Classical Commercial Pendant w/Accent Lamps, c1922

Description

In the earlier days of the development of schoolhouse lighting in commercial settings, the visual scale of the fixture and light from the primary opal shade was supplemented with the addition of an upper section of the shadeholder that held a ring of exposed bulbs. With great Classical Revival detailing at both the canopy and the shadeholder, examples like this one are hard to find today.

The pendant or semi-flush lights often called "schoolhouse fixtures" are defined by their large white (or "opal") diffusing glass shades and simple designs. These fixtures first rose to popularity around 1920 and were common well into the 1950s. They were certainly found in schoolhouses, but were also installed in pretty much any commercial or institutional setting where high levels of illumination were desired at low cost. From plain and super-simple to dressed up with flourishes and decorated glass, there is a schoolhouse fixture for most any setting.