Louis Comfort Tiffany, born in New York in 1848, was the first designer to be able to adapt stained glass to the decorative arts. Early stained glass, for example, in medieval cathedrals, is bound together by thick strips of melted lead. This made stained glass too heavy to be able to be used in anything that didn't have strong support, such as stone window casements.

Louis Tiffany's Stained Glass Technique

Louis Tiffany perfected a new technique for his day of joining the colored glass fragments together with copper foil which was then soldered. This meant that stained glass could now be much lighter weight, and be used in designs for the home. Louis Tiffany created stained glass panels, stained glass lamps, and stained glass domestic art.

Tiffany's work revolutionized the stained glass industry. Modern artisans still use his techniques. Stained glass artists now continue to create lampshades, panels, windows, and other unique works of art.

Stained glass art is now available from individual artisans directly from the web. These stained glass objets d'art, such as stained glass lamps, make unique gift ideas. Tiffany's original stained glass lamps are now collectors' items and are tremendously valuable.