Styles & eras of antique lighting

The high-decoration era of American lighting: heavy cast-brass arms, embossed canopies, and elaborate gas or combination fixtures that bridged the move to electricity.

The transitional 'gas-type' fixtures collectors prize: combination gasoliers, early carbon-filament pendants, and the first purpose-built electric brackets.

The Craftsman answer to Victorian excess: rectilinear lanterns, hammered copper and bronze, and warm amber art-glass or mica shades for the bungalow.

A nostalgic return to early-American forms: candle-style arms, urn and ball motifs, and bright polished brass that suited center-hall colonials and revival cottages.

The flowing, nature-inspired moment between Victorian and Deco: sinuous 'whiplash' lines, floral and vine castings, and luminous iridescent or leaded-glass shades.

The streamlined modern era: geometric stepped forms, chrome and nickel finishes, and the frosted, molded 'slip shades' collectors hunt for.

A fixture family more than a style: the 'pan' light — a central disc with downward arms holding molded slip shades — that filled bungalow and early-modern dining rooms.