Vintage Lighting Was bad on no budget and bought three more lights

[ship]

Believe I'm up to 157 vintage lighting fixtures in collection now, 117 I own which isn't a bad insurance policy given an average of at least $100.00 per fixture worth in a rough average of what I have. Still yet to work on the Lobser wheel and other accessories are not included in that figure.

Was bad in buying three new fixtures so far this year on the cheap - of course shipping always kills of the cheap, but I think them cool in the "smalls" easier to gain more of than the larger ones. One often thinks bigger is better and yea, I have my various 8" Leko cross cannons about, but for me at last I have the main bulk collection and at this point while waiting for some trades on duplicates or shop gear in exchange for stuff I don't have, bulking up on the cheep allows for more variety.

Looking for more info on the following three fixtures (first on the list on the way and looks to be without need of any work.)

MANHATTAN OPTICAL CO. ANTIQUE OIL LAMP POSSIBLY PHOTOGRAP... (161001333465) Manhattan Optical Co Antique Oil Lamp Possibly Photographic or Stage Set Light | eBay

Was fairly cheap and potentially something turn of the century and could have been in use say a foot light. Any knowledge of what type of fuel it was using and history about it?

ANTIQUE STAGE SPOT LIGHT (321094840900) Antique Stage Spot Light | eBay

It's probably not a stage light and it was an A-19 medium screw lamp inside it with a totally trashed/broken lamp socket and siezed switch - all that isn't fixable. That plus the lens is not able to be replaced, still on small fixtures collection, I often buy on the style factor. Brand, use and date? that I don't yet know other than the clamp seems to be able to clamp down on something from 2" wide and smaller and had a felt liner on it.

Best find:
VINTAGE STAGE / PHOTO LIGHT (350721643586) Vintage Stage Photo Light | eBay
I think this is a box spot from about 1903 thru 1910. Think this because I already have a 4.1/2" lens version of it in how it was assembled and how the rear cover slides into place instead of being hinged. A G-30 lamp normal to a box spot won't fit into this narrow fixture, has to have been using a pre-nitrogen gas added 100 Watt vaccume lamp from that period. Gel frame is gel secured between the front plates in perhaps pre-the idea of a gel frame slot. Other than a bunch light, (and the obvious strip lights) this box light might be one of the eldest filament lamp type fixtures I am thinking but cannot confirm.

P.S., the lamp came broken on that this fixture - a shame because will have been interesting to see what it was.

 

[JohnD]

Ship, number 2 is a reading light for reading in bed, the padded clamp went on the headboard and the lens kept the light to a small area.
As for number 1, I would think a simplex burner would indicate kerosene(or paraffin for the British).

 

[ship]

Oh'Crap! and thanks. My 45' B-Day present to myself is a reading light and not some form of movie style clip light. Fairly terrible condition and lamp socket and switch that will never work again and is no longer available. Project for the future perhaps in fabricating from scratch all of it in socket. Any idea of the #2 age and brand? I'm sill going to put it in with the rest of the small light fixtures upper hung on the pipe for display. Checked today and the sand blasted bead board clamp will fit a 1.1/2" Sch.40 pipe - though I need add some form of safety ring to the fixture if I'm hanging it.

Thanks on the 1 info in yet to research about and on the company. My first pre-filament or arc source fixture, and it seems like it's in perfect condition so far. Would love to get it and put it on display as is. (Never done that with a fixture before.) Thoughts on if might have been a stage light fixture and date?

 

[ship]

The Manhattan Optical Co. fixture has a 3.5x4.5" dual steel gelatin or glass slide frame slot just behind it’s cover not shown (with one leg bent in from use.) Very interesting to see how they did the gel frame slots, and probably will have only been used as a stage light.

Also, while this is a very refined stamped folded and brazed light for its day in quality, there is enough carbon build up and appropriate rust areas on it to believe its original to say the 1890's thru say not later than about 1906. Must have been some form of foot light.

Wick for this seemingly oil light mounting to the base/oil tank looks like it could be an early solder repair, but a decent one that’s not too extensive, wick might also be a replacement in that it’s not aged, but is seemingly appropriate. For all intensive purposes, this is in mint period condition and without any real need of preservation at this time. To be watched if it progresses in very minor surface rust.

Book research: only a few book of limited use on the subject after 21 books searched from 28' thru the 90's. Fuchs of course “the bible” for stage lighting.

[Sellman 1972 - “Essentials of Stage Lighting” p.29 “In the 1920's ... and glass color media were available...” so probably not glass color but perhaps a glass gobo with gelatin could be used.]

First mention of the possibility of the fixture: Bentham c.1968 - “Art of Stage Lighting” p.38 “Limelight is presered only in the language of metaphor and a trace of oil lamps lingers perhaps in the “floats” of the theatre’s own vocabulary.” Can I get an English to American translation of what “floats” means? (Also same page, mention in both books/same page, of ““X-Rays” - a terminological inexactitude if ever there was one!” I have one from National X-Ray company, and it isn’t a “strip light” as per this text & agree with the statement even if his definition is also different.)

Bentham also mentions on p.40 about effects projectors that had covers (not specific to wick/oil ones), while small size fixture would be limited in use, possible it’s an effects projector assuming glass slides and the flip up cover. Same concept as the arc projector - though with a wide wick limited in projection ability. “It would be a great mistake to read this short history as if each technical development represented a wave of change sweeping over the theatre and wiping out all that went before it. It was more a matter of edging in here and there, bit by bit. Thus, a theatre would have ancient and modern lighting units mixed up together. This is still true today.”

