And Then There was Electricity....

I grew up in a small town in the heart of the prairies the granddaughter of Russian Mennonites.  My Dad learned to speak English when he went to school and my Grossmama spoke very little English but always managed to make everyone understand what she wanted.  I remember when they finally got power in the farm yard where they lived, I was a teenager I think.  My Grossmama never used an electric stove until they moved off the farm and she was in her 70s by then.  I can only imagine the wonder that our ancestors experienced when they flipped the switch for the first time to light up their house.



Can you imagine the changes these women would have experienced in their life time??

Medalta produced lamps for many years in various shapes and colors, there are even cookie jars and vases that were made in to lamps.  One of the first colored pieces we bought was a matte green lamp and although we really like it we have steered clear of lamps.  We do have a few lamps, they are all stamped and we do not use any of them.  There are a few reasons we do not use them and the number one is that they would have to be rewired and I am afraid to break them so they are just decorations.

 " Lamp #9 is the earliest of the numbered Medalta lamps, who’s shape started as the hand made 4 ½" lamp. It was introduced in 1932, and was produced until 1937. Its height is 4 1/4" (109 mm), and it is a named lamp, the “Globe” lamp.  Most of these do not have an in-mould mark, and many are unmarked. All of the examples of this lamp I have examined have a circular casting ridge at the same position, about 1 3/4" up from the base, indicating that it was jigged in two pieces and then assembled. Assembly was probably done on a wheel, while the clay was still wet."

"Lamp #11 is the Beehive lamp. This lamp has not been seen with an embossed mark, but has been seen with the silver Medalta paper sticker, P.2. It also occurs in a number of classical Medalta glazes, including the multicolor spotted glaze. It is 5 5/8" (144 mm) high. The glaze
shown here is the Medalta orange spotted on brown glaze. This lamp was introduced in 1933 and continued in production until 1937." 








"Lamp #53 was introduced in 1938. In spite of its early introduction date, I have not seen this lamp in other than a solid color glaze. According to Ed Phillipson, the shape is based on vase shape #71. The height of the lamp is 190 mm (7/16").  It has also been seen with mark G.14.b. Colours seen include two greens, Crimson (red), and Chocolate (dark brown), and Helio Blue." 

"Lamp #428a and #428b, the early lamp is more bulbous than the redesigned lamp, and the base is higher on the later lamp. The shoulder is also more square on the later lamp. The later lamp is also slightly taller, with the heights being 9.9" (252 mm) for the early lamp and 10.3" (262 mm) for the later lamp. The handle detail is also different, with the early version having a handle that is thicker on the top than the bottom, like lamp #451.  Production was in 1940 and 1941, and possibly in 1945 and 1946 for the early lamp."

 

"Lamp #506 is referred to as the miniature of the post-war series of lamps. It would be a miniature of lamp #502. The three color glaze shown is typical of the lamps of this number. The lamp is marked No 506, and the oxide mark is a partial G.38.a. An almost identical lamp made in the USA (see page 47) has frequently been assumed to be this lamp. All the Medalta #506 lamps seen by the author have red flowers.  The height of the lamp is 7 7/8".  Introduced likely in 1947, this lamp shape was produced briefly in that oxide marked pieces usually have mark G.38.a, indicating production in the early post-war period."

"Lamp #24 is 8" tall and could have been included with the large lamps. Lamp #26, which has a height of 5 3/4" has the same basic shape. The records list this lamp as being 7 ½" high but this lamp is generally about 8" in height. This shape was introduced in 1934, and was produced until 1941. This is the longest known production of any Medalta lamp. This lamp is found with two different impressed mould marks, usually mark M.16, but occasionally mark M.18. As it was produced after 1939, it is occasionally found made with white clay. If it has an oxide stamp it is usually G.33.b." 





"They are hand painted, and their height is 6 5/8". The lamp has a closed base design.  The marks are G.9 (partial) and G.16.a. This is the Small Square Shouldered lamp of the Medalta records, produced in 1931 only."






The information on the lamps is from Medalta Lamps by Bruce Douglas.  I am slowly learning more about lamps fro mother collectors and from simply seeing them and going back to read about the shape, color and years produced.

The photos are all from our personal collection.  My thanks to the people that never fail to answer my questions and share their wealth of information with me!

And the Search Continues.....