Central Gas & Electric Fixt. Mfg. Co., c. 1915 (Klemm Reflector Co. archives)

R.Williamson Co. # 21, 1915 (Rejuvenation archives)

A Marriage in Time

Our Lobelia is a beautiful hybrid. It marries an elegant fixture design from the Central Gas & Electric Fixture Mfg. Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, with a mosaic-style "Varialux" art glass bowl originally sold by the R. Williamson Co. of Chicago. Both of these designs, at right, were sold around 1915.

Shade Size Matters

R. Williamson was one of the largest lighting manufacturers of this period. Their trademark line of "Varialux" art glass shades were popular between 1910 and the advent of World War I. The shade our Lobelia is based on was 26" in diameter - an appropriate scale for commercial use, but a tad on the large side for typical residences. We've scaled our version down to 22" to better suit most dining rooms.

About Bowl Lights

In both of the original catalogue images you'll see the "bowl" character of the fixtures. These types of lights were common between 1910 and the early 1920s after the introduction of the significantly brighter tungsten-filament light bulb (which was nearly three times as bright as earlier carbon-filament bulbs). Tungsten bulbs allowed semi-indirect bowl-type designs where light was both diffused through the glass and reflected up onto the ceiling.

Cost Comparisons

And what did a lovely light like the Lobelia cost back in 1915? Well, Williamson's entire Varialux fixture sold for $60.00, shade included. The shade by itself sold for $42.50. Do the math and you'll find the shade comprised more than 70% of the cost of the fixture as a whole.

Just for fun (and to provide some context), here are some costs for other items that may have been in a 1915 home:

• Dining room set, 10 piece, mahogany inlaid, $318.00-$424.00/set
• China closet, golden oak, $30.50-$34.00/each
• Rugs, 9' X 12', Wilton and Axminster oriental style, $18.75-$29.50/each
• Player piano rolls, $1.00-$1.50/each
• Light bulbs: $1.00 for 5

Source of information: Morris County Library

And, if the daily newspaper happened to be strewn about parlor, here's one headline a 1915 homeowner might of seen: Gas Prices Rise to 25 cents Per Gallon.

Source of information: Antique Automobile Club of America