Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland May Bookclub Online

[pedln]

The Book Club Online is  the oldest  book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone.  We offer cordial discussions of one book a month,  24/7 and  enjoy the company of readers from all over the world.  Everyone is welcome to join in.

CLARA and MR. TIFFANY

by Susan Vreeland

"For a century, everyone assumed that the iconic Tiffany lamps were conceived and designed by that American master of stained glass, Louis Comfort Tiffany. Not so! It was a woman!" (Susan Vreeland)

Vreeland captures Gilded Age New York and its atmosphere--robber barons, sweatshops, colorful characters, ateliers from the  voluminous letters belonging to the Tiffany glass studio manager, Clara Driscoll, discovered by the author (Amazon review ).

"My last lampshade was accepted and I am having it made now. It will be quite expensive, but I think it will be attractive and that the general public will admire it. The one before this was a purple and red scheme with opal to lighten and soften it. Mr. Tiffany thought it was very fine and Mr. Mitchell thought it was the ugliest thing he ever saw."                                                       (Letter from Clara Driscoll)

Discussion Schedule:

May 1-8 ~ Chapters 1-12
May 9-15 ~ Chapters 13-24
May 16-22 ~ Chapters 25-37
May 23-31 ~ Chapters 38-47
and the Afterward 

Some Topics for Consideration
May 23 - 31 ~ Chapters 38 - 47

1.  Do you think that Clara makes a good case for asking the girls to march through the picket line.  Is she asking too much of those who have fathers and/or boyfriends in the union.

2.  Who do you think holds the power at Tiffany and Company?

3.  What has sent Mr. Tiffany into such dark despair that he is almost cruel?  Is his wife’s death alone responsible for such changes?

4.  What issues or themes, if any,  do you think the author has emphasized in the telling of this story?

5.  Why do you think the author included the actions of Joe Briggs?

 

Related Links:
  NPR Interview with Susan Vreeland;
  Morse Museum, Winter Park, FL - World's largest collection of Tiffany glass;
 Tiffany Girls on Exhibition Video;
 Susan Vreeland Website for Clara

Discussion Leaders:  Pedln  & Annie

Steph, I’m pretty sure the marriage rule was only for women, but Mr. Tiffany would not have looked kindly on any deceptions or hanky panky among any of his employees.  I wonder if this would not be true of most businesses/employers at this ending of the Victorian era.

It’s extremely important to Mr. Tiffany personally and to Tiffany Studios that his clients see his staff as beyond reproach.

     Clara, speaking to Theresa and Marion.

At the moment, both of you are more replaceable than Joe. .  .    . He has responsibilities far bigger than yours.   .   .    .We still need to be on the alert to prove that women are as capable as men, and that includes working without emotional involvement or disturbances.

Apparently Joe and Bessie stayed together.  One of the Joe Briggs links states that they went on to have six children, and that they settled in a New Jersey community and became involved in the doings of that community.  None of the links that I saw mentioned that Bessie was a Negro.

As we wind down here, what do you think were some of the highs and lows of the book.  What did you especially like or not like, what impressed you the most, and as they ask every day on the Morning Joe show, what did you learn today.

[ANNIE]

I have been looking at Vreeland's website of many links where I found this wonderful window from MMOA.  It is dated 1922-1924.  Could it be a Joe Brigg's window?  I do like some of his art quite a bit.  This is very intricate and really breautiful.  When you get it up, click on it and you get a full sized beauty.

http://0.tqn.com/d/arthistory/1/0/H/g/pa_neh_26.jpg

[Steph]

 A window of Joe Briggs from the New Jersey house is in the Morse.. I saw it yesterday. It is very different from most of what they did. All rocky and very unusual dark dark colors.. I had such fun yesterday. Armed with our discussion, etc, I had a new joy in the museum. No picture taking allowed and cant say that I blame them.. Looking at the many window installation, I realized from the book that much of the glass had been doubled to make the different shades.. Wow.. Modern day stained glass is very flat and Tiffanys is not.. Due to the doubling and tripling and the use of lumps of glass in many cases..
The things you dont realize.. The Daffodil pillars are truly remarkable and set to be like a terrace, although inside.

[ANNIE]

Steph,
Well, next time we are in Orlando, I will definitely be going to the Morse Museum.
Were there smaller pieces there also?  Like the ink wells?  Did you by any chance see the Virgin w/child window.  It has that glass that looks like its draped.   

[pedln]

Steph,   it sounds like you had a wonderful day at the Museum.  Almost like a before and after.  I’m glad you had such a good time.  And isn’t it amazing what we learn from our recreational reading.  I’d love to visit that museum.  Wonder how many driving days from here.

While we’ve been discussing this book, Susan Vreeland has been on a book tour through the Southeast. (According to her Facebook page).  Here’s a link to an interview this month in Alton, IL  (across the river from St. Louis)

"I think this book is very rich," Vreeland said. "I loved developing its many threads. This is truly an American story with the coming of electricity and telephones, the building of skyscrapers, the Gilded Age uptown, the flood of immigrants coming into New York and women joining unions."

Vreeland in Alton

Annie,  that window could be a Joe Briggs.  The time sounds right. 1922-24.  I wonder how involved LCT was in the actual creative process then.

