The History of Stiffel Lamps

Edison started the electric light revolution in American homes in 1889, but lamp design maintained a functional, dull appearance for decades. Then the Stiffel Lamp Company produced a modern design for business and home decor. Stiffel incorporated the art deco style in a way that surpassed all other lamp manufacturers including Tiffany. As of 2010, Stiffel lamps and shades are still highly prized by users as well as museums and collectors.

Art Deco Influence

Between the two World Wars, the modernistic style of Art Deco flourished and influenced architecture, interior and industrial design, furnishing, and even movie sets. Ted Stiffel made use of the minimalist clean lines typical of art deco. His lamps were thin and lean with a more sculptured look instead of the ornate, bulky Gothic and Victorian styles of the day. Stiffel used popular art deco metals like stainless steel, brass, bronze and pewter to create his new style of lamps.

Stiffel History

Stiffel was an artist and designer who specialized in stained glass panels before he opened the Stiffel Lamp Company in 1932 in Chicago. Stiffel's philosophy was lamps should be functional works of art. His company made them in the groundbreaking, modernist style that defied its competitor's traditional fashion during the height of the Great Depression. Stiffel employed glass makers, metalworkers and designers who brought their expertise to his designs.

Pole Lamp

Stiffel's Pole Lamp was the design sensation of the 1940s and it remained popular for years. The stainless steel lamp was simple and functional. Three cone shaped lamps attached to the pole at different heights. Each lamp worked separately and could swivel to illuminate different areas at the same time. A spring tension inside the hollow metal pole held it in place from ceiling to floor. Later models had a small base. The pole light fits in a corner or behind furniture, and was the forerunner of track lighting.

Stained Glass Lamps

Stiffel's answer to Tiffany's famed stained glass lamps was a more practical and functional version. His lamps used thinner but stronger glass pieces that allowed more light to pass through compared to Tiffany's thicker lamps. The table and floor models had the same degree of quality as its more expensive competitor, and outsold Tiffany lamps their first year on the market. A Stiffel stained glass lamp is a sought after collector's piece in 2010 with one selling for $450.

Lamp Shades

The finest silk shantung, a dupionni type from the Shantung Providence in China, was the preferred material used to make Stiffel shades. Two cocoons of silk worms nested together produced the desirable uneven lines that distinguished dupionni. The first shade was the classic drum style similar to a drum in a band. It was available with or without vertical piping, a piece of fabric or plastic that helped hold its shape. Other styles followed, Bell Curve, V-notch, Straight Drum and Curve Bell Scallop.

Stiffel vs.Sears

Ted Stiffel sued Sears, Roebuck & Co., in 1964 for patent infringement for copying his pole lamp design. The case went to the Supreme Court where Stiffel lost. The court ruled the pole light patent had expired so the design was in the public domain where any company could copy it. Stiffel stayed in business until 2000 when the Salton Lamp Company bought it.

References

• “Lamps of the 50s and 60s”; Jan Lindenberger; 2007
• “Lamp and Shades - In Metal and Art Glass”; John Duncan Adams; 2009
• “50s TV Lamps with Price Guide“; Calvin Shepherd; 1998
• U.S. Supreme Court Center: Sears, Roebuck & Co. vs. Stiffel Co., 376 U. S. 225