Clara and Mr. Tiffany
A Novel
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Random House, Inc.
Against the unforgettable backdrop of New York near the turn of the twentieth century, from the Gilded Age world of formal balls and opera to the immigrant poverty of the Lower East Side, bestselling author Susan Vreeland again breathes life into a work of art in this extraordinary … More »
Against the unforgettable backdrop of New York near the turn of the twentieth century, from the Gilded Age world of formal balls and opera to the immigrant poverty of the Lower East Side, bestselling author Susan Vreeland again breathes life into a work of art in this extraordinary … More »
Random House, Inc.
Against the unforgettable backdrop of New York near the turn of the twentieth century, from the Gilded Age world of formal balls and opera to the immigrant poverty of the Lower East Side, bestselling author Susan Vreeland again breathes life into a work of art in this extraordinary novel, which brings a woman once lost in the shadows into vivid color.
It’s 1893, and at the Chicago World’s Fair, Louis Comfort Tiffany makes his debut with a luminous exhibition of innovative stained-glass windows, which he hopes will honor his family business and earn him a place on the international artistic stage. But behind the scenes in his New York studio is the freethinking Clara Driscoll, head of his women’s division. Publicly unrecognized by Tiffany, Clara conceives of and designs nearly all of the iconic leaded-glass lamps for which he is long remembered.
Clara struggles with her desire for artistic recognition and the seemingly insurmountable challenges that she faces as a professional woman, which ultimately force her to protest against the company she has worked so hard to cultivate. She also yearns for love and companionship, and is devoted in different ways to five men, including Tiffany, who enforces to a strict policy: he does not hire married women, and any who do marry while under his employ must resign immediately. Eventually, like many women, Clara must decide what makes her happiest—the professional world of her hands or the personal world of her heart.
Baker & Taylor
Hoping to honor his father and the family business with innovative glass designs, Louis Comfort Tiffany launches the iconic Tiffany lamp as designed by women’s division head Clara Driscoll, who struggles with the mass production of her creations and grieves the losses of two husbands. By the author ofThe Girl in Hyacinth Blue.
Baker
& Taylor
Hoping to honor his father and the family business with innovative glass designs, Louis Comfort Tiffany launches the iconic Tiffany lamp as designed by women's division head Clara Driscoll, who struggles with the mass production of her creations.
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Against the unforgettable backdrop of New York near the turn of the twentieth century, from the Gilded Age world of formal balls and opera to the immigrant poverty of the Lower East Side, bestselling author Susan Vreeland again breathes life into a work of art in this extraordinary novel, which brings a woman once lost in the shadows into vivid color.
It’s 1893, and at the Chicago World’s Fair, Louis Comfort Tiffany makes his debut with a luminous exhibition of innovative stained-glass windows, which he hopes will honor his family business and earn him a place on the international artistic stage. But behind the scenes in his New York studio is the freethinking Clara Driscoll, head of his women’s division. Publicly unrecognized by Tiffany, Clara conceives of and designs nearly all of the iconic leaded-glass lamps for which he is long remembered.
Clara struggles with her desire for artistic recognition and the seemingly insurmountable challenges that she faces as a professional woman, which ultimately force her to protest against the company she has worked so hard to cultivate. She also yearns for love and companionship, and is devoted in different ways to five men, including Tiffany, who enforces to a strict policy: he does not hire married women, and any who do marry while under his employ must resign immediately. Eventually, like many women, Clara must decide what makes her happiest—the professional world of her hands or the personal world of her heart.
Baker & Taylor
Hoping to honor his father and the family business with innovative glass designs, Louis Comfort Tiffany launches the iconic Tiffany lamp as designed by women’s division head Clara Driscoll, who struggles with the mass production of her creations and grieves the losses of two husbands. By the author of
Baker
& Taylor
Hoping to honor his father and the family business with innovative glass designs, Louis Comfort Tiffany launches the iconic Tiffany lamp as designed by women's division head Clara Driscoll, who struggles with the mass production of her creations.
Alternate Title:
Clara and Mister Tiffany
Imprint:
New York - Random House
Pages:
405
Edition:
1st ed
ISBN:
9781400068166, 1400068169
Language:
English
Statement of responsibility:
Susan Vreeland
Characteristics:
xiii, 405 p. ;,25 cm.
Author (Original Script):
Vreeland, Susan
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Add a CommentA wonderful depiction of an artistic female's work life in the Tiffany studios. The level of detail is exquisite and I found myself looking up photos of all the lamps mentioned in the book. I'm astonished that Clara's contributions to Tiffany were just unearthed in 2006, and to know now that her work is coveted today by so many.
I did not enjoy the informal tone of the book—after all, it starts in 1892 and people did not address their employers informally. I cannot imagine Miss Driscoll saying this to Tiffany when he showed her his new plans: “Gracious! You’ve been on fire. Go slower!” And this sounded so puerile: “A new young floor manager tried to stop me at the marble stairway. I gave him a look that implied, ‘I was here before you were born,’ […].” Oh, dear… Then there is the utterly unnecessary demeaning of Tiffany as “little Napoléon”; I have seen pictures of him and, unless he was surrounded by dwarves, he did not look short. The author mentions Tiffany’s painting on the walls (Market Day and Citadel Mosque of Old Cairo) en passant, but if you ever seen them, you will know how beautifully detailed they are, how harmonious the colors. Do not recommend this book.
Great book. I especially enjoyed the smaller details of life in that time period - obviously a lot of good research went into this book. The story was woven smoothly through all the history, as well.
Very entertaining. I've enjoyed learning more about the art of stained glass and about women at the turn of the century. Lots of detail is given, clearly lots of research has been done,and I like that. Another good book by Susan Vreeland.
adult book.story of Clara Tiffany and her contributions to tiffany lamps, possibly introducing the glass shade. Long and detailed but good read.
I really enjoyed this story, which is mostly true. I wasn't sure that I would but I am glad that I read it.
I read the flap of this book and almost tossed it aside, expecting 397 pages of “will she marry her lover…or will she keep her job?” drama. I’m so glad I gave it a chance anyway. The romance is a very subtle sub-plot, allowing Vreeland to focus on the—to me—most fascinating part of the story: how those gorgeous Tiffany lamps came into being.
There IS a lot of glassworking in this book, but I found it kind of interesting, having always loved Tiffany glass. What I liked even better was how it evoked New York City, and the lives of working people (especially women) in that particular time. I came to respect Clara and to root for her.
I agree with the making of the glass work very hard to understand and boring, but the rest of the story was very good and I enjoyed it very much.
I am halfway through it and its moving slower than expected...I'm glad I didn't buy it! There is a lot of detail about glass cutting and fabricating stain glass that's complicated and tedious to read...2.5/5