1955 Gerald Thurston Midcentury Tripod Table Lamp Pair for Lightolier
About the Item
- Creator:Gerald Thurston (Designer),Lightolier (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 26.5 in (67.31 cm)Diameter: 23.25 in (59.06 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Power Source:Plug-in
- Lampshade:Included
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1955
- Condition:Rewired. Wear consistent with age and use. Preowned original vintage condition. Rewired.
- Seller Location:Chula Vista, CA
- Reference Number:
Gerald Thurston
As the leading designer at Lightolier during the postwar building and design boom, Gerald Thurston created his clever lighting — sleek floor lamps, table lamps and desk lamps — to suit the American lifestyles of 1950s and 1960s. His designs were at the forefront of the mid-century modern lighting revolution — like much of the visionary work being done at the time in furniture and interiors, Thurston’s fixtures are both elegant and totally innovative, reflecting the exploration of new ideas and new technology that consumed designers of the era.
Thurston eventually led a stellar team of international lighting designers at Lightolier. He was important to the pioneering East Coast–based electric lighting company, and rumor has it that because he sketched every design on craft paper, the manufacturer insured his right hand for one million American dollars.
While enrolled in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago during the 1930s, where he earned his degree in industrial design, Thurston worked as a freelance designer for the Zenith Radio Corporation. Once he graduated, he found a position at the New Metal Craft Company. There he designed custom lighting fixtures and decorative objects for architects and interior designers.
Lightolier enticed Thurston to join them in approximately 1950. That same year, New York’s Museum of Modern Art featured a green floor lamp of his in their Good Design Exhibition of 1950. The sculptural lamps that Thurston created for Lightolier are representative of his interest in Scandinavian modernist lighting as well as the revolutionary designs produced by postwar Italian companies such as Arredoluce and Arteluce. (Lightolier partnered with the latter, and Thurston found inspiration in the work of Arteluce founder Gino Sarfatti.)
During Thurston’s decades-long tenure with Lightolier, he became internationally known for his many designs. His modernist fixtures are characterized by clean lines, vibrant colors and an appealing meld of metals and rich woods. His slender-legged Lightolier Tripod floor lamp, introduced in the 1960s, garnered widespread acclaim, while his whimsical Cricket lamp, with its arthropodan shade and slim brass frame, is wholly versatile — it can be hung as a sconce or positioned on a desk and offers direct or diffused light.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Gerald Thurston lighting, decorative objects and more.
Lightolier
Founded in 1904 in New York and family-operated through most of its history, Lightolier was one of the pioneering American electric lighting companies, best known for its embrace of stylistic and technical innovations.
Collectors focus on vintage Lightolier lighting fixtures produced from the 1950s and into the 1970s, when an in-house design team led by Gerald Thurston — and a stellar cast of international design contributors — created an array of practical yet aesthetically lively table lamps, floor lamps, sconces and chandeliers.
Amidst the post-World War II building boom, Lightolier — the name combines “light” and “chandelier” — aggressively boosted its residential lighting division. Thurston, who was strongly influenced by the sleek designs of Gino Sarfatti and his Italian lighting firm Arteluce, towards simpler lamp designs that offered flexibility of function. His best-known designs include the Cricket task light — a lamp with an adjustable enameled metal hood that toggles on a slender bent-metal base — and the three-legged Tripod floor lamp. At the same time, Thurston had a wonderful eye for talent and sought work from some of the lesser-known greats of the era, such as Paavo Tynell, the Finnish lighting designer, who designed several brass chandeliers for Lightolier with his trademark elegant flamboyance.
And more, Thurston recognized abilities in designers not known for their work in lighting.
Edward Wormley, head of furniture design for Dunbar, produced several noteworthy chandeliers employing canisters and reflective hoods. Alvin Lustig was famed as a graphic designer. His ca. 1953 Ring ceiling fixture for Lightolier had a minimalist techno look some 30 years ahead of its time. But this was par. Designed by Michael Lax in 1964, the Lytegem high-intensity lamp — included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art — features a ball-shaped shade attached with a chromed armature to a cubic base, a form that would be widely copied in the following decade. Chandeliers designed in the early 1970s by Gaetano Sciolari, with details such as acrylic diffusers and vertical, two-bulb arms, would define the look of lighting in their day.
