Date | Manufacturer | Notes | Outside of Box | Inside of Box |
ca 1930 | Unknown | An early outdoor set, parallel wired with Japanese outside colored intermediate base lamps. | ||
ca 1932 | Paramount |
This is a typical set from Paramount, series wired and equipped with imported Japanese lamps. |
||
ca 1934 | Reliance |
It is interesting to note that lantern bulbs were never originally intended for Christmas lighting, but rather for parties, festivals, etc. Through the years, the lanterns found their way to Christmas trees and remained in favor until the beginning of World War II. A few years after the War, the lanterns reappeared for a short time in the early 50s, and then were no longer produced. |
||
ca 1938 | Reliance | Here is a later version of the Reliance lantern set. This box is smaller and not as well made, but is intended to be folded to make a countertop display. | ||
ca 1935 | Leo Pollack Company |
The Leo Pollock Company of New York produced these lights in about 1935. The Company produced only very high quality outfits that have survived the years well. This set uses the candelabra base C-7 120 volt lamps |
||
ca 1935 | Crest-O-Lite |
This is an outdoor outfit using intermediate base C-9 lamps, and is weatherproofed for outdoor use. It was produced throughout the mid 1930s, and is actually a NOMA product. |
||
ca 1935 | ClemCo |
Here is the most commonly found box from ClemCo. This particular example houses candelabra base indoor/outdoor lamps and has a weatherproof rubber coated cord.. |
||
ca 1936 | Paramount |
Paramount was the first company to incorporate General Electric's new candle-shaped light bulbs into a boxed set. GE had introduced the lamps a year before, but they did not become popular until they were sold in sets like this one. |
||
ca 1938 |
NOMA |
First marketed in 1938, this candle outfit from NOMA used the newly introduced General Electric candle lamps. Offered in both series and parallel wired sets, they were not big sellers for two reasons. First, the lamps were top heavy and would not stand up properly, and secondly, they often developed burned circular holes in their paint due to the close proximity of the filament to the outside glass envelope. The set was offered in an attractive box that opens like a book. Sold for only a few years, NOMA discontinued the set shortly after World War II. |
||
ca 1938 | Royal |
Through the kindness of a friend, I was able to add this hard to find set of candles from Royal to my collection. As with the NOMA and Paramount sets featured above, this outfit used the GE candle lamps, and was featured in Royal's catalog as being available with all white, all yellow or assorted color candles. |
||
ca 1938 | ClemCo |
This 1938 outfit from ClemCo uses outside painted T-4 bulbs. The candles themselves are white plastic and are held in place on the tree with metal clips. This set is quite hard to find, as it was made for only three years. |
||
ca 1938 | PAR | A Japanese figural lamp, typical of this era. Few of these lights survive with all of their paint intact like this example did. The light is a representation of "Three Men in a Tub", from the "Rub-a-Dub-Dub" children's nursery rhyme. | ||
ca 1938 | Real-Lite |
In a strangely "non-Christmassy" colored box, this outfit from Real-Lite is a actually a NOMA product. |
||
ca 1938 | Reliance |
This interesting outfit from Reliance contains eight "ornament lights". The lamps are delicate silvered glass and hand painted, just like real ornaments of the era. Small 15 volt lamps are inserted, and when lit, give off a wonderful iridescent glow unlike any other type of Christmas light. Sadly, the lights most often burnt out in their first season of use, as the silvering of the glass envelopes served to trap heat, causing the bulb to lose its vacuum seal very easily. Produced for only a few years in the early 1930s, these Japanese-produced lamps are very hard to find today. |
Note: OldChristmasTreeLights? and FamilyChristmasOnline? are trademarks of Breakthrough Communications? (www.btcomm.com).
|
Visit our affiliated sites: | ||||||
- Christmas Memories and Collectibles - | ||||||
- Family Activities and Crafts - | ||||||
- Music - | ||||||
- Trains and Hobbies - | ||||||