Louis C. Tiffany, whose father Charles Tiffany founded the famous jewelry shop Tiffany & Company, initially went into business as a maker of decorative textiles and wallpaper. He turned his artistic eye to the medium of stained glass in 1883.
Tiffany turned away from the then-common method of simply painting on glass in favor of the old traditions, mixing natural coloring agents directly into the glass to achieve stunning effects.
In addition to his stained glass windows, Tiffany created a wide range of other works from lamps and chandeliers to pottery, according to the Morse Museum.
Tiffany’s work enjoyed great prestige until around 1910, when his stained glass windows lost favor with the public and with architects. By 1931 the company had gone bankrupt.
After suffering decades of neglect and deterioration, Tiffany’s popularity enjoyed a resurgence in the 1950s, leading to museum exhibits of many of his works and recognition for his artistic innovations.