Stiffel Clawfoot Table Lamp
View Similar Items
Stiffel Clawfoot Table Lamp
About the Item
- Creator:Stiffel (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 33 in (83.82 cm)Diameter: 9.5 in (24.13 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1950's
- Condition:Excellent vintage condition.
- Seller Location:Nashville, TN
- Reference Number:1stDibs: U1209269279118
Stiffel
When Ted Stiffel (1899–1971) founded Stiffel in 1932 in Chicago, he wanted to make functional, thoughtfully designed table lamps and other fixtures that were available at an accessible price. Born in Memphis, Stiffel first pursued a career in music before serving in World War I. After his discharge, he worked with the Western Electric Company in Chicago and then the Nellie J. Kaplan Company, a lighting firm also in the Windy City.
After he started his own lamp business, Stiffel began supplying area department stores and by the 1940s had opened a large factory that was producing lamps for nationwide sale, eventually competing with the likes of the Frederick Cooper Lamp Company, also based in Chicago. In 1948, designer Edwin J. Cole joined the company and created some of the firm’s most striking table lamps. Today, Cole’s vintage mid-century modern lighting fixtures for Stiffel, frequently with distinctively tall and shapely ceramic bodies and finished with decorative brass chinoiserie details, are highly prized by collectors.
One of Stiffel’s innovations was his patented switch, which simplified turning lights on and off: All someone had to do was grasp a lamp’s pole and gently pull down. He also designed a pole lamp with a vertical tube that held a series of fixtures on the outside. The upright pole lamp was so innovative that Sears, Roebuck and Company copied it. Stiffel sued, and the case ended up in the Supreme Court in 1964. The ruling against Stiffel was influential in whether states can give a patent to objects that do not have the invention required of federal patents.
After declaring bankruptcy in 2000, the brand was revived in 2013 in Linden, New Jersey, where newly produced high-quality lamps carry the Stiffel name.
Find a collection of vintage Stiffel lighting on 1stDibs.
- Stiffel Table LampsBy StiffelLocated in Philadelphia, PAPair of Stiffel brass pole table lamps. Newly recovered shades with the original frames. Two pull chain cords allow for one or two bulbs to be turned on. E...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
$2,850 / set - Stiffel Ostrich Egg Table LampsBy StiffelLocated in Belle Mead, NJChic pair of mid-century Stiffel lamps with iconic ostrich egg body. Handsome, dark bronze patina to brass ornamental elements and base.Category
Vintage 1960s American Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$2,160 / set - Brass Table Lamp by StiffelBy StiffelLocated in Brooklyn, NYVintage brass table lamp by Stiffel. Simple tulip form and turned base with candle stick fixture. Elegant example of mid century design.Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Stiffel Hollywood Regency Table LampBy StiffelLocated in Germantown, MDStiffel Hollywood Regency table lamp. CIRCA 1960S. Very good condition. Minor wear. Heavy brass. Gold and antique white / champaign. Measures 7" in ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$243 Sale Price35% Off - Solid Brass Stiffel Table LampBy StiffelLocated in Rockaway, NJVery nice Mid-Century Modern solid brass Stiffel table lamp.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
- Brass Table Lamp by StiffelBy StiffelLocated in Rockaway, NJVery nice Mid-Century Modern table lamp by Stiffel.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
