All Kinds of Decorative Arts

The originator of the Tiffany lamp, Louis C. Tiffany, began his career with little interest in practical things. In his twenties he traveled the world and studied under famous painters. Yet, he also helped found the Society of American Artists and was known for his active, energetic nature in several other organizations as well. Eventually, his associations with the designers and craftsmen in the "decorative arts" influenced him to think of the practical aspects of art. He began collecting and eventually his ideas about antiques and "objects of art," were used in Tiffany lamp ads.

The Centennial Exhibition of 1876 was the source of renewed interest in American stained glass. For Tiffany it was the beginning of his interest in the glass that would eventually be used in Tiffany lamps. Also, decorative arts in general had captured Tiffany's attention. Within a couple of years, Tiffany had begun volunteering at Candace Wheeler's Society of Decorative Arts. Here, women were trained in a wide variety of gainful decorative crafts, just as they would eventually be in the Tiffany lamp studios.

Tiffany was thirty when he began volunteering for Candace Wheeler. Here, he found the practical, productive environment that would be a model for the kind of work he loved, and for the creation of the Tiffany lamp to come. A Wednesday night class in unbaked pottery was organized by Tiffany and Lockwood de Forest. The influence in the studio was strong on Tiffany. For a year he debated the relative merits of working in fine verses applied arts. Eventually he had to make a decision that would determine his future-and that of Tiffany lamps.

He announced his resignation to Wheeler in 1879, telling her that after much deliberation he wanted to leave painting as a profession and work in the decorative arts full time. Thus the course was set for a legacy in Tiffany lamps, rather than the fine arts. Tiffany's talents were such that within months he planned a new venture, persuading Wheeler and Colman to join him in his company: Louis C. Tiffany and Associated Artists. This was the organization that became Tiffany Glass and Decorating, and finally Tiffany Studios. The rest as they say, is history.

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