Antique Fairy Lamps

While not the first night lights, fairy lamps may have been the first candle enclosures to completely capture our collective imaginations. The earliest manufacturer of fairy lamps was a London designer named George Clarke, who designed his first bases and enclosures for candles in 1844. By 1887, a relative named Samuel Clarke was offering small fairy lamps for bedside tables, as well as hanging fairy lamps in groups of 5, 10, and even 25 lamps. These designs and many others were licensed to such renowned British glass firms as Stevens & Williams and Thomas Webb, who produced colorful fairy lamps in Burmese and other styles of glass. Potteries also go into the act, including Royal Worcester and Doulton. Competitors who did not license Clarke's designs included Fostoria, Daum, and Baccarat. In the early 20th century, as electricity became more commonplace, the need for candelabra to illuminate rooms abated. But in 1953, the U.S. glass manufacturer Fenton revived the fairy lamp with lines of hobnail and Mary Gregory-style glass candle holders, along with electrified models. Subsequent styles of fairy lamps produced by Fenton include owls, Santas, and even lamps painted with the image of the Statue of Liberty.