My
Lamps
Okay, this one is not about reading
and writing. It's about my lamps, bear with me, I have a lamp problem.
Remember the aisle of misfit toys in
"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"? Our large country is like an aisle
of misfit lamps to me. They're everywhere in garage sales, thrift stores,
antique shops, ebay, and they all need rescuing. They pull at my heart strings
and I need to save them.
We have a small condo and it's got
way too many lamps in it, but I just can't help it, these sometimes tired
relics of the past should not be cast aside, they are part of history.
I purchased this 1960 or 70
lamp on ebay. The man who owned it said he had inherited his grandmother's
house and asked his girlfriend to move in with him. She hated the lamp and said
she'd only move in if he got rid of the lamp. So he sold me the lamp. To be
fair with the girlfriend it had a really big, awful, tie dyed, shade on
it. The shade was so bad you could barely see the lamp. New shade and look what
a beautiful lamp I saved.
This one came from ebay also, all
the way from England. It goes further back than the 60's. The English lady said
it was probably after World War Two and nearer the 50's. It had the original
globes and was just what I wanted above my dining room table. Of course there
was a problem, besides having it rewired for the US. She wanted $35 for it, but
emailed us back that it was going to cost $45 to ship. She said if you want to
back out of the deal, I will understand. But it was too late, I needed that
lamp, and that lamp needed me. Husband rewired it and it has shone proudly over
my table for 6 years.
This gem I found in an antique shop
in northern Tennessee. It is not a reproduction, She was stashed away on
a top shelf, had to view her with my binoculars. She was dusty and hadn't
been touched in a while. $35. Had to bargain the price, because the
sales tax in Tennessee is almost 10 percent.
Named her Evette. Probably 1930 or
earlier.
Salvation Army. Doesn't look like much, just a tall floor lamp with a unique
rectangular shade. The interesting thing about it is the inside of that shade.
It has a shiny foil material that is awesome. Picture doesn't do it justice.
My daughter and I were waiting in
line to pay for it and the manager asked if she could take our picture.
"Sure," we said. "Why?" "There's a pool in the store," she tells us. "No one thought anyone
would buy such an ugly lamp. So I need a photo to prove it."
Can you believe it? I've done my job
with this one. It really needed me. And it's a three way light.
Antique shop in western
NC. My son was with me and rushed me out of the shop when he thought I
was getting interested in it. When he left us and went back home,
I went back and bought it. It had a pink and white polka dot shade. I'm not
kidding, pink and white polka dot. Definitely 1970s. What a beauty it
is now.
This is a family piece from the 1950s. It was my mom's. I think it was before plastic, but I know it's 100 percent metal. It has never been rewired, and I use it everyday. It has lived it's whole life on a barrier island with no rust from the salt spray of the Atlantic.
This small lamp could be my
favorite. It's from ebay and is from 1958. It had the original shade with
the 1950's little circles to match the base. They don't make them like
this any more. Sweet and adorable with a three way light.
The End
Husband says no more lamps.
