Moderne Desk Table Lamp
$4,200
Moderne Desk Table Lamp
Located in New York, NY
A midcentury Danish modern walnut desk lamp with stylized body and base with inset metal.
Mid-20th Century Table Lamps
Wood
$4,200
Moderne Desk Table Lamp
Located in New York, NY
A midcentury Danish modern walnut desk lamp with stylized body and base with inset metal.
Wood
1970s metal desk lamp
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
Metal table lamp with adjustable head. Good condition. Dimensions: l 30 X d 18 X h 55 cm
Iron
1930s Art Deco Desk Lamp
Located in Tarrytown, NY
1930s Art Deco Desk Lamp Metal with Metal Shade Chrome Base Painted Would work well on a desk, bedroom side table, or small hall table Needs Rewiring Dent on shade (as shown in pi...
Metal
Vintag osram desk lamp, 1960s
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Attractive original 1960s space age era table lamp by Osram made from plastic and bakelite. Cool lamp! 1960s - Wetsern Germany Works with a regular E14 light bulb. Dimensions: He...
Bakelite
$3,000 / item
Cedric Hartman Chrome Desk Lamp
By Cedric Hartman
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Designed in the 1970s, the chrome desk lamp by Cedric Hartman is an enduring design classic.
Chrome
Stilux Desk Lamp, Italy 1960's
Located in New York, NY
Classic Stil-Lux brass desk lamp on a Carrara marble base, original patina 20x10
Marble, Brass
Desk / Table Lamp, Italy, 1960s
By Gino Sarfatti, Stilnovo
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
A desk lamp, Italy, 1960s. In good original vintage condition with only some very minor signs of age and use.
Marble, Aluminum, Brass
1980s Pine-Base Spherical Desk Lamp
Located in CHAPONOST, FR
A small vintage desk or table lamp featuring a matte white spherical shade and a cross-shaped pine base, dating from the 1980s.
Glass, Pine
Vintage red leather desk light
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
A stand/desk lamp covered in red leather. Although it has a vintage feel due to aging, it has a soft feel rather than a hard feel.
Metal
1960s Rattan Desk or Table Lamp
Located in CHAPONOST, FR
A vintage small rattan table or desk lamp from the 1960s, featuring its original lampshade.
Fabric, Rattan
1960s Flying Saucer / UFO Desk Lamp
Located in Tarrytown, NY
1960s Dazor "Flying Saucer" (UFO) desk lamp Distinctive flying saucer/UFO silhouette with an adjustable swivel arm and painted metal finish The off white incorporated shade seems to ...
Metal
Vintage Brass Inkwell Desk Lamp
Located in W Allenhurst, NJ
Beautiful brass inkwell and letter holder desk lamp. Intricate detailing. Great period visual with function.
Brass
Vintage White Sunnex Gooseneck Desk Lamp
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A vintage white Sunnex gooseneck desk lamp that is perfect for a minimalist, mid-century modern, or postmodern 1980s inspired home or office.
Metal
$3,206 / item
Handcrafted ceramic desk lamp by Jossolini
By Jossolini
Located in Oslo, NO
Ceramic desk lamp by Jossolini. This unique lamp is built and decorated by hand.
Ceramic
$3,206 / item
Polka dot desk lamp by Jossolini
By Jossolini
Located in Oslo, NO
Handcrafted ceramic desk lamp by Jossolini. This unique piece is built and decorated by hand.
Ceramic
$3,206 / item
Unique striped desk lamp by Jossolini
By Jossolini
Located in Oslo, NO
Handcrafted ceramic desk lamp by ceramic artist Jossolini. This unique piece is built and decorated by hand.
Ceramic
Cedric Hartman Chrome Desk / Table Lamp
By Cedric Hartman
Located in Dallas, TX
A chrome desk lamp with pivoting hood and rotating base designed by Cedric Hartman.
Chrome
$2,500
Arne Jacobsen Desk Lamp
By Arne Jacobsen
Located in San Francisco, CA
An "AJ", table lamp of grey lacquered metal. Adjustable shade and push button switch on food. Manufactured by Louis Poulsen for the SAS Hotel, Copenhagen.
Steel
Desk or Table Lamp by Kovacs
Located in Dallas, TX
Black finish desk lamp by Kovacs
Metal
Italian Desk Lamp from Lumenform, 1970s
By Lumenform
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Well designed adjustable desk lamp by Lumenform. The bulb holder can be maove around all along the lamp and the angle of the arm can be adjusted.
Metal, Chrome
Hillebrand Desk Lamp, Germany, 1960
By Hillebrand
Located in Los Angeles, CA
wonderful table lamp by Hillebrand, Germany, 1960, in white and brass, on/off switch at the base, shade and arm are adjustable, wired for the US standards, one E27 socket, max. watta...
Metal, Brass
Vintage Industrial Desk Lamp
Located in New York, NY
Antique industrial task lamp with an aluminum shade and black cast iron base. USA, 1920-1930. Features: *Rewired with French silk twist cord *Takes standard bulb, 60 watts ma...
