Our living rooms in the 1960's were comfortable places, indeed. Ours had a homey ambiance that made for a wonderful place to spawn memories. I can clearly recall the paneled walls, the sunken floor furnace, the area rug with rectangular shapes with 1 1/2" wide borders that were PERFECT for driving your Hot Wheels cars on, and a familiar means of illumination of the era: a three-light floor lamp.
I recall the lamps being in all sorts of homes I visited. Ours had metallic shades that directed the light at whatever you wanted to be lit up. It sat by the easy chair, so dad could point the glaring 60-watt bulb directly at his copy of the Tulsa World.
My grandmother in Mason, Texas had one with glass shades that were bright blue and orange. It was something to see, especially when she would festoon it with tinsel, ornaments, and strings of popcorn each year at Christmas time.
There are thousands of snapshots like the one to the right that were taken during the 60's that featured the ubiquitous form of lighting. They were inexpensive, looked modern (today, they look RETRO-modern), and did a great job of lighting up what needed to be seen. They also got very hot, and one of my earliest learning experiences was that you did NOT aim the light by grasping the shade. No, you grabbed the end with the rotary switch to keep from burning the heck out of yourself.
I'm surprised I don't cower in fear at the sight of the old floor lamps. The one we had also taught me at the age of five that it's a really BAD idea to stick your finger in the socket!
The lights served an additional function: they were a nice place to drape shirts and such that weren't quite dry when it started raining and mom had to hurry outside and remove them from the clothesline.
I'm not sure when the multiple light floor lamp became passe. I don't recall seeing too many of them in the 70's. I remember mom got rid of ours when we got new living room lamps at an estate auction. She used those lamps for thirty years until her death.
It seemed like everyone else got rid of theirs, too. Nowadays, they are sought after by folks looking for the retro feel (like my wife and myself). But go back about forty years, and they were seen in millions of middle-class homes all over the world.
Just don't grab them by the hot metal shade!
Comments (5)
I had one of the 3 lights on a pole through 1977. No idea where it went. I liked the fact that you could turn on one, two or all three and move them around like spot lights for maximum effect.
Posted by Wesley | April 30, 2007 8:52 AM
Posted on April 30, 2007 08:52
A Boomer friend at work reminded me that many of these lights (including the one in my living room) had adjustable poles so they would lodge firmly between the ceiling and the floor. Thanks, Tammy!
Posted by Ron Enderland | April 30, 2007 6:25 PM
Posted on April 30, 2007 18:25
Heck, I STILL have a pole lamp. I got it as a hand-me-down from my parents and have it proudly displayed in my living room. Unfortunately, it isn't one of the cool Space Age looking lamps most readily recognize. It's from the early/mid-1970s, made of brass and has three lamps that look like 18th Century hurricane lanterns. I placed red, yellow, and green bulbs in the lamps to somewhat imitate a traffic signal.
I wish I could find one of those slick "Jetsons" pole lamps like my Grandpop once had behind a huge black leather recliner.
Posted by Mike | December 30, 2007 5:36 PM
Posted on December 30, 2007 17:36
I had one, from a yard sale I think...in 1990! Looked most like the top picture. I lived in an old apartment building with carpet from around the 60s (colors/patterns varied from apt to apt) and some wood panel walls. I was in early 20s & going thru a thing of collecting anything from early 70s--including one of those console cabinet-looking stereos (with the lid that lifted up).
Posted by Cynthia | January 1, 2009 9:12 AM
Posted on January 1, 2009 09:12
Knew of them, but we didn't have any. We had lamps with hugh lamp shades. I do remember seeing lots of those lights on a pole in office and doctors office waiting rooms.
Posted by Rivers End | June 12, 2009 10:05 PM
Posted on June 12, 2009 22:05