Library Stained Glass Panels
Lamb Studios Stained Glass Panels
created by Katherine Lamb Tait (1963)
Two stained glass panels, which now mark the entrance of the Edna Kawulitzki Art Gallery inside the Library, graced the entrance to the 1963 Tenafly Public Library building. These panels were created by Lamb Studios, a well-known stained glass designer and manufacturer located in Tenafly at the time. Katherine Lamb Tait, the designer of the panels is shown in this photo.
The meaning of the images on the panels was described by Katherine Lamb Tait as follows:
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The Tree of Knowledge (left)
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil Knowledge is symbolized by the Lamp of Learning at the top. The traditional apple tree here bears six fruits representing the six ancient attributes of the God-like man: Strength, Nobility, Wisdom, Love, Mercy, Justice. The Tree is planted in Tenafly near the Palisades on the banks of the Hudson River. A small turtle, symbol of the Oritani, the great chieftain of this region, crawls along the rocks at the bottom to remind us of the Indian lore of the Lenni-Lenapi that is our inheritance.
The Tree of Life (right)
The Tree of Life "whose leaves are for the healing of the Nations," grows beside the River of Life. It is a willow tree, often put on gravestones to represent mortality as well as mourning, and it is the native tree of Tenafly - Willow Valley. The flame spirit at the top is surrounded by seven small flames, the seven gifts of the Spirit: Power, Riches, Wisdom. Strength, Honor, Glory and Blessing. The sun at the bottom represents the dawn of each new day. On the branches of the Tree sits a thrush singing to welcome the dawn, and above him is a butterfly, symbol of Eternal life.
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(as quoted in The Tenafly Public Library : A History 1891-1970 by F. Emerson Andrews).
