We recently had a
client in looking for something quite specific- A Bankers Lamp.
For those of you who
may be unfamiliar with the Emeralite Lamp (or Banker's Lamp as it is
more commonly referred to) it can be seen below. The Banker's Lamp
has a single brass knuckle with a round base, with a unique
(and sometimes) square edged emerald green cased glass shade.The Banker's
Lamp usually stands approx 14” high. An original Banker's Lamp
should have a brass pull chain rather than a switch.
The glass shades are
generally flat on the sides and back, with the front gently sloping
towards the desk or viewer.
The Bankers Lamp has a
psychological effect upon an individual sitting amongst its green
glow.
The colour green is one
of the “cool” colours.
Green is
psychologically soothing and so its use in an office or workspace
encourages calm focus and concentration. In fact, at the backstage of
a theatre one might find a “Green room” which has the primary
purpose of calming actors' nerves before going on-stage.
The Emeralite lamp as
we know it today was first produced in 1909 by Harrison D. McFaddin
who created the company H.G. McFadden & Co.
According
to references, all Emeralite shades were produced in the glass
factory of J. Schreiber & Neffen; the plant was located in the
city of Rapotin, Moravia, in what is now the Czech Republic
(Emeralite.com).
The
Emeralite's production may be divided in to four distinct periods.
Over these periods the lamp bases went from simple and undecorated
(4378 Series) to the more elaborately decorated second and third
series.
The
4378 Series: 1909-1916
The
shade was designed with a hole at each side so that it could be
attached to and swivel upon the base arm and then locked in to the
desired position. The bases were generally brass plated over a base
metal (square or rectangular base) or solid brass (round base).
The
8734 Series: 1916-1930's
The
Emeralite shades from this generation did not have holes on each
side. Instead a new base armature was designed and the shade was
created with indentations which fitted into the channels on the new
base arm. The shade was clamped in to this armature for stability and
so could be removed for cleaning if necessary. Bases made during
this period were usually solid brass.
No.9
Series: 1930's for approx 5 years
The
general design remained the same but the shade increased in size from
8.5 inches to 10 & 12 inches. Again the shade was created with an
indentation at the back to fit in to the clamp and could be removed
for easy cleaning. However the number 9 series larger shades required
two lamps (bulbs) rather than one. Similarly to the second period,
the bases were usually made of solid brass.
Inferior
Produce: From late 1930's for 20+ years
Most
of the “Emeralites” produced after the number 9 series' were not
designed to the standards of the originals and so are not of great
monetary value. Many of these lamps were fluorescent and were
constructed with metal shades.
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| A Double Emeralite Partner's Lamp |
Most of the lamps created had a hidden cast iron weight in the base of the lamp.
McFaddin
retired around 1939 and the company was bought by employee Charles
Inness Brown who changed the company name to Emeralite Co. Inc.
During the 1950's the company unfortunately became unprofitable and
was sold again.
Following this, the company's name was changed to
Tilarem but the company was eventually dissolved in 1962 and sadly, Emeralite
production died with it.
If you are looking for a Banker's Lamp, please contact us at 00 353 1 284 3486 or call in to our showroom at 51 Sandycove Road, Sandycove, Co. Dublin.
Primary source: http://www.emeralite.com/history.html
Ciara Eloise Nolan
