Tiffany Lamp Styles Show Distinct Variations

By Kellog Vanderhague

With a focus on precision and craftsmanship, the Tiffany Lamp established its pedigree as handcrafted furnishings that were individual pieces of art. Louis C. Tiffany´s watchful eye ensured that his vision was perfectly executed by his team of more than 300 artisans within Tiffany Studios. However, somewhere in the nearly anonymous glass cutting department of Tiffany Studios, another pioneering designer and artist was ready to put her stamp on the history of the Tiffany lamp.

Clara Driscoll, an accomplished artist in her own right and head of the Women´s Glass Cutting Department at Tiffany Studios, was recently discovered to be the driving force behind some of the most beloved Tiffany lamp styles ever created at Tiffany Studios.

The creation of an individual Tiffany lamp was a painstaking process. The various lamp styles can be broken down into six categories based on the patterns and methods used to produce the lamp.

* Irregular Upper & Lower Border
* Favrile
* Geometric
* Transition to Flowers
* Flowered Cone
* Flowered Globe

The irregular upper and lower border Tiffany style lamps were the most difficult to produce. This style was refined, with uneven borders, and an openwork crown intended to have the appearance of tree branches. Heat and light vented through the top crown. An example of this style is the Wisteria pattern. It is the one of the more renowned styles of the Tiffany lamp, still much desired today by collectors.

Favrile was the original design that Tiffany created and coined. Favrile means handcrafted. This patented design is recognizable by its iridescent colored glass that was merged while hot. Not only was this Favrile process used for lamp shades, but for Tiffany stained glass and vases.

The geometric category was mainly created by male artisans that Tiffany employed. With predominantly square, triangle, rectangular and oval characteristics, the lamp shades were created in a symmetrical pattern. The Greek Key pattern is an a well-known example of this type of Tiffany lamp style.

Transition to flowers is furthered divided into the flowered cone and flowered globe categories. All of these lamps capture nature or botanical themes using flowers, spiders, butterflies, peacock feathers and dragonflies. Dragonfly is a renowned Tiffany style lamp that was created by Driscoll that falls in the category of Transition to Flowers.

Every lamp was created using the copper foil method. The pattern was drawn out of a heavy piece of cardboard. After the pattern was drawn and labeled with a number and color, the glass was put in placed based on the design and traced. The pieces were then cut and ground to create the shape. The pieces were then cleaned in preparation for the copper foil solution that was added to join the pieces together. With the addition of the copper foil solution, the glass was joined together. The edges were then soldered together, after which the lamp shade was cleaned and polished.

Original and inspired, Tiffany Studios maintained a persistent vision to craft one-of-a-kind masterpieces that illuminated the American home. These attributes of innovative and uncompromising quality are the reason why Tiffany lamps are coveted and appreciated to this day.

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About The Author
Kellog has a deep appreciation for the Tiffany Lamp and its colorful, rich history as part of Americana. Another thing he has passion for is teaching kids how to ride bikes the right way. His recommendation is doing it with a balance bike.

After one ride you'll be a believer. Kids as young as two can master balance on a balance bike like the Kinderbike Lafraud. No pedals. No fear. All fun. Visit Balance Bikes 4 Kids to learn more.