Metal
Cosack Chrome 70ies Desk Light
By Cosack Leuchten
Located in DOORWERTH, NL
Constructivist desk lamp from the 1970ies. Made by Cosack, Germany.
Metal
French Modernist Turned Brass Desk Lamp
Located in London, GB
French Modernist Turned Brass Desk Lamp A fantastic quality turned brass desk lamp from C.1940s France.
Brass
Mt. Washington Burmese Glass Desk Lamp
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Washington Burmese Glass Desk Lamp Circa 1890, the pink and white dome shade hand painted with Middle Eastern Desert vignettes containing mosques, palm trees and camels, on a cream p...
Glass
Art Deco Saturn Desk Lamp
Located in Hanover, MA
American art deco chrome and black enamel ringed Saturn desk lamp. Shown with a 7.75" High by 8.75" Diameter black drum shade
Metal, Chrome
"Rocket" Midcentury Desk Lamp
By Lilith Rockett
Located in BARCELONA, ES
This Rocket table lamp from the 50s seduced us with its white opaline and chrome base. Unique design, electricity checked, chrome chromed.
Metal
Articulating Desk Lamp for Roxter
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A petite desk lamp with articulating arm and painted shade and base in grey.
Metal
Adjustable Desk Lamp from Germany
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An adjustable and articulated industrial desk lamp in patinated brass having a stepped base and conical shade.
Metal
Adjustable Desk Lamp from Germany
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An adjustable and articulated industrial desk lamp in patinated brass having a stepped base and swiveling conical shade.
Metal
Adjustable Desk lamp from Germany
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An adjustable and articulated industrial desk lamp in patinated brass having a stepped base, conical shade and exposed tension bars.
Metal
Desk Lamp by KT Valaistus
Located in Long Island City, NY
A Desk lamp, custom order produced by KT Valaistus ( Kone-Tukku Oy) for Hotel Lappee Lappeenrata, Finland.
Brass
Petite Desk Lamp by Tensor
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A petite, spare architectural desk lamp with an adjustable conical shade attached to an anodized stem that rises from a square base.
Metal
Marianne Brandt Desk Lamp, 1950
By Marianne Brandt, Kandem
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Stunning Kandem task lamp for Leuchtenbau Leipzig, post WWII Model manufactured with original Kandem No. 1115 parts, original light grey enameled metal shade and arm on a clear glass...
Metal
$1,690
Iconic Bauhaus Desk Lamp
By Franta (Frantisek) Anýž
Located in Vienna, AT
Brass construction nickel-plated with a diffusor from the late 1930s attributed to Franta Anzy or Pavel Smetana. Fitted with one E27 socket and toggle switch, original working condi...
Brass, Nickel
An Edwardian Chrome Desk Lamp
Located in London, GB
An Edwardian chrome desk lamp with serpentine neck, with adjustable stem and shade, all supported on a circular plinth base.
Chrome
Hadrill & Horstmann Desk Lamp, England 1965
Located in Culver City, CA
Hadrill & Horstmann Desk Lamp England, 1965 Counterbalance lamp in aluminum and Chrome Plated Steel. 26”w x 6.5”d x 27”h Ref.
Aluminum, Chrome
Space age UFO desk lamp
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Space age UFO desk lamp in very nice original condition.
Metal
Parscot, Large Desk Lamp, 1960
By Parscot, René-Jean Caillette
Located in Catonvielle, FR
Large desk lamp signed on the socket "Parscot", attributed to René-Jean Caillette, 1960.
Marble, Metal
1980s Black Lightolier Desk Lamp
By Lightolier
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1980s black Lightolier desk lamp. Extremely heavy base. Some scratches and scuffs from age.
Metal
Vintage Fase 520C Gold Desk Lamp
By Fase
Located in Tarporley, GB
#3867 Vintage FASE 520C desk lamp. Spanish 1960’s. Presented in original condition with revolving base.
Metal, Aluminum
Casella Bronze Desk Lamp, 1980s
By Casella Lighting
Located in Raleigh, NC
Stunning vintage Casella desk lamp with dual lights, both articulating with individual switches.
Bronze
Fiberglass Desk Lamp from USA
Located in Sagaponack, NY
Classic form mid-century table or desk lamp consisting of a green fiberglass spherical shade attached with a swivel device to a black, tubular metal stem shaped to conform to the sha...
Fiberglass
1970s desk lamp, Hustadt Leuchten
Located in Neuss, NW
Wonderful desk lamp from the 1970s by Hustadt Leuchten. Swiveling telescopic arm with a lampshade and base made of white lacquered metal.
Metal
Flexible Desk Clamp Lamp 1950s
Located in Wien, Au
Flexible Desk Clamp Lamp 1950s Metal ( chrome ) is Original condition Aluminium is black lacquered
Metal, Aluminum, Chrome
Fase Madrid Desk Lamp
By Fase
Located in Vienna, AT
Steel construction white painted and chromed fitted with one E27 socket made by Fase in the beginning of the 1980s. Very good original condition, small scratches on the base.
