Cartoon for Holy Family's Flight into Egypt

Born at Stratford-upon-Avon, William T. Hickinson studied at the Royal College of Art in South Kensington, the Sheffield School of Art in London, and the Académie Julian in Paris. Founded in 1868, the Académie Julian was popular with foreign students and was the major alternative school to the École des Beaux Art. Les Nabis, a group of young symbolist artists, originated at the Académie in 1888–1889. Louis C. Tiffany translated several of their works into stained glass.

The multi-talented Hickinson worked in glass, murals, painting, and sculpture. He exhibited at the Royal Academy for eleven years. He also assisted with the Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace and the mural decorations in Westminster Abbey. Additionally, he worked as a teacher and an artist for the British government during World War I.

By 1920, Hickinson had immigrated to the United States and settled in Milwaukee, where for many years, he worked for the E. F. Schmidt stained glass studio. Our Hickinson drawing (c. 1920) of the Holy Family’s Flight into Egypt is the design for a stained glass window. Our museum based its two stained glass windows of the Flight into Egypt on this drawing.

Hickinson’s date of death is unknown. But he is listed in the archives of the Museum of Wisconsin Art as a Works Progress Administration artist from 1935 to 1943.