The canonical Victorian lamp shade consists of a metal wire frame that serves as a scaffold for tautly stretched fabric and a fringe or beaded skirt that hangs from the bottom of the shade. This style emerged only after the late 1800s when distribution systems for electricity became common in cities. Prior to this age, home lighting, if any, ran off utility gas. As gas-lighting involves the production of a flame, a fabric shade was out of the question.
Instead, glass lamp shades were used to surround and protect the interior flame from drafts that may otherwise extinguish or displace the flame in a dangerous way. But with the advent of electrical lighting, there was no longer any need for glass shades, and many homes took on the Victorian fabric and beaded shades instead. However, glass lamp shades remained in use for their peculiar aesthetic qualities.
The nomenclature suffers from some confusion because the reign of Queen Victoria started in 1837 and lasted only until 1901. The end of her reign was actually just the beginning of the electrical age, suggesting that there was no much time for the development of fabric-based shades in the Victorian age.
Although the Victorian lamp shade possesses a rather uncomplicated construction, there are many kinds of scaffold shapes, as well as many kinds of colors and designs of fabric, as well as different kinds of fringe materials that line the bottom of the shade. The historical proximity of the glass lamp shade and the Victorian means that many people compare the two.
In contrast, vintage Tiffany lamp shades are famous throughout the U.S. and the world. They are the product of Louis Comfort Tiffany, whose creative forces gave rise to the style of lamp shades that bears his name today. His father was the same who started the famous jewelry store synonymous with quality. Tiffany was the boss of his own business. He used his position to innovate freely, using finely honed methods in stained glass making and migrating them into novel works. The lamp shades that exhibit his name are well-known for brilliance and style. Even so many years later his lamps first came out they continue to be widely imitated and reproduced.
In addition, glass shades are available in a plethora of diameters and styles. The shapes have descriptive names, for example hurricane glass shades and gas lamp shades. The hurricane classification is exemplified by a curvy pear design that bulges in the middle before tapering up into a pinched-off neck. Due to its distinctive profile it is a very striking lamp. A further unusual glass shade is the classical Victorian shade that saw itself installed in many homes in the age of Victorian England. The period saw the coming-to-age of gas lamps and therefore a growth in number of consumers and producers.
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