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LIGHTING OUTFITS: 1920-1930,   page 4

 

Celluloid figural lamps made their appearance in the late 1920s, in an effort to offer a figural lamp that held paint better than glass. They were not an effective product, however, as celluloid is highly flammable and is very sensitive to high temperatures. During use, the lamps soon distorted from the heat of the light bulb within them, and as the celluloid dried out it became extremely brittle and delicate. These lamps are hard to find today, due to their extremely low survival rate. Those that did make it through the years were most likely never used as lights. Below are a few examples, circa 1925. The lamp base protrudes from the back of the Kewpie and Girl with Dog figures. 

 

Offered by Peerless, this is an unusual set containing intermediate base round GE Mazda lamps. Originally sold as outside painted bulbs in 1927, the lights were not popular as Christmas lamps and by 1928 the more appealing flame or swirled shaped bulbs had replaced them. In an attempt to re-introduce the cheaper to manufacture round bulbs to Christmas decorators, GE offered an improved version of the lamp with inside coloring to last longer as in the outfit above. But, just as before, people preferred the more traditional cone shaped flame bulbs, and  the rounds were no longer marketed as Christmas lighting by 1930. 

 

Metal Tree top stars were first introduced in the early part of this decade by the Propp Company. Consisting of a five pointed star and three candle lights to make a string of 8 lights, the set was a popular seller and continued to be offered by NOMA after their merger with Propp. Starting in 1928, NOMA also offered a "pigtail" version of the topper which is pictured below, designed to screw into an existing string of lights as a substitute for a single bulb. These stars continued to be sold well into the 1930s. Paul Boehland and Company sold the unusual tree topper on the right, called the Fairy Crown Christmas Tree Tip, beginning in 1927. It was patented in 1928 and assigned number 1,690,397. The purchaser supplied their own lighting outfit of eight sockets, which were then placed into the socket holders surrounding the device. When new, the metal star had much more metallic glitter on it.

 

Very hard to find today in its original box, this eight light star outfit is from NOMA, and is circa 1929. This is the same star pictured in the box directly above, but has an additional three lights to help decorate the very top of the tree. Propp's version of this eight light set came with three candles for the treetop.

 

The light set Sunburst Disassembled Sunburst Reassembled Pine Cone Santa 20s Style Flapper Girl

A product of NOMA, these very large lamps are called Dresden Fancy Lamps, and were an attempt to introduce a figural light with a replaceable light source. The large painted glass envelopes were imported from Germany, and the lamps were assembled in the United States. They were first distributed in 1929. These units had several distinct disadvantages that made them almost unusable. First, their weight made it hard to decorate, as they would not remain upright. Secondly, the parts that held the actual light socket were made of dissimilar metals, causing them to corrode and fuse together, making lamp replacement impossible after a year or two. A third disadvantage was that the paint flaked off horribly, as shown in these pictures. These issues, plus the fact that they were a high priced product offered for sale at the height of the Depression, led to their discontinuance in 1933.

UPDATE: Bruce Feddema, a friend and fellow collector, has reported that he recently added a Pine Cone Santa to his collection, similar to the one pictured above. The major difference is that on his example, the metal components are all made of brass. His parts were fused together as well, and when Bruce applied a small amount of penetrating oil to begin to separate the pieces, a clear liquid began to ooze out from where the pieces were joined. Bruce is certain that this liquid is old lacquer, used to keep the brass parts from tarnishing. He speculates that the heat from the light bulb inside the Dresden light caused the lacquer to melt, and as the light went through repeated cycles of heat and cold, the lacquer eventually got so thick and heavy that it fused the parts together.

It seems logical to assume that the manufacturers of the metal parts realized that the dissimilar metals they were using were causing problems, and at some point switched to an all-brass construction. However, the lacquer they used to keep the metal from tarnishing eventually caused the same fusing problem they were trying to avoid! My thanks to Bruce for this most interesting information.

 

 

uic2.JPG (42836 bytes)

End view, showing construction of the socket. Note the use of the words "Ever Ready"- This was not a trade mark, just a description.

The inside view, showing the 10 sockets, as well as the top of the box. The lamp sockets are the standard C-9 size.

The side view- Notice the interesting use of the word "Streamers" referring to the light cord!

Here is an interesting "Make your own Christmas Light Set" from the late 20's. A product of Union Insulating Co. Of West Virginia, UIC made many different Christmas items during this period, including window candles. UIC is still in business today, making electrical conduit fittings and supplies.

The set features Bakelite sockets which one would unscrew the bottom cap and place the wires in the groove and spin the cap back on. Notice the mention on the box of "streamers" to describe lighting sets. This set is from the collection of Chris Cuff.
  

 

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


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