Tiffany would gain fame through his design work, but his first ambition was to be a painter. As a young man, Tiffany traveled to Europe twice, visiting England, Ireland, France, Italy, and Sicily, sketching what he saw. During his second trip to Europe, he met Orientalist painter Léon-Adolphe-Auguste Belly and through this friendship was exposed to exotic Eastern cultures. He was deeply impressed by what he saw and in 1870, he and fellow artist Swain Gifford traveled to Egypt and North Africa, observing and rendering what they came across. Tiffany would continue to be influenced by what he copied on his artistic travels and used much of what he saw in his later design work.

Drawings & paintings introduction: 1, 2 , 3