See over 100 Tiffany stained glass windows at St. Luke’s Church in Dubuque, Iowa.
Louis Comfort Tiffany was a master of glass. While most stained glass artists of his time painted color onto glass, Tiffany embedded the color directly into the glass itself—a technique that gave his work unmatched depth and brilliance.
By the early 1880s, Tiffany’s reputation was already well established. In 1881, he was commissioned to create stained glass for Mark Twain’s home. Just a year later, President Chester A. Arthur asked Tiffany to decorate several rooms in the White House.
In 1893, Tiffany exhibited his work at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago—the very first world’s fair. Among those in attendance was a group from St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Dubuque, Iowa. At the time, the congregation was in the process of building a new church, and Tiffany’s windows left a lasting impression. Arrangements were soon made to purchase five large stained glass windows for the new sanctuary. Over the years, the church continued acquiring additional works from Tiffany.
Today, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church houses more than 100 Tiffany stained glass windows, making it the fifth-largest collection of Tiffany stained glass in the world.
Visiting St. Luke’s
The church offers open viewing times during most weekdays, along with select dates and times for live, guided tours. Tour details and schedules can be found on their website:
https://www.stlukesdbq.org/tours
📍 Location: 1199 Main Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001
🌐 Website:https://www.stlukesdbq.org
🎥 Video:https://youtu.be/5urYD4FpJ60
During our tour, one of the church members offered to play the organ – and we gladly accepted. The organ is original and was installed when the church opened in 1896. It’s a 3-manual organ with over 1,000 pipes. In 1992, the organ was completely restored. Only four individuals are trained to play the organ, so this was quite a treat for our group!
According to our tour guide, even the bathrooms have Tiffany windows!
How the Windows Were Made
All of Tiffany’s windows were created in New York. Individual sections were shipped to Dubuque by railroad, and Tiffany’s workers traveled to Iowa to install them. Interestingly, Tiffany himself never visited St. Luke’s.
Notable Tiffany Windows
Baptism of Christ (1916)
Depicting Jesus and John the Baptist in the River Jordan.
The Good Shepherd (1896)
One of the original five windows installed and widely considered one of Tiffany’s finest works in glass.
The Angel Among the Lilies (1896)
Funded by the Richardson family in memory of their daughter Harriet, who died at age 18. No photographs or descriptions were sent to Tiffany, yet when the window was installed, the family believed the angel’s face bore a striking resemblance to their daughter.
Job Window (1896)
The largest Tiffany window in the church, located above the rear balcony, depicting the unknown author of the Book of Job.
The Angel of Victory (1896)
Ascension of Christ (1896)
The Angel Among The Lilies (1896) is also one of the first installations when the church was built. The Richardson family provided funds for its creation in honor of their daughter who died at the age of 18. Interesting note: No photographs or descriptions of their daughter were ever sent to Tiffany – but when the window was installed, the family noticed that the angel’s face looks like their deceased 18 yr old daughter Harriet.
All photos by Brian Abeling / Iowa Road Trip
Hi Brian – The Job window is above the balcony, not the choir loft. The choir area is to the right of the altar (if you are looking at the altar) and the window in it is “David Set Singers Before the Lord”, installed in 1931. Tiffany himself died in 1933. Also, we have about 120 windows altogether, including the ones in the clerestory, attic and bell tower. Only nine are picture windows – the rest are patterned glass windows, some with medallions. Everything above the basement – whether it’s a bathroom, office, classroom or kitchenette, has a window with Tiffany glass in it. The exception is one patterned glass Tiffany window in the sanctuary that was replaced by a small modern stained glass picture window in 1969.
In 1879, Louis C. Tiffany formed L.C. Tiffany & Associated Artists, an interior design or “decorative arts” firm – that is what he did Mark Twain’s home and the White House under. He did not form Tiffany Glass and Decorating company until 1892 and then register it as a trademark until 1894. After’s Tiffany’s death in 1933, his former employees created a studio to completed any outstanding commissions, but did not accept any new ones, and closed completely by 1936.
St. Luke’s collections has three signficances: 1) It’s size; 2) it basically spans the entire length of the Tiffany Glass and Decorating company, from the first display at the 1892 “Columbia Exposition” (The exposition opened in October 1892, ie “Columbus Day”, but spanned into 1893 so it became known as the “1893 World’s Fair”); and 3) because our windows span almost the entire lifetime of the Tiffany Glass and Decorating company, we have all the different stamps / trademarks used by the company on various windows from the various times they were installed. Best, RRS Stewart, Historian, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.