Fuchs 1929 “Stage Lighting” p.13 “First, there is the equipment of the type found in theatres such as small town “opera houses”, which is, in general obsolete, antiquated, and practically worthless, as those who are forced to use it...” Wow.. But could explain the condition of this lighting fixture as with the box spot. Consider 1929 technology - before the Leko or especially Fresnel in most histories or books pre-1934, read on in acquiring the book to find what other four types of equipment is found - all bad.

In other words, it’s possible that if remote and small enough, this oil fixture might have been in use in some remote town - at least before electricity became really common everywhere. Doubtful though I’m still thinking past say 1910 as an arbitrary date but still possible some small theater was using such a fixture beyond that date to supplement.

p.37 “The footlights were called the “floatlights”, since they usually consisted of the open-flame oil lamps, in which the wick floated in the animal or vegetable oil that was used.” 17th century lighting - pre Argand Burner glass chimny funnel.

Bit of history on this, than:

“With oil lamps, ingenious but awkward and cumbersome mechanical systems of placing opaque screens and colored glasses in front of the lights had to be employed. The oil lamps of the Haymarket Theatre in London, for instance, were “ furnished with chimneys of white and green glass, which by an ingenious system of levers, commanded by the prompter, ascended or decended as required and produce moonlight or other optical effects... In some theatres, notably at Birmingham, a series of colored glass screens can be shifete in front by a lever, but with a lud clatter.” Such was the status of stage lighting at the beinning of the nineteenth century.”

In other words.. Glass color frames my Wife was thinking the slot size for - probably. Sellman wrong I would think.

p.40 “As regards the float footlights, the danger for dancers is considerable, as shown by sad accidents. The obstructin not only by the reflectors but also by the fisible smoke is great, while the heated air is unfavorable in every respect to the actors and their efforts, and the light dazzles their eyes.” This in comparison to gas lighting.

This above info is not exact as this light doesn’t have a reflector and is an individual fixture (not discussed in text but seemingly an installed strip with reflectors instead of individual fixtures discussed in comparison to gas burner strips discussed. But the above info is all seen so far about the type of oil/wick fixture.

By the 1890's the gas lighting - specifically incandescent gas mantles, replaced much all of candle or oil based stage lighting - but remember the above Fuchs quote about antiquated small theaters. 1837 the Limelight, but 20 years later it’s use, and needed constant operator maintaining as per wicks - both of which fell out of style and were limited in positions used.

p.47 “The advent of the twentieth century saw incandescent lamps in almost universal use for stage lighting. Theatres were equipped and touring companies often carried their own complete equipment. Carbon incandescent lamps were virtually the same as they were twenty years before, except for certain mechanical improvements. They were used in the footlights, in the borderlights, in striplights, and, in groups of ten or twelvek, they used as “bunchlights” or “floods.” For spotlighting, however, their use ws limited, since they could not be made powerful enough or concentrated enough for focussing work with lenses. For spotlighting, the limelight and the arc light were still in general use.”

Further info about 1905 and early history of stage lighting in the period, but not on oil lamp topic.

Thinking this is only turn of the last century in technology - just kind of feel it in stamped parts etc. for dating. By the above, could be in use years later than optimum, but why would a NY company be making oil lamps for the stage at around the turn of the century assuming well out of date for technology at the time?

Good question, than again Hub used to sell 30 year old technology as per new technology in their catalogues during the 60's as shown in their catalogues.

So the problems with this fixture is that it clearly has a large amount of carbon buildup use and rust etc. in wear. Oil type lamp probably with replaced wick. Gel frame slots - in a reproduction, I wouldn’t think the theater market would be large enough to reproduce something with a dual hinge door for both the front cover and gel frame access door behind it. This with bent in side flange for the gel frame door is amongst other details, just too much work for a later duplication on a lighting fixture not popular for resale or known of before I think.

TBA a web search on Manhattan Optical Co. and searching page by page thru Briggs “Encyclopedia of Stage Lighting” and Boulanger’s “Theatre Lighting from A to Z”. Oil lights are not in either book, or the brand. Possibly in the history section or somewhere but not to be found in more dictionary than encyclopedia in any sense for either.

Rest of the books searched tonight... went mostly into electric lighting or never mentioned the subject.

Side note: Williams c.1960/47 “The Technique of Stage Ligthing” p.42 shows a picture similar somewhat to my small box spot and describes a 3" lens for 100-250w box spot “Footlight Spotlights”. My lens is smaller and wouldn’t fit a 250w lamp, but the only mention of such a narrow box spot before the standard 4.1/2" lens box spot is more known of before and after in other books.

And the research goes on if interested in the above topic. Got one box spot I think between like 1903 and 1910 and one oil box spot before it that dates I think to the 1890's thru say 1906 in range so far. Could be wrong, still researching.

Web search into Manhatan Optical Co. shows a wealth of info so far but mostly camera related. Looks good so far in finding model number and date as wit other info I might pull up.

 

[ship]

Brought the candle like fixture to work finally in adding to museum, and it caught the interest of a former teacher at work that taught at NIU such things. He did a web search and more and figured it out. Age of it is still in debate - probably not 1880's but certainly turn of the last century or a few years later and it's purpose finally for anyone interested.


http://www.williambunchauctions.com/content/images/060925/Lamp_Catalog/Image_0299_0261A_0001_Med.htm


http://www.williambunchauctions.com/content/images/060925/Lamp_Catalog/InvCat_0066.htm
Lot 261A: Tin dark room type lantern, original red paint, finger hold base, 8 1/4" tall
Estimate: 40-60

More Here….

118: Kodak tin darkroom lantern : Lot 118

And here:
Gene Stratton Porter's Dark Room Lantern | Flickr - Photo Sharing!