Louis comfort Tiffany, son to the founder of New York jewelry firm Tiffany & Co., was trained in Paris

and New York as a painter.   Following that, he became interested in interior design and learned the art of

glass manufacturing.   In 1892, rather than follow his family before him and posses control of Tiffany & Co.,

he decided to forge out his own business venture which would come to be known as the Tiffany Glass &

Decorating Company.   He believed the average American to be unsophisticated and so he decided to bring

taste and elegance to those he thought lacked it.   At the turn of the century, in addition to it's glassware

products, lines were introduced that included bronze enamel and ceramic products.   The company,

now known as Tiffany Studios achieved it's pinnacle between 1902 & 1919.   During that time, many

of the company's 200 salaried artists and artisans were producing an average product which would

have sold for approx.  $400 dollars, or roughly a teachers yearly wage.  Prior top 1902, Tiffany's blown glass

was sold with a paper identifying it as a tiffany original.  Pride of his work prompted Louis Comfort to have his

company's logo marked on not only the glass shades but the bases as well.   Some of these logos were to include

 "Tiffany", "Louis C. Comfort" or "LCT".   An exception to this were the residential stained glass windows.   They

 were never signed and consequently would need proper documentation to prove authenticity.  

     As a special note, not all pieces left the factory with a signature or stamp and the logo

 was not especially difficult to forge.    Because of the important contributions to the

development of American design, an original Louis Comfort tiffany product is highly

 prized by collectors worldwide