QUESTIONS	Move your cursor over the question to find out the answer or go to the printable version of questions and answers.
The images on the lampshades were based on close observations of forms in nature, which are composed of organic shapes. Many of Tiffany's lampshades also use geometric shapes. What is the difference between the two?
Each piece of glass is surrounded by leading. What is the functional purpose of this border? What is the descriptive purpose of this border?
Tiffany lamps use images of flowers, fruits and insects and transform them into patterns on each of the shades. What is the difference between a picture of something and a pattern based on it?
In what ways does Tiffany glass have a different appearance from most of the stained glass in churches?
Some of the Tiffany lamps have distinctive textures—all of them are composed of patterns. What is the difference between the two words?

VOCABULARY

Art Nouveau: A French term meaning "new art." This style was popular from 1890-1910 and was characterized by elaborate designs based on nature forms. These could be abstract, semi-abstract, or in the case of most of Tiffany's designs, based on flowers, fruits and insects, extremely realistic.

Bronze: A metal frequently used for lamp bases and other decorative objects in Tiffany designs. Bronze, an alloy made from copper and tin or other metals, is ideal for casting because when melted, it flows in the crevices of a mold reproducing every detail.

Chandelier: A light fixture with several light bulbs designed to hang from the ceiling.

Corona, New York: Site of the Tiffany Studios from 1893 to 1938. The building that housed the studios still exists, and is currently used for clothing manufacturing. The brick structure borders 44th Avenue, 97th Place and 43rd Avenue.

Edison, Thomas A.: Inventor of the electric light bulb in 1979. He worked with Tiffany on several projects.

Favrile glass: Derived from an old English word denoting "hand crafted." Tiffany frequently inscribed blown glass pieces with the word "favrile."

Fractured: Segments or flakes of differently colored glass that are pressed into sheets of glass still in the process of hardening and semi-soft, allowing raw edges to protrude giving the glass an uneven, ragged texture. Tiffany used this technique in his glass to give an illusion of water, a meadow, and sunset skies.

Geometric: Shapes including squares, triangles, rectangles and ovals that are repeated to create an overall pattern or a border. They were frequently used in Tiffany lamps.

Glass: The oldest man-made material. Most glass is a mixture of silica (obtained from sand or sandstone), an alkali to lower the melting point and lime to act as a stabilizer. This mixture is melted in containers until it fuses together. It is then poured or blown into shape and allowed to cool slowly.

Iridescence: A lustrous rainbow-like play of color that tends to change as the angle of view changes (as sometimes seen in oil slicks, soap bubbles, or fish scales).

Mottled: Any material consisting of splotches, speckles and dots of different sizes produced by either the addition of a second color or by a change in tonality.

Opalescent: Exhibiting a milky iridescence, like that of an opal. Some Tiffany works use opalescent glass.

Organic: Related to living things. The imagery in Tiffany lamps was largely based on these forms.

Pattern: Adecorative design or repeated motif (as in wall paper, textile, gift wrap.) The images in Tiffany lamps are arranged around the shade so as to create a pattern.

Stained glass: Brightly colored glass frequently used for church windows or decorative lamps. Tiffany's stained glass is made from several layers rolled together when the glass is hot, thus creating the color from within.

Striated: Having thread-like lines on the surface. In the glass-making process, Tiffany developed a method of created multicolored striations in the glass.

Texture: The surface characteristic of any object. Through special treatment of hot glass, Tiffany was able to create rippled or ridged surfaces for the glass used in his lamps and windows.

Translucent: A material that can transmit light but not a distinct image. Stained glass is such a material.

MORE FACTS

Some of the Tiffany shades required more than one thousand pieces of glass.

Because each of the workers made a shade from start to finish, very few Tiffany shades are exact duplicates.

At the turn of the century, people could order a lamp base for either electricity or oil, since not everyone had electricity at that time.

Tiffany hired designers and artists to work in his workshops. The department employed as many as 200 designers in 1905.

One of his principal designers, Clara Driscoll who designed the Dragonfly lampshade, was among the highest paid women workers in the U.S. between 1900 and 1915.

The iridescent colors seen in much of the Tiffany glass was achieved by exposing molten glass to the chemical fumes of molten metals. This was the invention of John La Farge, another designer.

MORE RESOURCES

If you are interested in learning more, here are some books that you may want to look for:

Bing, Samuel. Artistic America: Tiffany Glass and Art Nouveau. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1970.

Duncan, Alastair. Louis Comfort Tiffany. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1992.

Duncan, Alastair, Martin Eidelberg and Neil Harris. Masterworks of Louis Comfort Tiffany. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1990.

Koch, Robert. Louis C. Tiffany's Glass, Bronzes, Lamps. New York: Crown, 1982.

Morris, Elizabeth. Stained and Decorative Glass. New Jersey: Chartwell Books, 1988.

Neustadt, Egon. The Lamps of Tiffany. New York: The Fairfield Press, 1970.