'Bubble Lamp' light shade designed by George Nelson
Object No. 2000/30/1
Light shade, 'Bubble Lamp', plastic / metal / paper, designed by George Nelson, United States of America, 1947, made by Howard Miller Clock Co, Zeeland, Michigan, United States of America, 1952-1979
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Summary
Physical Description
Light shade, 'Bubble Lamp', plastic / metal, designed by George Nelson / made by Howard Miller Clock Co, USA, 1947-1970s. Hanging light shade of flattened spherical form composed of two circular steel rings connected by steel ribs and covered in self-webbing plastic; the upper ring fitted internally with a tri-form metal insert for suspension cord attachment and externally bearing a label with the partly decipherable words 'Lunar [?] / Lighting Fixtures'.
DIMENSIONS
Height
260 mm
Diameter
620 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Designed by George Nelson (1908-1986), one of America's most significant post-war modernist designers. According to Nelson (Stanley Abercrombie, George Nelson: the design of modern design, MIT Press, 1995, pp117-118) the design was inspired by Swedish, silk-covered lights and the technology was adapted from that developed by the navy to cover ships' decking. The light also has much in common with Japanese paper-covered light shades as adapted and popularised by the designer Isamu Noguchi in the mid-1960s. The manufacture of the light, which was produced in several different shapes from about 1952, is attributed in relevant texts to the Howard Miller Clock Co., USA. However, this example bears the partly-decipherable label of 'Luna/r[?] / Lighting Fixtures', possibly the maker, distributor or retailer. No further information has been found on this company. The light was formed by spraying the self-webbing plastic skin over the metal framework. The spherical version of the light was designed by Nelson in 1947 and the range of lights was manufactured from 1952 until the [1970s?].
HISTORY
Notes
The light was purchased about 1998 in America by the donor. No further provenance is available.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Spence & Lyda, Sydney, 2000
Acquisition Date
24 February 2000
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