American Art Collaborative

Farnham served as the chief designer and director of the jewelry division of Tiffany & Co. from 1893 until 1907 when he was replaced by Louis Comfort Tiffany. He frequently drew his designs from flowers and plants. This sketch is a working drawing for one of Tiffany's most famous creations, the Iris Corsage Ornament that won the firm a gold medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900 (WAM 57.939). Farnham collaborated with Tiffany's gemologist George Frederick Kunz (1856-1912) in using American stones, in this instance mostly Montana sapphires, for his exhibition pieces.