Mabel Leaf Archive

Illustrations of stained glass at York churches, including Holy Trinity Goodramgate, All Saints North Street, St Martin cum Gregory, and York Minster, c.1906-c.1922; sketch books, paintings and drawings of topographical scenes, churches and other buildings in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Switzerland, c.1906-c.1922; correspondence between the Leaf family and the Diocesan Registry and Borthwick Institute for Archives concerning the location of Mabel Leaf’s cartoons of medieval stained glass, 1962-1982.

Mabel Leaf was born in York in 1872, the daughter of Matthew Leaf, a clerk and later assistant manager of the Gas Works, and his wife Alice.
A talented artist, Leaf produced many paintings of stained glass in York churches between 1906 and 1922, including Holy Trinity Goodramgate, All Saints North Street, and York Minster, as well as stained glass designs and topographical watercolours.
In 1908 her work was reproduced in Reverend P. J. Shaw’s edited work ‘An Old York Church, All Hallows in North Street: Its medieval stained glass and architecture depicted by Mabel Leaf and E. Ridsdale Tate.’
Her work was also exhibited in the Merchant's Hall, York, in September 1922, as well as posthumously in the USA in the 1930s.
Mabel Leaf died at York on 2 August 1927, aged 55.

Records are open to the public, subject to the overriding provisions of relevant legislation, including data protection laws.

The archive was deposited at the Borthwick Institute in 1960 by the York Diocesan Registry. A further addition was made to the archive in 2013.

Mabel Leaf was born in York in 1872, the daughter of Matthew Leaf, a clerk and later assistant manager of the Gas Works, and his wife Alice.
A talented artist, Leaf produced many paintings of stained glass in York churches between 1906 and 1922, including Holy Trinity Goodramgate, All Saints North Street, and York Minster, as well as stained glass designs and topographical watercolours.
In 1908 her work was reproduced in Reverend P. J. Shaw’s edited work ‘An Old York Church, All Hallows in North Street: Its medieval stained glass and architecture depicted by Mabel Leaf and E. Ridsdale Tate.’
Her work was also exhibited in the Merchant's Hall, York, in September 1922, as well as posthumously in the USA in the 1930s.
Mabel Leaf died at York on 2 August 1927, aged 55.

The archive has not yet been catalogued. A partial box list is available, please contact the Borthwick Institute for further information.

Created by S. A. Shearn, 03.07.15

A reprographics service is available to researchers subject to the access restrictions outlined above. Copying will not be undertaken if there is any risk of damage to the document. Copies are supplied in accordance with the Borthwick Institute for Archives' terms and conditions for the supply of copies, and under provisions of any relevant copyright legislation. Permission to reproduce images of documents in the custody of the Borthwick Institute must be sought.

Further accruals are not expected.

An original watercolour of York, All Saints Pavement, by Mabel Leaf, with related papers concerning its identification, can be found in the corresponding parish records.

Published

GB 193