Vintage lamps/light fixtures

[tonyb]

Just ask anyone working in any visual medium: lighting has a HUGE effect on the look of any scene, any piece of art, anything we gaze upon. Among the first tips any decorator deserving of the title will impart is to have multiple light sources — high, low, and in between.

I’ve acquired several vintage lamps over the decades, some of which I share below. I didn’t pay much for any of them.

 

[tonyb]

 

[tonyb]

 

[tonyb]

 

[tonyb]

 

[dh66]

Alright..... I'm in. I have a thing for vintage lamps. Clocks, too. Got way more than I need, but can always find room for more.

That's an enviable selection you've shown so far. I especially admire the first and last ones. I hope more are coming.

Here's some of mine. I've had some trouble withthe my camera, so these arethe imagesof taken from my instagram page. I'll try to put up more later on as the technology permits.

 

[dh66]

I'll let that last one segue into some of my collection of t.v. lamps....

Talk about archaic technology.....nowadays have we not only dispelled the notion that watching television in the dark is bad for your eyes, we can't even buy a t.v. that you can put a lamp on.

 

[dh66]

Some of you might not be ready to admit this, but the 70s are definitely vintage.

 

[tonyb]

Vintage fiberglass shades are getting hard to find.

If I had to choose my fave, it would be this ’50s(?)-vintage swingarm lamp. I bought it in the closing minutes of a vintage fair a few years ago, for 45 bucks, if memory serves. It’s in nearly perfect condition. I was pleasantly surprised that it hadn’t sold before I made my offer (it was marked at $60, I think).

 

[tonyb]

 

[tonyb]

This one a friend gave to me maybe 10 years ago. She found it at the curb near her house, with a bunch of other stuff awaiting the garbage truck. The shade material had separated from the metal rings. I glued it back together and the repair has held ever since.

 

[tonyb]

Alright..... I'm in. I have a thing for vintage lamps. Clocks, too. Got way more than I need, but can always find room for more.
…

I, too, have a weakness for old clocks, even the ones that don’t work. Got several. I just put ’em on a shelf or mantel or anywhere they won’t be in the way. They don’t take up much space.

Vintage clocks are deserving of their own thread.

 

[tonyb]

This brass base a friend found at the dumpster at his condo building. He thought I might want it. The shade I had made by a guy I found online. I have no complaints about his work, but if I had it to do again I wouldn’t. The material just isn’t the same as the true vintage stuff. And the colors I chose are brighter than I thought they’d be.

 

[tonyb]

I bought this lamp for five bucks at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Shelton, Wash. at least 10 years ago. And then I paid something like 50 bucks for the shade, at a lighting specialty store, which I hesitated to do at the time, but I’ve been happy with it since.

It certainly isn’t “Golden Era.” I’m guessing it (the base) dates from the 1980s. I’d call it “Memphis school,” a sort of post-modern style. But it strongly echoes Art Deco.

 

[tonyb]

View attachment 378040

Leave this lamp on for a few hours and the old Westclox “Spur” alarm clock on the shelf next to it will actually remember that it glows in the dark! (For a matter of seconds.)

 

[Bugguy]

This is definitely over kill, so I'll keep the collection to thumbnails... We're big fans of vintage light fixtures and other than when absolutely necessary, will always look for older fixtures. Unless our guests are of our ilk (FL), they tend to not appreciate their style, workmanship, and value.

Side note: Thanks to a former US administration, it's becoming impossible to find normal incandescent bulbs. LED, halogen and CF just don't cut it.

The second lamp is actually a repurposed street lamp from El Paso, TX. I rewired it, added a 300W bulb, inverted it, and suspended it 17' over our entrance. When its lit, you can see it from the ISS!

 

[Bugguy]

... and a few more:

 

[tonyb]

... and a few more:
…
View attachment 389273 View attachment 389274 View attachment 389275

That last one looks to be an M.G. Wheeler SightLight, a Leroy Doane design.

I might be wrong. There’s nothing new about industrial designs “inspired” by others.

 

[tonyb]

... and a few more:

…

By the way, I’d love to see your place. You’ve obviously put much thought into it.

When was it built? How long have you been living there?

 

[Bugguy]

By the way, I’d love to see your place. You’ve obviously put much thought into it.

When was it built? How long have you been living there?

My current house is not old - ~35 years. We've only been in Nashville for about 6 tears. I bought most of the fixtures for my Cincinnati house, Cotswold Tudor style, that was pushing 100 years. I couldn't stand to let them go to someone that wouldn't appreciate them. I'll dig out a couple of pics of each and post them.