San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-05-12
ARTISTIC LIGHTING.
m THE HOUSE GIVES
MANY OPPORTUNITIES.
Suggestions foi Decorative and Useful
Development-With Electric Fluid Is
No End of Ingenious Contributions to
Our Greater Comfort.

How far can the new illuminant, cleo
tricity, aid us in onr hours of work and con-
duce to the comfort and peace of our hours
of rest and recreation! The engineers have
supplied the current to the house, and it
becomes necessary to consider how to ar
range, clothe and decorate the lamps so
that the light may be a source Of pleasure
and not of irritation.
So far the artists have not kept pace with
the engineers, and most of the pendants
and electroliers found at present are want
ing singularly in imagination and grace.
They are far too heavy and clumsy for the
light lamps that they support. The lines
and curves are conventional and ungrace-
full, and the lamps are often so placed that
they shed their light directly in our eyes,
instead of rejecting it from the objects that
should be Illuminated by them.
The shape of the lamps themselves should
| be consideredand worked into the design,
so that the whole may be harmonious, a
| quality in which the present models are de-
| ficient, electric lamps generally appearing
as if they had been struck or hung on as an
afterthought.
ART IN DESIGNS.
So far designers of electric light fittings
| rived from their experiences with gas,
| candles, OIL torches and other relics of the
past, forgetting that the shapes of the hold
ers of all these lights are determined by
| the necessity of leaving a clear space above
them for the escape of hot and foul air,
| and also by the condition that they must
| be within reach of the taper or match used
| for lighting them. Not till they realize
E. IL. txxrN 20
| lions will designers begin to appreciate the
| artistic possibilities of the new illuminant,
and give us original designs of flying fig.
ures, birds and carved Cupids, delicate
chain work, family tinted glass and china
| powdered with flowers
| Bright center lights foreshorten dis
| tances and enhance the feeling of narrow
ness which cleverly arranged lamps, placed
so as to brighten the sides and corners,
| should help to dissipate. Modern heavy
brass models of dragons, griffins and dol
| phins are to be especially recommended as
electric lamp holders, as good and mex
pensive designs are to be bought. but they
| should always be fixed with the lights
| hanging downward, not crawling up the
wall like poor overladen insects carrying
| luminous eggs. Very highly ornamented
| 0UIlnSS Will OLJen nave Il COLlluOH appear
ance. Grace, simplicity and beauty of
| form and color should be sought before
| everything. Each of the decorative lights
should have a separate switch, to be used
| when required.
Outside the drawing room door is beau
| tiful place for a decorative light. The YES
| tibule light need not always be kept burn
| ing 1t should be turned on by the servant
| who answers the door, or connected after
dark with the front door bell, so that when
the bell is rung the light would be switch
| ed on.
MANY USEFUL ARRANGEMENTS.
An electric cigar lighter should hang
near the front door, which will save the
| daily hunt for matches, and consequent ir-
ritation of the master of the house and
his friends. Electricity may also afford
| us protection at night, as an ingenious
| burglar alarm has been devised by which,
| from a controlling switch in the masters
bedroom, the whole passage, hall and
stairs can be illuminated, so that when the
gentle burglar comes a-burgling" light
may be thrown on his nefarious practices.
We owe to electricity the Punishment of
| that faint and sickly odOr of paraffine that
| haunts our staircases after the daily pro-
cession of the lamps to the drawing room.
In the sitting room in which we live
there should be two kinds of light, faint
shaded light to read, talk or think by,
and brighter light to play by" With
bright light meditation will not be fertile,
and with a dim light play will not be Wig
orous.
1t is difficult to decide beforehand ex-
actly where we wish to have the standards
and reading lamps placed. If real luxury
and comfort are desired pair of electric
wires should he placed along the skirting
board around each of the sitting rooms,
and sockets should be fixed upon them at
intervals, so that any standard can be
moved to any part of the room, and to IA
cilitate this all the plugs and sockets in the
house should be interchangeable.
1t is impossible to Overestimate the daily
comfort gained by having electric lamps
fixed in all the principal cupboards, linen
and hOusemaids' closets, wine and coal Gel
lars, bathrooms, etc. The working cost of
these is not worth considering, owing to
the short total of hours that each burns in
the year.
A DRAWING ROOM IDEA.
1t is very easy to economic when first
the installation is put in, but it is great
mistake to do so. as the initial expense is
small in comparison to the daily comfort
of well arranged and we'll distributed
lights, and eventually economy in the
quantity of electricity used-which, it
must be remembered, is paid for by meter
will result, from thus being able to light
the particular corner of the room in which
we wish to sit. instead of Illuminating Unr