and the Abbey Theatre of Dublin, was interested in starting an Irish school of stained glass. He wrote "If we are determined to do bad work, it is better to have bad Irish than foreign". it was he who invited Christopher Whall to Ireland to execute three windows for the new cathedral at Loughrea. These windows were to be created by Irish craftsmen under Whalls direction.