During the Gilded Age, just before the turn of the twentieth century, Louis Comfort Tiffany forged his reputation (and fortune) in stained glass.  His highly recognizable style blended Art Nouveau, the exoticism of the Aesthetics Movement, and his own adoration of nature and color.
Until recently, it was assumed that he was the designer of the celebrated leaded-glass lampshades and windows.  However, two collections of letters reveal that an unrecognized woman, Clara Driscoll, designed the floral shades as well as many of the bronze bases.
“Clara and Mr. Tiffany” presents these two figures – one the giant of American decorative arts, the other an unknown widow – as they engage each other, collaborating, probing, and frustrating each other, stumbling over their passions.
Yearning to establish herself as a creator of exquisite pieces of art, and to be recognized publically, Clara is a vibrant, intelligent, wry woman, a leader whose challenge, like that of so many women, is to decide what makes her most happy – the professional world of her hands or the personal world of her heart.
The novel interprets her creative and personal life, her loves, losses, triumphs, and her startling decisions.
“Clara and Mister Tiffany” was written by Susan Vreeland and can be found in our Tanglewood Library.