Duffle Bag — Inspired by Louis C. Tiffany (1848–1933) and a French Teacup and Saucer — Gold Lions on Cream

Classics Collection-Inspired by Louis C. Tiffany (1848-1933), National Academician

The Classics Collection reimagines American Tapestry’s signature emblem—originally inspired by a rare Louis C. Tiffany Furnaces, Inc. lion-crested lamp—through classic American styling. The emblem draws from the rampant lions found on the more than 100-year-old Tiffany Furnaces lamp now held in the Mayflower Descendants Museum, founded by our founder and creative director, Cherie Behrens. More than a century later, the lamp still literally lights up a room. The bag’s pattern and overall design were also inspired by a circa-1920 French porcelain teacup and saucer retailed by Richard Briggs of Boston.

Swipe to see photographs of the historic lamp, including a close-up of its rampant lions, along with the 19th century French teacup and saucer.

Meet the New American Art Museum Bringing History into Public View Through Art and Artifacts

The Mayflower Descendants Museum is an American art museum whose holdings bring together a wide range of artists and stories—from talented and emerging artists, some of whom may not yet have been represented in museum collections, to artists whose work was overlooked or little known during their lifetimes, to artists represented in some of the world’s most significant institutional and royal collections.

In the latter category, artists represented in the Museum’s collection can also be found in institutions including the Louvre in Paris; the British Royal Collection; the Victoria and Albert Museum; the Royal Shakespeare Theatre Picture Gallery in Stratford-upon-Avon; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Smithsonian; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among others.

The Museum’s holdings also include works that have never before been on public view, created by both American and international artists whose art, objects, and stories intersect with the broader American story connected to Mayflower descendants—a diverse global population estimated to number more than 35 million.

Louis C. Tiffany (1848-1933), National Academician

Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933) was one of the most influential American artists and designers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He began his career as a painter and was elected an Associate National Academician in 1871 and a full National Academician in 1880. His reputation soon expanded far beyond painting as he became internationally known for stained glass, interiors, lighting, metalwork, enamels, pottery, jewelry, mosaics, and decorative glass.

Tiffany was an artist, artistic director, innovator, and entrepreneur who oversaw a complex network of workshops and companies devoted to bringing art into the American interior. He was also skilled at recognizing extraordinary artistic talent—some of those artists are represented in the Museum—and employing artists and craftspeople across his various enterprises. His companies produced everything from individual lamps and decorative objects to complete interior commissions, with Tiffany serving as the central artistic force behind their production.

His achievements were recognized internationally. At the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, Tiffany exhibited lamps, enamels, mosaics, art glass, and windows and was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’honneur by the French government, one of France’s most distinguished honors.

The historic lamp that inspired the American Tapestry emblem features an unusual enameled wire-mesh shade decorated with grapevines, fruit, foliage, and butterflies, while its openwork metal base incorporates two heraldic lions facing one another. The lamp also incorporates Favrile glass, the iridescent art glass closely associated with Tiffany’s furnaces and artistic production. It brings together Tiffany’s recurring interest in nature with the elaborate metalwork, glassmaking, and craftsmanship associated with his later decorative work.

A Rare Tiffany Furnaces Butterfly Lamp

Tiffany’s work is preserved in major museum collections throughout the United States, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. These collections include many of the celebrated Tiffany Studios leaded-glass lamps associated with motifs such as the Dragonfly.

By contrast, the lamp preserved by the Mayflower Descendants Museum represents a far rarer type of Tiffany production: a distinctive hybrid design combining enameled wire mesh, decorative metalwork, Favrile glass, and an unusual lion-form base. 

Based on research conducted by our founder, this particular lamp has surfaced only once in a museum context during the course of that research, possibly as part of a temporary exhibition or loan. The scarcity of publicly documented examples further underscores the unusual nature of this Tiffany Furnaces design.

French Porcelain for Boston’s Elite

Richard Briggs & Co. was one of Boston’s leading luxury retailers of fine china and glass during the Gilded Age. The firm did not manufacture porcelain itself; instead, it imported and retailed high-quality wares from European makers, including French porcelain selected for its Boston clientele. Historic sources describe Briggs as catering to some of Boston’s most prominent and established families, and surviving porcelain services marked for Richard Briggs confirm the firm’s role as a retailer of imported French wares.

About American Tapestry
American Tapestry, founded by Cherie Behrens, is a heritage-driven lifestyle house inspired by historic art and artifacts connected to the American story—often more than a century old—translated into handbags, travel accessories, home décor, jewelry, glassware, games, furniture, textiles, and more. Every design is created by Cherie Behrens and draws inspiration exclusively from works and objects held by the Mayflower Descendants Museum, which she also founded. 

American Tapestry follows the unexpected threads that connect the Museum’s holdings to American art, artifacts, literature, and cultural history. Not every work that inspires a collection was created by an American artist; some enter the American story through research that reveals their ties to American people, objects, and narratives.

To discover the threads behind each collection, visit the Museum at www.mayflowerdescendantsmuseum.org

Through these holdings, we trace the stitches of America’s past—uncovering connections among people, places, objects, art, literature, and history that together reveal an interwoven American tapestry.

Our mission is simple: to bring historic art, design, artifacts, and the stories that intersect with them forward into the present and into everyday life—bringing often‑invisible history into view.

Connect with American Tapestry

Website: www.thehouseofamericantapestry.com
Instagram: @americantapestryofficial
Facebook: American Tapestry
YouTube: @thehouseofamericantapestry
TikTok: @americantapestry
X: @americantapestr

Connect with the Mayflower Descendants Museum
Website: www.mayflowerdescendantsmuseum.org
Instagram: @mayflowerdescendantsmuseum
Facebook: Mayflower Descendants Museum
YouTube: @mayflowerdescendantsmuseum
TikTok: @mayflowermuseum
X: @MayflowerMuseum

Product features
- Durable high-grade nylon exterior — lightweight and long-lasting
- Fully waterproof construction to protect contents
- Spacious interior with one extra open pocket for organization
- Brown PU leather top handles and adjustable shoulder strap for comfortable carry
- All-over vibrant print with gold-colored zipper and polyester lining

Care instructions
- Do not dry clean
- Do not expose to the sun, keep in a dry place
- Before cleaning the bag, remove all the items from the bag. Suggested to pretreat visible stains with stain remover. Mix warm water with laundry detergent and clean the bag with terry washcloth or soft bristle brush. Let the bag air dry.