The Tiffany Girls by Shelley Noble
There sure are a plethora of books published on this topic including “The ‘Lost’ Treasures of Louis Comfort Tiffany,” “Clara and Mr. Tiffany: A Novel,” “Noon at Tiffany’s: An Historical, Biographical Novel,” “Tiffany Girl: A Novel,” and “Eternal Light: The Sacred Stained-Glass Windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany,” among others. The more the merrier, I say because the life of Louis Comfort Tiffany (LCT) (1848–1933) and those who collaborated with him is fascinating!
I knew nothing about LCT before reading The Tiffany Girls and I actually thought the novel was about Tiffany & Co., known for its luxury jewelry. Tiffany & Co. was founded in 1837 as a stationary and fancy goods store by LCT’s father, Charles Lewis Tiffany, a jeweler. LCT did eventually become Tiffany & Co.’s first design director in 1902, however the narrative of this novel focuses on how LCT, and others, created innovative mosaic glass artwork at his Tiffany Glass Company which he opened in the late 1870’s.
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933) employed dozens of women artisans; one was Clara Wolcott Driscoll (1861–1944), a principal designer who led the Women’s Glass Cutting Department within Tiffany’s multiple companies and oversaw upwards of 35 women artists, designers and artisans at any given time. While she directed the work of many women, she also designed her own pieces. We now know that Clara Wolcott Driscoll was the artist behind well-known pieces such as the Dragonfly, Wisteria, and Poppy lamps.
Dr. Jayme Yahr states that ‘Tiffany Girls’ is a phrase that is now commonly used to describe Clara Wolcott Driscoll and other innovative, self-empowered, and superbly talented women who were employed at Tiffany’s various companies. The names of many ‘Tiffany Girls,’ including Alice Gouvy, Julia Munson, Clara Driscoll, and Agnes Northrop, were rediscovered in 2005 through a close reading of Driscoll’s trove of letters housed at the Queens Historical Society and the Kent State University Library. From these letters, scholars learned that women did hold leadership roles within Tiffany’s companies. Although it has been suggested that during his lifetime Tiffany suppressed his women designers in terms of creativity and accolades, Driscoll’s letters suggest otherwise.
I loved “The Tiffany Girls” especially when the author detailed the technical brilliance of the women collaborating with TLC. Their contributions were crucial to the company’s success.
For more information on the lives and contributions of those working at Tiffany Glass and Decorating Co. (now Tiffany Studios), visit:
Louis Comfort Tiffany: Treasures from the Driehaus Collection.
Spring Panel from Four Seasons Window.
Louis Comfort Tiffany: Nature Through Glass.
Breaking Tiffany’s Glass Ceiling: Clara Wolcott Driscoll (1861-1944).
The New York Historical Society’s New Mission: Telling the Forgotten Stories of Wo.
Thank you to Shelley Noble, William Morrow, and Goodreads Giveaways for my advanced copy of The Tiffany Girls: A Novel.
Tiffany Studios, Group of lamps (birds-eye detail). The Dragonfly Lamp, ca. 1902–1906, at the bottom center, is credited to Clara Driscoll and made of blown glass and patinated bronze. Photograph by John Faier. © 2013 The Richard H. Driehaus Museum.
