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← JournalGuide · 1880s–1920sVictorian, Tiffany and Arts and Crafts lampsElectric light reached homes in these decades, and lamp design went in several directions at once: ornate Victorian parlor lamps, practical desk lamps, Tiffany’s leaded glass and the plain, handmade look of the Arts and Crafts movement.Quondam Redux · Guide by periodIn this guideVictorian parlor lampsThe banker’s lampTiffany and Art NouveauArts and Crafts and MissionWhat we look forView photographArt Nouveau silver-overlay perfume bottle by Alvin Silversmiths · Sold · From our archive.Victorian parlor lamps.Victorian homes favored heavy, decorated lamps: cast brass or iron bases, painted or molded glass, and fabric shades trimmed with fringe or beads. Silk shades with fringe stayed popular into the 1920s.Many late oil lamps were converted to electricity, including the tall parlor lamps with painted glass globes now often called “Gone with the Wind” lamps. The name came from the 1939 film, long after the lamps were made.The same taste ran through the rest of the house. In America, the Eastlake style, named after Charles Eastlake’s 1868 book Hints on Household Taste, favored walnut with incised and ebonized trim, like the pair of frames below.View photographEastlake-style walnut and gilt frames, a pair · Sold · From our archive.The banker’s lamp.In 1909 Harrison D. McFaddin patented a desk lamp with a green glass shade, sold under the name Emeralite. The shade is cased: green glass outside, white inside, so the light falls evenly across the desk. It was marketed as easier on the eyes.The design was copied so widely that “banker’s lamp” became its common name. Most examples seen today are later versions rather than early Emeralites.Tiffany and Art Nouveau.Tiffany Studios in New York made leaded glass lamps from the 1890s into the 1920s. Small pieces of colored glass were edged in copper foil and soldered together into shades shaped like flowers, dragonflies and wisteria. Many of the best-known designs are now credited to Clara Driscoll, who led the studio’s women’s glass-cutting department.In France, Art Nouveau glassmakers such as Émile Gallé and Daum, both in Nancy, made lamps in cameo glass: layers of colored glass carved or etched back to show plants and landscapes.The style reached every material. The Alvin perfume bottle at the top of this guide is wrapped in scrolling silver flowers, and an Austrian pewter platter in our archive is cast with blackberries and leaves.View photographBlackberries and leaves on an Austrian Art Nouveau pewter platter, marked 95% Zinn · Sold · From our archive.Arts and Crafts and Mission.The Arts and Crafts movement preferred simple forms and visible handwork. In America, Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman furniture gave the style its “Mission” look, and lamps followed: straight-lined oak, hammered copper and shades of mica or slag glass.Dirk van Erp’s workshop in San Francisco made hammered copper lamps with mica shades that are among the most collected of the period. Slag glass lamps, with panels of opaque, marbled glass set in metal frames, were made by firms such as Bradley & Hubbard.A hammered surface was part of the appeal, because it showed the work of the hand. The small Italian copper vase below, probably from the late nineteenth century, has the same hammered finish.View photographHand-hammered copper vase, Italy, probably late 19th century · In our shop now.What we look for.ReproductionsBanker’s lamps, Tiffany-style shades and slag glass lamps have been reproduced in large numbers since the 1970s. Weight, wear, construction and maker’s marks help separate them.SignaturesTiffany Studios stamped its bases and often its shades, but forged marks are common. A signature alone proves very little.Shade conditionCracked or replaced glass panels, split mica and worn silk are common. We describe each one.Early wiringLamps of this age often still have cloth cords and early sockets. We replace them before a lamp is sold.

From this periodIn our archive.Looking for something like these? We can search for a piece from this period.Gothic revival brass altar candlesticksc. 1890s · BrassSold · ArchiveSource something like this →: Gothic revival brass altar candlesticksRequest sourcing →Explore the Archive →

More guidesKeep reading.Guide · 1780s–1890sLighting before electricityFor most of the nineteenth century, light came from a flame you tended and often carried. The candlesticks and lamps made for it were built to be looked at as much as lit.Guide · 1920s–1940sBauhaus, Art Deco and the first task lampsBetween the wars, designers rethought the lamp from the bulb outward. Some stripped it down to glass and metal, some made it glamorous, and some engineered it to put light exactly where it was needed.Guide · 1940s–1960sPost-war American lampsAfter the Second World War, Americans bought table lamps the way they bought furniture. Many were assembled from parts made in different countries, and knowing where each part came from tells you a lot about a lamp.

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