Louis Comfort Tiffany saw the world through colored chips of glass, and created items of delicate beauty to show us his vision. Known for his intricate designs, using left-over glass from created windows, Tiffany Lamps are prestigious additions to décor with timeless style.

Recreated, utilizing Tiffany’s unique techniques, artists craft Tiffany style lamps that add to home lighting concepts today. But how did the innovator of Art Nouveau begin what is now known as Tiffany Studios?

The path began with Tiffany’s love of art leading him away from the family business of classic silver jewelry, Tiffany & Co. With travels to Europe, studies with artists and melding minds with a “bright” Thomas Edison, Tiffany Studios became an elite producer of stained-glass windows, pottery, jewelry, art glass and specifically a work entitled The Holy City. It is one of the largest stained glass artworks with 58 panels. It is located at the Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church located in Baltimore, Maryland.

At its peak, Tiffany Studios employed over 300 artisans, and decorated houses for famous names such as Mark Twain and President Chester A. Arthur to name a few. Among those artisans, a group of anonymous women that worked in the Women’s Glass Cutting Department, supervised by Clara Driscoll, contributed to the success of Tiffany Studios.

Driscoll was hired by Tiffany in 1888 after completing studies at the Metropolitan Museum Art School. Prior to her arrival, the Tiffany Lamp was static and had a geometric feel. It wasn’t until recently that the world discovered that Driscoll was the creative force behind some of the famous Tiffany style lighting designs. When Tiffany Studio closed in 1930, all records were lost.

Discoveries of historical letters written by Driscoll to her mother and sister demonstrated that she and the Tiffany girls were the creative forces behind Tiffany’s most famous designs. Driscoll and her “girls” brought femininity into the Tiffany lamp, and it is now known that they were the creators of the Dragonfly, Peony and The Wisteria. Driscoll’s first design for Tiffany was the Daffodil. Her career ended in 1908 because she remarried after being a window for some time. It was against the studio’s policy to work while being married.

Tiffany died in 1933; however, the legacy of the studio continues. Leaving a glass-shaped print on the art world, his work is classic. Due to the recent discoveries of Driscoll’s letters, he also proved that behind every great man, stands a great woman.

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