The story of the resplendent Parakeets stained glass window--from national and international recognition to years of obscurity, followed by a return to the limelight--parallels the public reception of the art of its maker, Louis Comfort Tiffany, who had one of the most recognized names in American art at the turn of the 20th century. It is a story of artistic ambition and experimentation, of nationalist pride and promotion, and of the capricious nature of public opinion and the art market.
This careful study of the creation, imagery and life of the window offers an intimate look into the legacy of Tiffany, as well as the 19th-century revival of the lesser-known medium of stained glass, which some claim was the United States' first major contribution to the international art world.