Art Nouveau was a design style of late 19th century origin characterized especially by sinuous lines and foliate forms
With the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700’s creative handcrafting began to fall by the wayside. Machines were  replacing Man. Finding this event tiresome and boring the Artists of this period began seeking ways to put life back into this revolutionized world. Thus was born “Art Nouveau” or for the more English speaking audience “New Born Art”. The basic design form for this period was the use of curved lines, much like those found in nature.
In America the Art Nouveau era ran from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s and most often associated with Louis Comfort Tiffany and his beautiful and extravagant glass works or the “Gibson Girl” with her starched yet fashionable appearance.