Antique Brass Faries 2-Arm Combination Spool Fixture, c1910

Description

Faries Manufacturing didn't just make the articulated task lights for which they are best known, they also produced an entire line of simple, classic (some might even say generic) lighting fixtures that were a staple offering of electrical jobbers who either couldn't afford nicer fixtures or saw no reason to carry them. This combination gas/electric design, with its distinctive waisted shade holder and "spool"-shaped center body, was at the heart of the line, and was used in countless residential and commercial settings in the early 20th century when it was still unclear whether electricity or gas would win the market battle for dominance.