Art History: The Tiffany Lamp

For decades, it was the great misconception for many people that Tiffany lamps were invented by a man named Louis Comfort Tiffany. Though Louis owned the company that produced the lamps, he, nor any of his well-known male staff, designed or created any of the lamps. In fact, the famous style that would become known as Tiffany was invented by a group of girls known as the "Tiffany Girls." One important figure in particular was a woman named Clara Driscoll, who was the overseer of the group.

Clara Driscoll was a talented woman who attended a local design school in Cleveland, Ohio. As time passed, she would make the decision to move to New York and enroll in the Metropolitan Museum Art School. Finally, in 1888, she would take a job working for Louis Comfort Tiffany at his company, Tiffany Studios.

During that 20 years, Clara Driscoll would design approximately 30 different lamps. In fact, she and the other Tiffany Girls came up with some of the most famous Tiffany designs that featured nature and insect motifs.

History aside, the Tiffany style has endured throughout the decades and today, remains a popular choice for many. However, the Tiffany lamps of today do not necessarily all feature nature scenes but can also feature animals and geometric patterns.

Here are a few examples of the different types of Tiffany styled lighting available on the web today.

Tiffany Semi-Flush Ceiling Fixture ($138.59)

This particular fixture is a semi-flush ceiling fixture, meaning that it of course, is not exactly flush with the overhead ceiling. It's an antique brass finish which is appropriate for the Tiffany style. It also features a mixture of red leaves that frame the geometric patterns also see on this fixture.

Tiffany 3 Light Mini Chandelier ($324.00)

This 3 light mini-chandelier is great example of the "older" styling that many people associate with Tiffany lights. It features downlight glass Tiffany shades that feature a nature pattern: early fall leaves in shades of gold and green over a mauve-colored background.

Tiffany Floor Lamp ($225.00)

With dual pull chains, this Tiffany floor lamp features a geometric pattern on the glass shade with colors like amber, green and red. The lamp stand itself is of a bronze finish, also to be expected with a good quality Tiffany lamp.

Tiffany Table Lamp ($261.00)

This table lamp features a mixed style as the four-petal flowers are arranged in a geometric pattern. The glass on this particular lamp include royal blue, yellow, ivory and and deep ambers.

Of course, there are also other types of Tiffany lamps available today, aside from the standard expected choices. Today, you can find Tiffany lamps in the shape of an animal (such as this cat shaped Tiffany lamp,) as well as in the shapes of certain flowers (such as this lily-shaped desk lamp.)