The most obvious, and delightful, use of glass is in the field of lighting. Glass provides a relatively safe receptacle for the source of the light, and the perfect way of disseminating or directing the light where needed.
A glass reservoir for an oil lamp contains the fuel and provides a way to see how much is left at a glance. Some care must be taken to ensure the lamp is not knocked over, starting a house fire, a concern with the ornamental oil lamps still in use today.
- Today’s oil lamps are purely for decoration and can be quite unusual in shape.
To provide a safer reservoir for the oil or kerosene, the metal lantern was used when light needed to be carried or used in highly flammable settings, like stables. The chimney of a lantern provides a draft-free location for the oil to burn, and the key adjusted the amount of fuel burnt and amount of light generated.
This type of lantern provided the safest possible light before electricity was available, but required daily cleaning of the chimney.
When natural gas became common in households to provide light, it was usually piped through the walls to a sconce with one or more outlet. These gas flames were provided with a shade to protect the flames from blowing out and to keep the light burning steadily. The shade also provided some protection to the eyes of the residents from the glare of the gas jets.
- The wall sconce became popular when light was provided by burning natural gas.
With electricity, the light source became a light bulb that comes in a number of strengths, measured in watts. Higher watt bulbs produce a bright light that requires a shade. The shade can direct the light on a work surface or just into the room in general. The lamp and shade also become part of the decor of the room.
The stained glass Tiffany style shade provides color whether the lamp is on or not.
In some cases the electric bulb is shaped light the candles they have replaced, giving the modern chandelier the look of the old while providing the safety of the new. The crystals originally hung to multiply the candle light are retained for aesthetic purposes.
Originally lit by candles, then gas, now electric chandeliers provide light and elegance to formal gathering rooms.
Collecting lighting fixtures provides a wide range of possibilities. Not only are there the antiques of the past, in oil lamps and lanterns, but also the lighting fixtures converted from oil or gas to electricity. To convert an oil lamp to electricity, the gas mantle which used to sit on the oil reservoir holding the wick was replaced by a similarly shaped metal fitting that held the light bulb, and the electric cord ran from the metal fitting outside the lamp to the power outlet. Boudoir lamps retrofitted that way are relatively easy to find and provide auxiliary light as well as a touch of elegance to a room. And many generations of electric lights and lamps, some with very short periods of popularity, are available for collecting. Remember the lava lamp? Or the electrostatic generator lamp? Whether of the first generation, or manufactured today, there are lots of possibilities for collecting in lighting fixtures and your collection can be used as well.
The images on this post are from Stock Xchnge.
* * * Click this link for information on modern chandelier lighting. * * *
* * * Go to this site for more information about the Tiffany lamp styles available today. * * *
* * * See information about Flush Mount Ceiling Lights. * * *
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Uplighting is less common, often used to bounce indirect light off the ceiling and back down. It is commonly used in lighting applications that require minimal glare and uniform general illuminance levels. Uplighting (indirect) uses a diffuse surface to reflect light in a space and can minimize disabling glare on computer displays and other dark glossy surfaces. It gives a more uniform presentation of the light output in operation. However indirect lighting is completely reliant upon the reflectance value of the surface. While indirect lighting can create a diffused and shadow free light effect it can be regarded as an uneconomical lighting principal.