Cartoon and Filigree for a 20-Inch 'Poppy' Shade, circa 1910

Louis Comfort Tiffany came across the young John Dikeman in 1889 as he was stepping out of his limousine at the Tiffany Glass factory in Corona, Queens. He offered the boy a job on the factory floor carrying out menial tasks such as sweeping glass shards. Dikeman’s family later recalled that he had walked from Manhattan to the Queens plant in search of employment, but was initially turned away because of his young age. Dikeman began work for Tiffany that year, at the age of nine, and remained there until the firm's closure in 1932, by which time he was foreman of the Lamp Shop.
Louis Comfort Tiffany entrusted his lamp-making process to a select group of employees, an elite cohort which came to include Dikeman. When Tiffany Studios closed their doors, John Dikeman retained some of the lamp shop’s equipment, which he used for the restorations and special commissions he undertook at his Flushing residence near the site of his life-long employer. A selection of this paraphernalia, including lamp molds, patterns, glass samples, and lamp making tools, is offered in lot 407 in this sale.
Included among the items Dikeman reserved was an original watercolor cartoon illustrating the design for a 20-inch ‘Poppy’ lampshade, as well as several bronze filigree sections that were placed as overlays on the leaves and blossom centers (the present lot). The lot is additionally accompanied by an uncolored, numbered outline drawing that was used as a pattern for cutting glass pieces. This component material discloses the skill and intense labor that went into crafting each Tiffany Studios work, and brings to life the rich history of the esteemed glass workshop and those who worked there.