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 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.
- Pair of Brutalist Lamps by Laurel Lamp Mfg. CoBy Laurel Lamp CompanyLocated in Palm Springs, CAPair of incredible brass sculptural table lamps on black metal bases. Brutalist lamps manufactured by the Laurel Lamp Company in Newark, N.J. They are identified as “Setarrah” by B...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Copper
$3,600 / set - Pair of Brutalist Lamps by Richard Barr and Harold Weiss for the Laurel Lamp CoBy Harold Weiss, Richard Barr, Laurel Lamp CompanyLocated in Palm Springs, CABrutalist ribbon cut lamps by Richard Barr and Harold Weiss (founder) for the Laurel Lamp Company, Newark, N.J. Abstracted ribbon shape on black enamel pa...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCut Steel
- Pair of Alabaster Lamps by The Marbro Lamp Company, Los Angeles, CA.By The Marbro Lamp CompanyLocated in Palm Springs, CAPair of alabaster lamps by The Marbro Lamp Company. Each lamp measures: 7.5” diameter (base), 38.25” high from base to the top of finial. Alabaster portions are 17.5” high. Lamps hav...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsAlabaster, Brass
- Pair of Venetian Glass Lamps by The Marbro Lamp Company, Los Angeles, CA.By The Marbro Lamp CompanyLocated in Palm Springs, CAPair of venetian glass lamps by The Marbro Lamp Company. Each lamp measures 8” diameter, 44.5” high from base to the top of finial. Glass portions are 21.5” high. Lamps have been...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsArt Glass
- Pair of Mushroom Table Lamps in the style of Laurel LampsLocated in Palm Springs, CAPair of Mushroom table lamps in the style of lamps produced by the Laurel Lamp Company, Newark, NJ. Walnut bases are 8" wide, 8" deep and...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsArt Glass, Walnut
- Pair of White Lucite Table Lamps by Moss LampsBy Moss Lamp Co. 1Located in Palm Springs, CAPair of angular lucite table lamps by the Moss lighting company. Lamps have a switch which lights up the inside portions in addition to the switch on the sockets. Lamps measure 9" w...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsLucite
$1,700 / set
- Pair of Nickel Stiffel LampsBy StiffelLocated in Palm Springs, CAA pair of Mid Century Stiffel lamps newly plated in nickel and rewired with French braid wire. in the style of Tommi Parzinger.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsNickel
$4,500 / set - Pair of Large Ceramic Lamps by StiffelBy StiffelLocated in New York, NYPair of Large ceramic lamps by Stiffel lamp company. The ceramic lamp bodies have a paint splattered crackled glaze finish. The lamps have brass h...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$4,200 / set - Pair of Stiffel Lamps after ParzingerBy Tommi Parzinger, StiffelLocated in New York, NYStylish pair of brass lamps by Stiffel, designed in the style of Tommi Parzinger. Tall and elegant, clean and working condition. Nice heavy lamps, well crafted, made with top quality...Category
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$1,800 / set - Pair of Stiffel Brass Bouillotte LampsBy StiffelLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis stylish and chic pair of Stiffel table lamps are very much in the manner of French bouillotte lamps of the late 18th century. Note: Requires three Edison based light bulbs.Category
Late 20th Century American Louis XV Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass
$800 / set - Pair of Hollywood Regency Polished Nickel Lamps by StiffelBy StiffelLocated in New York, NYStately pair of polished nickel stylized urn form lamps with Greek Key patterned bases, Designed by Stiffel. Shades not included.Category
20th Century American Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
MaterialsNickel
- Pair of Stiffel Solid Brass Table LampsBy StiffelLocated in Stamford, CTPair of 1970s tall heavy brass lamps by Stiffel. Newly rewired with new brass sockets. Overall unpolished patina. Each lamps takes one standard bulb ...Category
Vintage 1970s North American Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$950 / set