[JoanP]

That's it - that's what I most  liked about the book, Pedln - it's so much more than the story of  Clara's work at Tiffany's.  Vreeland has filled us in on the whole  historical period.  
Women were doing so much more than I ever knew - had so much more freedom - they were so much more progressive.

"She sees the face of a survivor who would find her own surprises, design her own adventures."  

I can't help but wonder whether Clara wrote this aboiut herself, or if Vreeland copied the lines from her letters.
It seems that painting scarves would not be enough for such an adventuress.  "Rather tame" occupation, as you say, Pedln.  I'll bet she was involved in a whole lost more after she left Tiffany's, don't you?  She was a young woman - with so much more to offer when she married.

If S. Vreeland were here, I'd ask her which passages she took verbatim from the letters.  In the Afterword, she thanked the Queen's Historical Society and the Kelso House Museum for allowing her "to use a handful of brief passages verbatim."  Don't you wish you knew which ones they were?

Steph - you are so lucky to have the Morse Museum in your back yard.  I can just see you when you returned with your new-found knowledge of Tiffany glass.

This has been a wonderful discussion of a wonderful book.  Thanks so much, Annie and Pedln.  You've added so much...

[Steph]

Yes, the Virgin and Child and another religious one are both the draped type and are in the same room outside of the chapel.. The chapel is lovely and they have set the huge chandelier to go up and down the light scale so you can see how much it affects what you see.. Amazing.. This has been a lovely discussion about a book that I really enjoyed. I found another one in my swap club..Am looking forward to reading it.. It is about a painting..

[ANNIE]

Thanks, Steph for letting me know about the Morse collection of Tiffany.  Aren't you the lucky one!  Just go when you feel like it.  There used to be a good restaurant next door to the museum where our group of 24 ate.  Is it still there?

Yes, JoanP, it has been a good book to discuss and I can't wait for her next one.  Thanks to you for all your help and keeping us on topic.  We did get scattered occassionaly, didn't we?     

I,too, have loved the history in this book and all the comments that everyone brought here and the links were spectacular, at times.  I don't think I have a favorite.  And there are still more for us to peruse on the net! 

The reason that I think that window is by Joe Biggs is because if I understand the "Afterword", he was in charge of Tiffany Studios after 1918??  LCT didn't seem to have much to do with it.  And the colors are darker with lots of light showing through which I saw in those links that Pedl'n put up.

Thanks to all of our readers who left such succinct posts, asking all kinds of questions, and just enjoying the book. 

My book has been returned and I am now trying to finish the f2f book for my Senior Center group. Entitled "Born On A Blue Day", its the memoir of  Autistic(Asberger's) savant.  Very interesting when one get past all the math and numbers he played with.  He now has a successful website teaching languages which is another of his talents. 

[pedln]

This has been a great book to discuss, and the discussion has been superb, thanks to everyone who participated.  I think we’ve all learned so much together.  This was my first Vreeland, and the first time I’ve really given any thought to the Tiffanys – father, son, girls.  That has all changed, of course.  Now the top of my bucket list is the Morse Museum, failing that it will be the Metropolitan and there are even a couple of windows someplace in Brooklyn.  And LCT is buried in Greenwood Cemetary.  My girls took me there last fall, but we didn’t get out and explore on foot.  Will have to do that next visit.

I don’t think I’ll ever look at stained glass in the same way again – don’t know if I’ll be as astute as Steph.  That must have been a great experience the other day, seeing everything a second time after learning so much.

The Neustadt collection of lamps (see video listed in heading) is housed at the Queens Art Museum in Queens, NY, but has been travelling – is or was recently in Reading, PA and will be at the Biltmore in Ashville, NC  July 1 to October.

Like many of you, I look forward to reading more of Susan Vreeland’s works.  According to her Facebook page, her next book is about framers and includes four artists – Chagall, Cezanne, Picasso and Pizzaro.

Thank you again, everyone, especially our co-leader, Annie.  It wouldn’t have been a discussion without you.

We’ll leave this site open for a couple of days, in case anyone wants or comment, or leave another link.

[ANNIE]

Well, Pedl'n,
I didn't forget you or did I?  Thanks for all the wonderful comments and questions that you posted here.  Seems like we are all learning history all the time. Co-leading with you and Joan has been a real treat.  Don't forget to read "The Luncheon of the Boating Party".  I know you will enjoy it.  Should we promise ourselves a return visit to NYC in the future and get over to Greenwood Cemetery and Queens and more of Brooklyn?  I didn't know that LCT was buried in Greenwood!  Still learning more about this man and his family and his employees back in the good ole' days!

[Gumtree]

This has been a stunning discussion. The links were simply outstanding as was the knowledgable discussion
I've read a couple of other Vreeland books so was really disappointed to find out that this one won't be released in Aust. until mid-July so I've just been lurking as I wanted to read the discussion 'as it happened'  - Can't wait to get hold of the book and will read it then in a more enlightened frame of mind having learned so much more about the people, places and the art right here.

Thanks to all for your contributions. Special thanks to Pedln and Adoannie - you really know how to do the job.

[ANNIE]

Gumtree,

I know you will enjoy the book.  We have had great fun discussing it with everyone here.  I looked forward every day to coming here to see what questions, posts and links had been left for us.  Thanks for being part of  "Clara and Mr T".