Steel
Vintage French Brass Desk Lamp
Located in London, GB
A stylish and very well made vintage French brass desk lamp with a brown metal shade and base. This was recently imported from France, it dates from the 1970’s.
Metal, Brass
Cocotte Diabolo Desk Lamp
Located in Hanover, MA
Pure French modernist beauty. Entirely original. Manner of Pierre Guariche.
Brass
French Adjustable Desk Lamp c. 1940s
Located in Warminster, GB
An adjustable nickel-plated desk lamp with integrated ashtray. French, c. 1940s.
Steel, Iron, Nickel
Vintage Mid-Century Desk Lamp
Located in Antwerp, BE
This Mid-Century Modern desk lamp features a red base and shade and a chromed arm.
Metal
Vintage Adjustable Desk Lamp, 1970s
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Nice quality desk lamp from the seventies which is very adjustable, so the ideal desk lamp.
Metal, Brass
French Bronze Bouillotte Desk Lamp
Located in New York, NY
A circa 1950's French polished bronze bouillotte desk lamp with painted shade Measurements: Height: 36" Diameter at widest (shade) 14.5"
Bronze
Library Desk Lamp by ILUM - Argentina
Located in North Miami, FL
This industrial period (WWII era) desk lamp in matte black features a swing arm and all original brass fittings and details.
Aluminum, Brass
1960s, Italian, Industrial Desk Lamp
Located in London, London
Desk lamp. White painted metal shade. Steel stem.
Metal
French 1960’s articulating desk lamp
Located in London, GB
A French 1960’s white and black small articulating desk lamp. There are some minor rust marks to the paintwork on the shade which should be visible on the photos.
Metal
French Art Nouveau Desk Lamp
Located in SAINTE-COLOMBE, FR
French Art Nouveau Desk Lamp A beautiful and elegant swan-shaped desk lamp, featuring flowers and leaves, which are classic motifs from the Art Nouveau period.
Brass, Copper, Spelter
French Gilt Bronze Desk Lamp
Located in New York, NY
A circa 1930's French desk lamp with tole shades. Measurements: Height: 23" Diameter: 13”.
Bronze
$1,760Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair of Italian Desk Lamps
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of industrial Italian desk lamp. Each desk lamp have double bulb socket.
Chrome
Vintage Red Desk Lamp, Germany
Located in Bastogne, BE
Vintage Red desk lamp. MidCentury Desk lamp will add retro accent to your interior.
Metal
1950's Torch desk lamp
Located in Hamden, CT
Torch light desk lamp made in France. Polished brass base, perspex cone shade. 40 watts E-26 Edison medium base incandescent bulb recommended or higher if LED/CFL.
Brass
Antique table lamps became a category of their own once electricity moved light off the wall and onto furniture. The form split quickly: task-driven designs like the Anglepoise on one side, decorative ceramic and glass on the other.
Styles to Know
Base material shapes the light as much as the shade does: ceramic and glass diffuse a softer glow, while brass and metal read more directional. Layer the look with a mid-century modern floor lamp for ambient light, or set a pair on a mid-century modern nightstand for a bedroom.
How to Choose the Right Vintage Table Lamp
Buying individually rather than as a pair allows more flexibility when mixing eras across a room. For those shopping by name rather than by shape, the history of the Anglepoise lamp is worth a read. Each piece comes from a vetted 1stDibs seller, with era, designer and condition detailed, and the 1stDibs Promise stands behind every purchase.
No one knows for sure who invented the desk lamp, as many engineers worked on designs for lamps during the 1920s. Many experts cite the Anglepoise lamp, however, as the earliest iteration of the modern desk lamp. Since its 1934 debut, this ingenious task light has become one of the most celebrated examples of industrial design.
How the Anglepoise came to be is the stuff of design legend: In 1932, a vehicle-suspension engineer by the name of George Carwardine joined forces with a West Midlands springs manufacturer, Herbert Terry & Sons, to create a mechanism by which opposed springs would, as Carwardine explained, exert a “unidirectional constant force” on a pivoted lever that could counteract the force of gravity.
This invention was not destined for an auto but for a lamp Carwardine was developing. The innovation would allow the piece’s articulated arm to be moved with ease to almost any position and remain there. As the product of engineering acumen rather than fashion, the Anglepoise soon became a favorite among modernist architects and designers, who interpreted it as “a machine for lighting,” just as Le Corbusier had reimagined the house as “a machine for living in.”
The Angelpoise's rivals include the 1930 Bestlite, which was one of the earliest Bauhaus-influenced designs, created by Robert Dudley Best, who had studied under Walter Gropius at the Bauhaus in Dessau. German modernist Karl Trabert’s 1930s desk lamp for Schanzenbach & Co. was notable for its domed shade above a hinged arm.
Find vintage table lamps and other lighting on 1stDibs.
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