Inspiring Design: The Book Collection of Tiffany & Co.'s Edward C. Moore

Interconnected World

Moore was intimately involved in the interconnected world of collectors on the vanguard of scholarship in his time. He travelled to Europe regularly throughout his adult life, where he visited numerous exhibitions both in museums such as South Kensington (later to become the Victoria & Albert Museum) and privately held collections. He also attended the important World Expositions in London, Vienna, and Paris, as well as New York and Philadelphia. These exposures to art and manufacturing in Europe and from around the world provided inspiration for his own collecting and design work.

An early member of the Grolier Club in New York, he was a bibliophile with an interest in artistic books and book bindings. While most volumes in his collection have been rebound so that they can safely be shared with patrons of Watson Library, in this display case are several books of limited edition with original bindings for which he would have had great appreciation.

Educating Designers

In his quest for knowledge and inspiration, Edward C. Moore sought out examples of interesting design, decoration, and form in all media from diverse cultures and periods of time. He surrounded himself and his staff with objects and books that facilitated the study of beauty and good design. His desire to educate himself and his workers led him to assemble a vast and eclectic book collection that ranged from accounts of archaeological sites throughout the known world to the history of architecture and both ancient and contemporary ceramics of many cultures. Moore traveled to Europe frequently to attend international exhibitions and view private collections. In addition to his passion for collecting and quest for design inspiration, he had an interest in understanding the processes by which things are made so that he could educate himself but also transform the methods employed to create Tiffany Silver.