A pair of heavy Holophane bulkhead style wall lights, probably from a factory or industrial building, sourced in France and dating from the 1950s. The heavy cast iron base holds a thick prismatic domed glass shade which is held in place by a screw at each end. We have stripped the lights down and fully cleaned, restored and rewired them, so they are ready to wire in. The bulb holders are for E27 screw-ins. Measurements are approx 28cm long, 18cm deep and 18cm max width. The weight of each is 4.52kg. The price is for the pair.
The Holophane light began life in France in 1893 when Otis Mygatt discovered that placing optically engineered prisms of glass next to each other refracted light more strongly and efficiently. The effect is also very beautiful, and some wonderful pieces of lighting were created during the very earliest years of electricity. Lights such as this were often used in banks, stations and public buildings, and later were developed for home use when domestic houses begin to be electrified more widely during the 1920s and 30s. The Holophane patent was bought in the UK in 1896 when manufacturing began here, and a factory was also quickly established in the US. The company is still at the forefront of lighting technology
