Dragonfly Lamps

Dragonfly Lamps

This new direction had proved to be profitable. The women were much more adept at handling the glass, more adept at the detailed work required to manufacture the lamps. It was in this position that Clara's designs became realities. It was here she designed the now famous Dragonfly Lamp. In one instance Mr. Tiffany attributed this design to Clara when it was on display at the Paris World's Fair in 1900. She worked closely with Mr. Tiffany, as both were inspired by a love of nature and appreciation of fine material.

Dragonfly Table Lamps
By David McEnroe - Ezinearticles

The Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th Century and early 20th Century brought an exciting new aesthetic to visual arts, architecture, and industrial design. It was characterized by curves, lines, and a visual rhythm that gave it a distinctly stylized and organic appearance. One style of table lamps lighting that came to prominence at that time were Tiffany lamps, a beautifully elaborate style whose main feature was the intricate leaded stained glass shade.

Tiffany lamps are named for Louis Comfort Tiffany, one of the major American proponents of Art Nouveau. He was credited with designing their most iconic styles, featuring flowing organic subject matter like flowers, and, of course, the dragonfly. These were produced by his stained glass company for many years, usually by master craftsmen. Nowadays, the technology exists to mass produce the designs, and they remain ever popular.

In a bizarre twist, however, it was discovered in recent years that Tiffany did not actually design the dragonfly, nor many of his other well-known styles. In fact, his original designs were far more geometric and linear. It is now accepted that the real designer behind what we associate with Tiffany lamps today was a girl working for Tiffany Studios called Clara Driscoll. Perhaps it was a sign of the times that the male designers were given credit, while the female creative force stayed in the background.

Nobody really knows why the dragonfly design in particular has endured. There are many mythologies and philosophies surrounding this ancient creature, and perhaps this fed into the mysticism of the time. Whatever the reason, it has remained popular, and over the years, it has inspired many variations of table lamps.

The classic dragonfly lamp features 6 or 7 dragonflies pointing downwards, with their wings touching, against a decorative background. Sometimes the design is so ornate that you don't see the dragonflies immediately, but when you do, it adds to the fascination! Other variations include the dragonflies facing other directions, facing each other, swirling around, and as modern production methods continue to give designers more freedom, some table lamps have seen these little creatures break away from the lampshade completely!

Whenever you're buying a table lamp, it is often a great idea to start your search with long-standing, classic designs. These are the least likely to go out of style. The Art Nouveau, and later Art Deco movements defined some of the best table lamps in modern times, and it's fitting that dragonfly lamps are still extremely popular today!

Dragonfly Lamps