Heritage Home Series – Historic Lighting

We take electricity so much for granted today that it’s hard to believe that only eighty years ago electricity was most common in the homes of our cities’ wealthier citizens. In Canada, especially in the west, electricity reached some rural areas as late as the 1930’s and 1940”s! In order to understand lighting, a short history of three main light fuels and their fixtures is in order.

Although oil had been used as a lighting fuel source for quite some time, by the 1890’s it was considered at its most reliable. A fuel that burned clean, and was nearly odorless had been perfected. It had drawbacks however. Oil lamps had to be watched. Each lamp had a fuel reservoir and a chimney to protect the flame, but if accidentally tipped over constituted a serious fire hazard..

Lamp designers also felt very constricted by the physical requirements of the fixture although that is hard to believe when one opens almost any book on these types of lamps! Decorative accents were created by the variety of materials that were used - glass, metal, porcelain. Hand - painted globes were often saved for the “best” rooms, such as the parlor. Custom painted globes were promoted as the perfect wedding gift. Even the Hudson’s Bay Company employed a “painter” to provide this service at the turn of the century. Today oil lamps are very collectible in their own right and are becoming more expensive all the time. It is interesting to see how, even in this age of electricity at the flick of a switch, consumers flocked to buy this type of lamp when confronted with possible Y2K problems. Reproductions of old oil lamps are easily available today in all price ranges.

As a form of combustion fuel, gas was really only introduced in the early 1800’s. Before that, it was considered prohibitively expensive to create the infrastructure that was required to make this fuel a good choice for lighting. This required investors and the gas industry suffered setbacks due to widely publicized investment frauds. Gas, however, could not be ignored forever. It was clean, easy to use and it had low maintenance needs ( as opposed to the constant filling and wick trimming that was required of oil lamps). Its higher cost to the consumer was offset by the fact that a portion of the charge could be attributed to heating, since heat was a byproduct of burning gas.

Technological advances allowed gas lights to coexist with electric lights for approximately thirty years – often in the same light fixture! Gas was reliable, and electricity was experiencing “teething problems”, so when one did not work, these combination fixtures addressed the problem by making available an alternative source of light. These light fixtures are easy to recognize. They sport several arms – some for gas and separate ones for electrical wiring. Since the mantle of the gas lamp required vertical positioning to burn, the larger globes and outlet face upwards. Electricity had no such constraints, therefor the arms, smaller globes and outlets may face downwards. These light fixtures were available as late as the 1920’s. Most of the strictly gas light fixtures you see today have been wired for electricity.

Thomas Edison, as we know, is generally considered to be the father of the light bulb, but he was by no means the only scientist working on this new form of energy. Many individuals attempted to make electricity a more reliable source of lighting, and by the turn of the century, it was here to stay.

At first the light bulb was such a novelty that it was simply suspended from the ceiling in the enter of a room, naked in a style referred to as “pendant”. The harsh glare that came from this light needed subduing, and this caused all manner of decorative globes to be created. Designers had a heyday. Most of the designs created were based on the prevailing styles of the day.

Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts
No other feature of interior design is as fundamental to a room as lighting. Between approximately 1890 and the beginning of WW1, the concept of integrated design was strongly adhered to. Designers and architects not only created the building but its hardware, interior decorative elements and even its light fixtures. Famous sculptors of the day, such as Raoul Larch incorporated flora and fauna in their cast iron creations. Glass designers such as Tiffany , Galle , Quezal, Steuben and Daum freres, created fantastic botanical and entomological motifs in glass and metal. Arts and Crafts designers such as Morris and Stickley influenced light designs through their favored use of natural wood, simple boxy or gothic / medieval inspired shapes, slag glass, and hammered metal.

Art Deco
For the decorative arts, WW1 acted as a divide between the old and the new. By 1920, the sinuous curved shapes of the previous era, and the heavy arts and crafts look had lost much of its favor. Modernism represented the antithesis of the over embellished designs, where ornamentation overtook function. Now glass was etched, frosted, and sculpted into shapes that resembled sunbursts, crescents and zigzags. The use of woman as a subject in Art Nouveau lighting, where she is seen as a reclining, passive creature was replaced by the women of the ‘20’s – athletic, sporty, and always in action. This era eventually saw the decorative element of lighting gave way to the “science” of lighting, and many styles were created to further this concept.

As always, consider the socioeconomic situation of your home’s first owners. The age of your home will also dictate the suitability of certain fixtures. Homes from 1890 to approximately 1919 – the end of WW1 may use electric lights and / or gas light fixtures inspired by the Art Nouveau and the Arts and Crafts era.

The “Electrolier Fan”, a combination of electric light and fan was advertised as early as 1894. It would be appropriate in a bedroom where the cooling effects of the fan could be enjoyed in private. If you have a staircase, a “femme- fleur” lamp would give a distinctive period feeling. This was a cast iron newel post lamp of a woman with sinuous reeds and flowers . The light bulbs were housed in the heads of the flowers. Simple “pendant” styles are most appropriate to kitchens, hallways and pantries etc. Attractive etched and frosted shades make these a good choice. Fancy “gasoliers” with crystal pendants and hand-painted shades were seen in the “public’ rooms – the dining room and parlor. “Pan“ chandeliers work well for more modest homes. Tiffany style and mission table lamps added ambience and provided task lighting. After 1920, a more modernistic approach is favored. Many of the light fixtures of this era use indirect lighting, or reflective lighting

Do not overload your period fixtures with too much wattage. Use ambient light sources to supplement the lighting requirements in your room. This is important for two reasons:
- It is not historically correct to put a 60 0r 75 watt bulb in a fixture that originally only had 15 watt bulbs. As late as the 1920’s, it was believed that no room required more than one light fixture with a maximum of 15 – 40 watts! To keep it authentic, add a dimmer for versatility.
- Depending on the design, even with new wiring, a period light fixture may not be able to handle the extra heat from higher watt light bulbs. This could ruin your light at best, or cause a fire at worst.

Be careful of electrical requirements when buying reconditioned old lamps or reproduction light fixtures, especially from the USA. Canadian electricity has different requirements than that of our American neighbors, so it is not enough that a lamp be UL listed. It is possible that your insurance company could refuse to pay for damages in the event of a fire.

The distance between the floor and the bottom of a light fixture was much lower in the past than it is today The rule of thumb starts with 80” for an open room to 65” in a smaller confined room such as a dining room. (Remember, light fixtures needed to be easily accessed for refilling, and wick trimming.) It is easier to shorten a too low fixture than try to lengthen it.

- You can electrify old oil lamps without damaging the existing parts and rendering them useless as a collectible . Use these lights to create ambience.

- Do research on different types of fixtures so that you are aware of the style and appropriateness of a lamp when you see one. Learn how to recognize a lamp that has been “married” from more than one fixture. Buy it when you see it. Authentic light fixtures are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Early light fixtures are just as much a part of the historical fabric of your home as is the architecture. They are cultural artifacts in their own right and deserve to be preserved for the homeowner of the future!

Written by Johanne Yakula

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