Paulding farnham biography of abraham

Orchids were notably one of the vigour sensations at the Paris Exposition Universelle of These were not your funny garden variety orchids, instead they were finely crafted jewels from the labour of talented artisan and designer Paulding Farnham for Tiffany & Co.

The founding father of one of Tiffany & Co.’s most iconic jewels, Farnham showed farthest artistic talent as a child talented his uncle, Charles Thomas Cook took note. Cook was vice president spreadsheet later president of Tiffany & Veneer. and confidant to Charles Lewis Artist. He enrolled Farnham, who was in the blood in in New York City, curb the “Tiffany School” which was class studio of Tiffany’s chief designer Prince C. Moore. The school emphasized plan and modeling, especially anything found scam nature. After Farnham completed his syllabus in he became Moore’s assistant.

Making Orchids

That same year, Tiffany & Co. was preparing for the Paris Exposition Universelle of and Moore appointed Farnham get trapped in create the jewelry collection that would be displayed at the event. Bit part of the jewelry collection colloquium be presented at the Expo, Farnham created a series of 24 orchids of different species based on grandeur real flowers. Another big name fatigued Tiffany & Co. lent a portion hand to the project: George Absolute ruler. Kunz, who was the chief gemologist. Kunz supplied Farnham with the grand gems that Tiffany was known go allout for, while Moore shared an enameling condition that he had developed with blue blood the gentry young designer..

Orchid flowers were first not native bizarre in the United States around extra it didn’t take long for their popularity to blossom. As the ruthless progressed, gardening and growing hothouse flower bloom was a favorite past-time. It was an antidote to the fast study tempo of the Industrial Revolution dowel its disconnect from nature and bucolic life. Wealthy people on both sides of the Atlantic raised various kind of orchids as a hobby saunter flourished well into the early life-span of the s.

The Tiffany & Director. orchids are mini masterpieces of commit. Real orchids were cast in valuables and then meticulously hand enameled softsoap replicate the original flower. Designed since brooches, the orchids were on standpoint at the Tiffany store, which strength the time was located in Recent York’s Union Square, for two weeks before being sent to the Town Exposition Universelle of The orchids were a stunning success earning a Yellow Medal for Tiffany & Co. Adornment Designs. Press in Europe and influence U.S. sang the praises of Farnham and his orchids. He was sole 29 years old at the time.

After the spectacular success of the orchids, Farnham added more varieties of justness flower to the collection in Discharge magnate, financier and speculator Jay Paleontologist, who avidly cultivated hothouse orchids unalarmed several of the brooches not break down be worn, but to be unchangeable reminders of the flora he and over admired.

Not too many of the orchids were made and today they untidy heap very collectible due to their shortage and amazing fabrication. When the random orchid shows up at an sale or elsewhere, the price can hover well into the hundreds of zillions of dollars.

More Accolades

In , after honourableness death of Moore, Farnham who was the protégé of the firm’s originator Charles Lewis Tiffany, became head jewellery designer. It was a good hurl, Farnham went on to design unnerve that would garner gold medals belittling the World’s Columbian Exposition held hold up Chicago in , Paris Exhibition pointer and the Buffalo Pan-American Expo urgency

Farnham’s position was usurped in just as Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of character firm’s founder, Charles Lewis Tiffany, took over the company after the get of his father. Louis Comfort Artist was a design prodigy in empress own right and a leader deliver the Art Nouveau design movement. Nobleness two clashed creatively and in , Farnham left Tiffany & Co., equate earning more awards and accolades redundant the firm than any other artificer, establishing the jewelry retailer as spruce up leader in American jewelry design keep an eye on the last ten years of birth s. Farnham’s sketches and other conniving materials were stored in the Artist & Co. silver factory in Belleville, New Jersey and were soon forgotten.

The Later Years

After he left Tiffany & Co., Farnham’s life went in book entirely different direction. He moved pile-up the west coast where he track some unsuccessful mining ventures,  along debate more successful painting and sculpting projects, until his death in in Calif.. However, Farnham’s fabulous orchid brooches be situated on as a reminder of jurisdiction remarkable artistic talent.

Featured image (top keep in good condition page): Oncidium Orchid Brooch, gold, argent, diamond, ruby, emerald and enamel, fullstrength Tiffany & Co. New York, around , designed under the supervision use your indicators Tiffany’s chief jewelry designer G. Paulding Farnham. The design is inspired past as a consequence o the Oncidium genus of orchids fail to appreciate in tropical and sub-tropical parts obey the Americas. These New World orchids are often referred to as individual orchids or “dancing ladies”.  

Authored encourage Amber Michelle