A look through these pages reveals just how astonishingly wide a range of lighting pieces Lightolier produced. The company never flicked off its stylistic switch.
Find a collection of vintage Lightolier lamps and other lighting fixtures on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: National City, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- 1950s Elegant Brass Table Lamp Marble Base Gerald Thurston LightolierBy Gerald ThurstonLocated in Chula Vista, CA1950s Elegant Table Lamp designed by Gerald Thurston and produced by Lightolier Lamp is supported by a colorful, faceted marble base. Three-way light socket. 27 tall to finial x 7.5 ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMarble, Brass
- 1950s Rare Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Reading Floor LampBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in Chula Vista, CAAMBIANIC presents 1950s Rare Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Adjustable Reading Floor Lamp 54 h x 14.5 w 21.5 d Preowned original vintage condition Refer to images provided. Shipping ...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- 1950s Custom Ball Tripod Table Lamp Pair Style NelsonBy George NelsonLocated in Chula Vista, CA1960s MCM Style of George Nelson Ball Tripod Lamps 25.5 h x 12.25 diameter Custom piece Preowned unrestored vintage condition Refer to images Local delivery is available. LA OC Palm ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- 1950s Corrugated Copper Table Lamp Black Iron Tripod BaseBy Arthur UmanoffLocated in Chula Vista, CA1950s Fabulous corrugated copper patchwork table lamp black iron tripod base. 10.25 tall diameter 6.5 bottom, 5.25 top. Preowned unrestored vintage condition. See images provided.Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCopper, Iron
- 1950s Modern Atomic Starburst Table Lamp on Tripod PedestalLocated in Chula Vista, CATable Lamp Atomic age ceramic starburst globe table lamp on metal base with bronze feet 1950s Sputnik. Milk glass surrounds bulb placement. Sphere has dazzling graphics in black & li...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBronze, Metal
- 1960s Atomic Lime Green Wood Table Lamp Tripod Iron BaseBy Arthur UmanoffLocated in Chula Vista, CA1960s Atomic Lime Green Wood Table Lamp Tripod Iron Base California atomic design. No label. After Arthur Umanoff. 6.5 diameter x 10 h Original vinta...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsIron
- Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Beige "Cricket" Desk Lamp, Circa 1955By Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in Bainbridge, NYOriginal Classic Gerald Thurston for Lightolier Beige Cricket Table Lamp, Wall Lamp. Featuring an adjustable perforated dome Bakelite Shade in Coffe...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass, Steel
- Gerald Thurston "Cricket" Lamp for LightolierBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in Brooklyn, NYGreat modernist design, can sit on table or be hung on the wall as a sconce. Pierced pivoting shade allows for direct or diffused light and brightness control.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsEnamel
- Midcentury Vintage Ceramic Lamp by Gerald Thurston for LightolierBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in Chicago, ILMidcentury vintage ceramic lamp base by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier. As shown, ceramic base requires specifying hardware and wiring. First photo with black shade is for reference...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
- Gerald Thurston Tripod Table LampBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in Houston, TXThe Gerald Thurston Tripod Table Lamp epitomizes mid-century modern design with its rare combination of walnut, chrome, and brass elements. Desi...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass, Chrome
- Pair of Gerald Thurston Fin Lamps for LightolierBy Lightolier, Gerald ThurstonLocated in Kilmarnock, VAA pair of parabolic fin table lamps by Gerard Thurston. Stoneware body is made up of four fin like shapes that have alternating concave Navy and light turquoise glaze. Porcelain sits...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
- Gerald Thurston for Lightolier White Cricket Lamps - PairBy Gerald Thurston, LightolierLocated in Brooklyn, NYPair of matched "Cricket" table lamp, designed by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier. Enameled white shade, articulates from angular brass base. A versatile lamp that may be hung on the ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal