Little-known female designer was a major creative light at Tiffany

  • By Mary Beth Breckenridge Akron Beacon Journal
  • Friday, March 21, 2014 12:32pm
  • Life

AKRON, Ohio — You’ve probably heard of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s stained-glass lamps. You may even be familiar with some of his more famous lamp styles, such as the Wisteria and the Dragonfly.

But you may not know those lamps were designed not by Tiffany, but by a woman who came from Tallmadge, Ohio.

Clara Wolcott Driscoll was the creative force behind many of Tiffany’s most successful designs.

Around the turn of the 20th century, she led a group of female artisans who designed and cut the glass for many Tiffany lamps, and she personally designed some of the most valuable Tiffany lamps as well as some other decorative objects his company made.

Yet for the most part, she did it anonymously.

Driscoll’s importance to Tiffany’s success went largely unrecognized until less than a decade ago, when a couple of historians stumbled separately on evidence of her role.

Their discoveries led to an exhibition on Driscoll and her staff called “A New Light on Tiffany: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls,” which was created by the New-York Historical Society and has since traveled as far as Germany and the Netherlands.

To Linda Alexander, it’s a story made for Hollywood.

Alexander is a fourth cousin of Driscoll’s and a genealogy buff who has immersed herself in her cousin’s colorful life.

The Stow, Ohio, resident has been giving presentations locally on Driscoll since 2007 in the hope of boosting the profile of a woman whose contributions went mostly unnoticed during her own lifetime.

Driscoll was born in 1861 in Tallmadge. She graduated from design school in Cleveland and later moved to New York to study architectural decoration at the Metropolitan Museum Art School.

Around 1888 she joined Tiffany Studios, started by Louis C. Tiffany, whose father founded the famous Tiffany &Co. jewelry store. Her on-again, off-again employment at Tiffany Studios lasted 20 years.

This was the 19th century, when married women were expected to stay at home, Alexander explained. So marriage — and in one case, marriage plans — forced Driscoll to quit her job three times, but always returning.

At Tiffany, Driscoll headed the women’s glass-cutting department and was the principal designer.

She often based her designs on nature, Alexander said, sometimes asking family members to send her flowers from Tallmadge to inspire her work.

A 1904 article in the New York Daily News about highly paid women noted she earned more than $10,000 a year, a salary that would translate to more than $250,000 today.

But apparently, Louis Tiffany didn’t like sharing the limelight. His company’s records were lost after it closed in the 1930s.

Her contributions might never have been known publicly, in fact, if it weren’t for her family’s prolific letter-writing.

After Driscoll’s sister Emily Wolcott died in 1953, 1,163 of the letters were found in Wolcott’s summer cabin and eventually donated to Kent State University, Alexander said.

Another 167 were found in the attic of a house Wolcott once owned in Queens, N.Y., and donated to the historical society there.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Everett P. Fog, 15, in front of an Everett mural along Colby Avenue on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Hello, Everett! No escape when your name is same as the town

Everett P. Fog, 15, sees and hears his first name wherever he goes. His middle name is also epic.

Jared Meads takes a breath after dunking in an ice bath in his back yard while his son Fallen, 5, reads off the water temperature on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Chill out: Dive into the cold plunge craze

Plungers say they get mental clarity and relief for ails in icy water in tubs, troughs and clubs.

Schack exhibit to highlight Camano Island watercolorists

“Four Decades of Friendship: John Ebner & John Ringen” will be on display Jan. 16 through Feb. 9.

XRT Trim Adds Rugged Features Designed For Light Off-Roading
Hyundai Introduces Smarter, More Capable Tucson Compact SUV For 2025

Innovative New Convenience And Safety Features Add Value

Sequoia photo provided by Toyota USA Newsroom
If Big Is Better, 2024 Toyota Sequoia Is Best

4WD Pro Hybrid With 3-Rows Elevates Full-Size

2025 Toyota Land Cruiser (Provided by Toyota).
2025 Toyota Land Cruiser revives its roots

After a 3-year hiatus, the go-anywhere SUV returns with a more adventurous vibe.

Enjoy the wilderness in the CX-50. Photo provided by Mazda USA Newsroom
2025 Mazda CX-50 Adds Hybrid Capability to Turbo Options

Line-Up Receives More Robust List Of Standard Equipment

Practical And Functional bZ4X basks in sunshine. Photo provided by Toyota Newsroom.
2024 bZ4X Puts Toyota Twist On All-Electric SUV’s

Modern Styling, Tech & All-Wheel Drive Highlight

Photo provided by Mazda USA Newsroom
2025 Mazda3 Turbo Premium Plus Hatch Delivers Value

Plus Functionality of AWD And G-Vectoring

2025 Mazda CX-90 Turbo SUV (Provided by Mazda)
2025 CX-90 Turbo models get Mazda’s most powerful engine

Mazda’s largest-ever SUV is equipped to handle the weight, with fuel efficiency kept in check.

Provided by Bridges Pets, Gifts, & Water Gardens.
Discover where to find the best pet supplies in town

Need the perfect store to spoil your furry friends? Herald readers have you covered.

VW Jetta SEL is a sedan that passes for a coupe. Photo provided by Volkswagen U.S. Media.
2025 VW Jetta Offers Greater Refinement, Technology And Value

A Perfect Choice For Small Families And Commuters

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.