|
Fancy
Decorated Oil Lamps
The "Umbrella
Lamp
Pattern: "Relief Embossed Rose" |
 |
This 19-inch tall lamp
was described as
a "gorgeously decorated, high art parlor
lamp in a Lee Manufacturing Co. Premium
House catalog. It was a "Special Extra"
Premium" prize for selling $10 worth of
Lee merchandise. Unfortunately, no date
was given anywhere on the catalog. In the
same premium catalog were shown some
few pieces of iridescent ware (Carnival).
[We place this catalog around 1911]
In the same catalog, a "Last Supper" tray
is shown selling for 35 cents each.
We know this pattern today as an all-over-
decorated relief embossed poppy pattern.
Of course the source manufacturer only
had a number designating it no doubt. |
 |
|
This
drawing identifying the correct names of parts of an oil lamp was taken from "Oil Lamps" by
Catherine M. V. Thuro. Collector Books 1976 |
Goofus decorated oil lamps always seem to bring a
premium at auction, as well they deserve, if found with their original, matching,
painted shade and all original, functioning hardware.
Unfortunately, some sellers seem to expect the same high premium
when there is little or no paint at all, or, they have been obviously
repainted. The lamp may be cracked or chipped or even have pieces missing.
The metal hardware may have mostly been replaced or recently been fitted
for electricity and be sporting a "Dollar Store" chimney.
Original
painted shades are very rare for several good
reasons. Anyone lifting the lamp to dust or
rearrange frequently "dumped" the shade on the floor
and shattered it as it is only held by thin metal prongs. It would also be
the hottest part of the lamp and people burned their hands and dropped
them. Secondly, being quite thin, thus fragile, they would have to had been packed away
extremely well to last this many years, kept out of the attic where temperature
extremes crystallizes glass, and basically lived a charmed life.
Lamps
without original, painted shades, by all legitimacy, should
only fetch at most one half the going price at most of a complete
assembly. To appreciate this, look at the catalog images in the 3rd row showing complete lamps. Obviously, the shade was a major addition to the
lamp and not just a clear glass piece.
The small
lamps seen for sale are often incorrectly referred to as "Miniature
Lamps". These are in reality what were manufactured
to be "Night Lamps". Every member of the household no doubt had
their own little lamp to light when they got up at night to attend to
"business". (Probably also, many an old cabin burnt to the ground from
all these lamps and candles carelessly handled)
I want to
particularly give lavish thanks to Ron Teal Sr. who provided me with his copy of
an Indiana Glass Company (Dunkirk, Indiana) catalog so I could make a copy of
it. The six images of Indiana "Fancy
Decorated Lamps"
shown in the bottommost row below are from this source.
|
