As famous now as they were in 1903?

Window on the north wall above of the staircase of the former Carnegie Library, Main and Hastings, Vancouver, BC

There has been a tradition in both libraries and theatres to immortalize the most important creative minds at the time the new buildings were constructed.

This stained class window is inside the former Carnegie Library at Hastings and Main in Vancouver, BC. The library opened in 1903, closed in 1957, and since 1980 has been a community centre with a small library branch on the main floor.

Andrew Carnegie was a remarkable philanthropist who provided funding for over 2,500 libraries, 125 of them in Canada. He donated millions to fund the construction of libraries, the majority of which are still in use today.

This stained class window immortalizes men who, in 1903, were deemed to be three of the greatest writers in the English language. Not surprisingly, Shakespeare get centre billing with the other two spots taken by Milton and Spenser.

Milton I can understand. Paradise Lost is almost universally recognized as a classic, but Spenser? Apart from The Faerie Queen can anyone these days name anything that Spenser wrote? (And apart from English students who can even name The Faerie Queen, or recall Spenser's name?)

For me the lesson is that some brands, like Shakespeare, will live on, while others will be fade from prominence, and years from now people will wonder what we ever saw in them. Crocs springs to mind and Lululemon seems to be heading that way. Only time will tell, and in 111 years I doubt either of them will exist on a stained glass window.