Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who was born on February 18, 1848 and died January 17, 1933. Tiffany's parents were Olivia Avery Young and Charles Lewis Tiffany who was the founder of Tiffany & Co. The Tiffany's lived in New York City where their company was located.
Louis attended Pennsylvania Military Academy in Chester, Pennsylvania and Eagleswood Military Academy in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Tiffany didn't begin training artistically until he was 18 when he studied painting under George Inness and Samuel Colman in New York City. When he turned 20, he went to Paris to study under Lacon Bailly. Louis Comfort Tiffany never earned a degree, but he is well-known for his stained glass work which can be found all over the world.
Tiffany's career began as a painter but around the age of 27, he became extremely interested in glass making and he made that his profession. When Tiffany first began creating pieces with glass, he used cheap glass that he got from bottles and jelly jars because they were free of the mineral impurities found in more expense glass. He tried to convince the glass makers to take them out but they did not listen to him so he made his own glass. He made his own distinctive glass made from opalescent glass which he mixed with select colors and textures. This set him apart from his competitors because he could do so many different things other people could not do with his glass. .
The typical subject matter for Tiffany was usually divine or holy figures painted on glass to be hung up in churches. He also was known for interior design and he did tons stained glass work for famous people around the country. For example he did interior design work in Mark Twain's home in Hartford, Connecticut in 1881. Also he was asked by President Chester Alan Arthur to redecorate the White House before he moved into it. The images he painted on to the stained glass were both realistic and abstract.
