Pieces of History Victorian Lamps

Even though electricity had been invented some years earlier, Victorian times was still a place lit by kerosene and oil lamps. A time of Charles Dickens, Sense & Sensibility, horses, carriages and large houses decorated in fancy ways. Victorian times were a rich time for the rich and poor for the poor. Accessible electricity was not really available until the very end of the Victorian era.

Victorian times are named after Queen Victoria, the longest reigning monarch in Great Britain’s history. She reigned as an young woman in 1837 until her death in 1901. She was stony faced and ruled the country with an iron fist. In Britain, the Victorian era is time during this reign but internationally it is regarded as 1850, when the Industrial Revolution really took off to 1914 the beginning of World War I.

As the Industrial Revolution occurred and mass-manufacture became the norm, Victorian lamps went in two directions. Standard oil lamps which were accessible to all and of varying quality, and the incredibly intricate designs as used by the wealthy. Victorian lamps and lighting today are still recognized as being masterpieces of lighting luxury and creativity.

Housed in glass, hand-painted, decorated with gemstones and boasting precious metal features, these lamps are unequivocal signs of wealth. Victorian-style reproductions are readily available today as the modern era, with its critical eye, still approves of this look. The real achievement is if you get a real one.

Owning a Victorian lamp is owning a relic from a time past. An antique over 100 years old, still timeless as it was when created. A treasure created with opulence in mind.