The W.B.Brown Lamp Co.
the makers of Arts / Crafts wood & slag glass light fixtures/clocks
1912 catalog |
Here are some pictures of pages from the catalogs.
Interesting Notes
> There are 497 different light fixtures in the 1912 Catalog.....All wood & slag glass or stained glass.
> They made Table lamps(called Portables),Wall lamps (called Brackets), Floor lamps (called Piano), . Newel Posts & 4 types of ceiling lamps ( Pendants,Domes, Ceiling ,Chandeliers ) . > The Lamps came Stock in Oak, but you could order Birds-Eye Maple, Cherry, Walnut, Mahogany. > The lamps were made to use Electric, gas ,oil. or the combinations of two . |
Not many WB Brown lamps were signed & they are very hard to find .
These pictures will show were to look for the stamped name.
others had metal tags, some you will need to take apart to find a Stamped production No.
Click on any picture to view a LARGE picture for detail.
above or below
Looking for a Stamped lamp production Number.
I found these numbers after taking apart My Floor lamp to clean the glass ,I then
took pictures of the numbers for future reference. At the time I didn't realize this was a WB Brown lamp ,It wasn't until about a year afterwards when I discovered & bought a WB lamp catalog that I came across the same Number and picture , and discovered that my Floor lamp top ( called a Piano lamp ) was made for several different applications ,including Ceiling fixtures.
Some History of the W.B. Brown Lamp Co.
from
The Wells County Historical Society Bluffton,Indiana
Bluffton was the home of a world class manufacturer of Arts and Crafts Mission style furniture, electric lighting fixtures and store interiors from 1906 to 1923. The W.B.Brown Co., known locally as the "Chandelier Factory," moved from Huntington, Indiana to Bluffton in 1906 when the Bluffton Commercial Club and Merchants and Manufacturers Association were able to locate a larger factory building to accommodate the fast growing industry.
Brown became a major supplier of wood and stained glass lighting fixtures marketed through distributors for sales nation-wide as well as abroad. Ceiling hung fixtures with oak and leaded stained glass shades featured wood chain links for suspension. Many different designs and sizes were available as pictured in their elaborate catalogs. The line included wall brackets and portable (table) lamps. Brown held a 1906 US patent for a method of easily assembling his fixtures with a wood union, permitting their shipment in a knockdown fashion for assembly by the purchaser. This lowered the production labor time and enabled a lower shipping cost. Getting the product on the market faster and at lower cost positioned Brown as the major manufacturer of the oak and stained leaded glass fixtures. Brown's skilled glass artisans produced many stained glass windows.
The Brown Company was a major Bluffton industrial employer with more than 100 employees. The lighting fixture business became so important after 1920 to prompt Brown to discontinue his store interior and most other Mission style furniture production. By 1923 the demand for Arts and Crafts style had declined when Brown closed out his inventory, selling the factory building and much of the equipment.
from
The Wells County Historical Society Bluffton,Indiana
Bluffton was the home of a world class manufacturer of Arts and Crafts Mission style furniture, electric lighting fixtures and store interiors from 1906 to 1923. The W.B.Brown Co., known locally as the "Chandelier Factory," moved from Huntington, Indiana to Bluffton in 1906 when the Bluffton Commercial Club and Merchants and Manufacturers Association were able to locate a larger factory building to accommodate the fast growing industry.
Brown became a major supplier of wood and stained glass lighting fixtures marketed through distributors for sales nation-wide as well as abroad. Ceiling hung fixtures with oak and leaded stained glass shades featured wood chain links for suspension. Many different designs and sizes were available as pictured in their elaborate catalogs. The line included wall brackets and portable (table) lamps. Brown held a 1906 US patent for a method of easily assembling his fixtures with a wood union, permitting their shipment in a knockdown fashion for assembly by the purchaser. This lowered the production labor time and enabled a lower shipping cost. Getting the product on the market faster and at lower cost positioned Brown as the major manufacturer of the oak and stained leaded glass fixtures. Brown's skilled glass artisans produced many stained glass windows.
The Brown Company was a major Bluffton industrial employer with more than 100 employees. The lighting fixture business became so important after 1920 to prompt Brown to discontinue his store interior and most other Mission style furniture production. By 1923 the demand for Arts and Crafts style had declined when Brown closed out his inventory, selling the factory building and much of the equipment.