Desk lamps of the USSR: types, description. Classic table lamp with green shade

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The Soviet era and everything connected with it has long remained a topic for discussions full of nostalgia and memories. This country left an indelible mark on everyone who happened to live for some time in that difficult but glorious state. One look at the objects of that everyday life, which are now becoming exhibits of museums, can bring a smile to everyone who has ever come across them.

Table lamp with green shade

Such an item from the recent Soviet past was extremely popular in the former great power. Once a classic table lamp with a green lampshade was a gift from N. Krupskaya to her husband, V. Lenin. It was kerosene, but Lenin liked it so much that it was converted into electric. By his order, the whole library was equipped with the same lamps. The ceiling for the table lamp has always been green, and soon this new fashion trend was picked up by everyone.

Then they migrated to the tables of members of the ruling elite. Later, such a table lamp in the USSR began to be considered a sign of prosperity in the house of its owner. The intelligentsia began to give away such lamps to each other. They became associated with the Soviet era.

Clamp fixtures

Solid metal appliances were also popular. So, many had a metal lamp at home on a clamp and springs. Covered with enamel, such devices look like from films about the NKVD. And to this day, everyone who sees such a classic table lamp from a bygone era wakes up with a feeling of pleasant nostalgia.

Lamp of the People's Commissar

The table lamp of the USSR, produced in a limited series during the Stalin period, is also famous. She was called People's Commissar, you can meet her in many paintings depicting the leader of the people. Its name comes from the fact that it was used in the offices of the top leadership of the Soviet state. It reflected the ideology of the Soviets - each was marked with the emblem of the hammer and sickle. It was very prestigious to own one. The whole silhouette of the product was carefully designed, elegant, and comfortable to use.

The project for this lighting fixture was created even before the war by outstanding, already mature artists. They were educated back in the tsarist era, and the work shows signs of exceptional artistic taste. One example of their work is the lighting fixtures of the Moscow metro.

Appearance

Outwardly, this table lamp from the USSR is a product with characteristic featuresSlavic Russian culture. The metal lampshade is reminiscent of Russian national headdresses from ancient times. Later samples are distinguished by the smoothness of the upper part of the product. The hammer and sickle sign on this classic table lamp is framed by olive branches, there may be three or more, depending on the exact time of issue and the place of production. The composition is held together by six semicircular screws on straight spiers, which corresponds to the spirit of the times.

Design

Due to the placement of two carbolite cartridges inside, which are hidden deep in the bowels of the lamp, the device is able to provide optimal lighting brightness. This is very useful for the implementation of any kind of work on desks. Even with the restoration of this table lamp from the USSR, these 2 cartridges are retained in it today.

Cotton was the wiring inside and outside of this lamp, the assembly was carried out by gluing electrical tape from the same material.

Danger

Most often today, the wiring of that era loses all its qualities and is actually destroyed. The rubber dries out, then crumbles along with the insulation. Often wires are exposed, which creates many dangers for the owner. Therefore, the condition of such lamps is carefully monitored, replacing what is necessary. Products bought in antique shops are usually carefully restored, replacing all wiring with modern ones.

However, the working methods deserve admirationthe creators of the product, which made it possible to reduce the cost of technologies for mass production, while not spoiling the artistic value of the lamp. This increases the value of this antique for every collector who understands and takes into account the difficulty of the complex post-revolutionary and post-war era in the development of production. At the time of the creation of the lamp, the country's industry was actually destroyed. And all the technologies used to create the People's Commissar's lamp reflect the spirit of that era.

Most used

These table lamps witnessed the hard work of the leadership of the state of the Soviets. They were often forced to work at night with Stalin. Saving electrical energy compared to powerful chandeliers, the table lamps were able to provide enough light to allow executives to fall asleep on sofas in their offices.

Many people who buy such lamps note that they are a symbol of romanticism of that era when spiritual upsurge reigned, and citizens everywhere were actively working to restore the country. A new socialist society was being built, which firmly believed in its own beautiful future.

Trace in history

Such lamps remained in many photos depicting Stalin and his entourage. The depiction of these objects is ubiquitous in the portraits of the ruling elite of the Soviet Union. It was under the light of such a lamp that the announcer Levitan announced reports to the whole country inGreat Patriotic War. This moment has become a frequent subject of historical photographs.

Now many of these lamps have undergone restoration, during which the old cartridges were replaced with new ones. All due to the fact that, getting into warehouses after the Stalinist era, they often fell into disrepair. This was due to constant changes in the ruling apparatus, the relocation of leadership, and changes in cabinets. Lamps of this type became less prestigious. Some of them were destroyed, and some were given to ordinary families. They were not able to repair items well, to discern their true value. They did not even suspect such a historical significance of these lamps. For this reason, many of the items that have survived to this day require good restoration.

Lights often found in the hands of antique dealers have a completely modified lampshade. His color is distorted, there is no pleating, the silk is completely decayed. This fundamentally destroys the original artistic intentions of the product, its historical roots. At some point in time, such lamps in their original form were presented as a reward. To have this meant to have a high status.

There were also Soviet table lamps on a clothespin. They are much more common and also touch the deep strings of the soul with their nostalgic notes. Table lamps on a clothespin appeared in Soviet society in the 20s of the XX century. They may also have been used at some meetings of the ruling elites.

All these antiques at this point in timeare appreciated the more the more we althy people show interest in them. The supply for them decreases steadily every year, which further elevates the demand for them. Antique dealers noticed that such products are considered prestigious in the circles of the Russian leadership. Members of the modern ruling elite gladly give them to each other.