New-York Historical Society to Open Women’s History Center

The directors of the New-York Historical Societydid not have to search hard for evidence that the role of women in history has long been underplayed. Within their own museum examples surfaced: the Tiffany lamps that were thought to have been the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany and his male designers.

Actually, scholars discovered a decade ago that Clara Driscoll, director of the Tiffany Studios’ women’s glass cutting department, and her staff, known as the Tiffany Girls, produced many of the most prized and valuable lamps, including those with insect and flower motifs, like the “Wisteria” and the “Dragonfly.”

“That made us think about the relationship between women and objects in our own collection and, by extension, women more generally,” said Louise Mirrer, the society’s president and chief executive. “We started to think about how we could better display the lamps in the context of this discovery as a permanent feature.”

One result of those deliberations is to be announced on Thursday, when the society unveils plans for a new Center for the Study of Women’s History, which will be devoted to women’s history exhibitions and scholarship. ...