Louis Comfort Tiffany created a revolutionary aesthetic that brought the beauty of the natural world into the home via his manufacture of opalescent glass. With his pioneering development, artisans no longer achieved details by painting on glass, they now painted with glass, and Tiffany’s brilliantly colored glass masterpieces took on stunning three-dimensionality. Having produced windows and blown glass for two decades, near the turn of the 20th century his studios began crafting the now-famous lamps that made Tiffany a household name. Designers such as Clara Driscoll—who won a bronze medal at the Paris World’s Fair of 1900 for one of her shade designs—often interpreted Tiffany’s aesthetics and his desire to illuminate nature. A dozen designs—nearly all attributed to her—are included in this calendar.
The distinctive shades featured here are part of the New‑York Historical Society’s Dr. Egon Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass.