DRAGONFLIES OF GLASS: The Story of Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls

Born into the mid-nineteenth century, Clara Driscoll's grew into a family of secure means during an era in which women painting nature was a respected pastime. Clara honed her talent and examined the fragile beauty of nature in her back garden, but eventually followed her calling by attending art school in New York City with her sister. That respectable pursuit led her to the attention of Mr. Louis Comfort Tiffany, already a highly 

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successful business owner and innovator in the  world of ART glass. The sisters were hired to work in the design department (only single women were allowed to work in public businesses at that time).

DRAGONFLIES of GLASS: The Story of Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls is the nonfiction biographic profile of a lesser-credited artist whose iconic designs are among the most famous (and priceless) of all Tiffany glass objects. Clara led a team of women whose designs involved inspiration, sketches, refinement, and many stages of cutting, assembly, and monitoring throughout their creation. Written by Susan Goldman Rubin and illustrated  by Susanna Chapman, this account rises to a very high bar of capturing a complex life and exquisite illustration on the page.

The tools they used  were many, but the ultimate media were uniquely colored and textured sheets of glass. These works of glass art sheets both nspired and limited the ultimate results. From window panes to lamp shades, ranging from massive to diminutive, masterpieces were designed by "Tiffany Girls" under Clara's supervision and guided by her talent and leadership skills.

Abstractions and colorful patterns produced by the glass workers (all men) were impressive, but Clara developed original designs to use them, drawing her images from nature similar to the works she first created in her garden. Her most inspired lamp design featured dragonflies on a mosaic pedestal base. It was immediately requested by customers, but Mr. Tiffany also recognized it as worthy of wider recognition. Until that time, the only name assigned to any Tiffany works was "TIFFANY". But, in the case, this rare and original lamp was entered in an international design competition, and CLARA DRISCOLL was the name added to the Tiffany brand for the design.

If that sounds like I gave Clara's story away, think again. This account takes many twists and turns, and that only references the main text. Throughout the spreads there are also fine-print quotations from Clara and her family members, passages excerpted from more recently discovered troves of letters written throughout her career and life. With family spread across many states, the members used "round robin" letters. One sibling would write and send their news on to the next, who would read and add on, then send to another member until all had read the news and updates. In modern times it was like having a group text spread over many months. generations of descendants saved these letters, and their contents are superb examples of primary sources. These personal notes and Clara's non-artist life story spread throughout her sprawling family. The illustrator created a bottom-of-the-page visual scroll that lends humanity and emotional heft to the remarkably talented woman being portrayed. Back matter clarifies this and more details, including places Clara's work is displayed, photos from her life, and other resources to learn more.

For adult readers, Susan Vreeland has written a very comprehensive and well-researched work that shares even more about Clara, despite its fiction genre:  CLARA AND MR. TIFFANY (Random House, 2012). You can read an excerpt of that novel on Vreeland's website, HERE.