Pair of Chrome Lamps by the Stiffel Lamp Co.
View Similar Items
Pair of Chrome Lamps by the Stiffel Lamp Co.
About the Item
- Creator:Stiffel (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Diameter: 7.5 in (19.05 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Palm Springs, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU89852200862
Stiffel
When Ted Stiffel (1899–1971) founded Stiffel in 1932 in Chicago, he wanted to make functional, thoughtfully designed table lamps, floor 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 lamps and other lighting for sale on 1stDibs.
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Aluminum, Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Copper
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Art Glass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Alabaster, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Art Glass, Walnut
You May Also Like
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century American Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
Nickel
Vintage 1960s American Regency Table Lamps
Ceramic
