HOUSE AND GARDEN 
M 
ARCH, 
1913 
Having previously alluded to the significance of the side wall 
as a desirable locale for the art lamp, it is of interest to take up 
the infinite variety of decorative effects made possible by the in¬ 
expensive mode of color modification by gelatine film. 
Oftentimes the pink silk candle-shade which one buys under 
daylight conditions because of its desirable color-contrast for a 
certain background, when placed in position over its miniature 
lamp and viewed by transmitted rays of artificial light, with 
chameleon -like 
perversity turns 
white! This lit¬ 
tle silk shade, 
which by day 
blends so charm¬ 
ingly and incon¬ 
spicuously with 
its decorative sur¬ 
roundings, be¬ 
comes offensively 
predominant and 
detracts from 
their beauty by 
night. To cor¬ 
rect this condition 
it is only neces¬ 
sary to cut a 
strip of pink gel¬ 
atine film and in¬ 
sert it in conical 
form beneath the 
offending shade. 
Its own elasticity 
will hold it . in 
place, and any 
desired color in¬ 
tensity may be ob¬ 
tained. A deli¬ 
cate pink, for ex¬ 
ample, can be 
changed to old 
rose simply by su¬ 
perimposing sev¬ 
eral layers of the 
film, gaining with 
each layer a deep¬ 
er color intensity. 
Nor is the ap¬ 
plication of this 
willing medium 
restricted to can¬ 
dle shades — for 
wherever there is 
a source of light, 
be it a miniature 
electric bulb or a 
“junior” gas man¬ 
tle, concealed in a 
decorative urn, or 
behind a trans¬ 
parency, the gelatine film may be used to produce wonderful 
effects, creating atmosphere and doing away with every trace of 
garishness. These decorative touches of light in the home, if 
well done, are never tiresome, but of great inspiration, turning 
the subconscious mind from material annoyances to pleasant 
reveries. .& 
Perhaps the best way to convey some impression of the esthetic 
possibilities of artificial light will be to transport the reader to 
a studio equipped by the writer for the conducting of ex¬ 
periments with the view of improving lighting conditions in the 
average home. The work in this house experiment station has 
as its fundamental object the presentation of lighting suggestions 
in practical form, which will enable the average individual to 
enjoy some of the great benefits and happiness which artificial 
light can bestow. 
The photograph on this page depicts an interior representing 
in size the aver¬ 
age living - room. 
The lighting fix¬ 
ture shown does 
not represent any 
particular manu¬ 
facturer’s prod¬ 
uct, being of en¬ 
tirely original de¬ 
sign, but is typ¬ 
ical of a success- 
f u 1 method of 
concealing the 
light source and 
at the same time 
getting a soft dif- 
f used light 
throughout t h e 
room. Such fix- 
t u r e s may be 
adapted to gas or 
electricity. 
Within the art 
glass bowl of 
dense Etruscan 
opal a metal re¬ 
flector is placed, 
so as to direct 
most of the light 
rays emitted by 
the source to the 
ceiling, at such an 
angle that when 
re-directed down¬ 
ward by the dif¬ 
fusive action of 
the ceiling, their 
direction is such 
that ocular com¬ 
fort prevails at 
every point in the 
room. 
The exterior of 
this bowl is rich¬ 
ly expressive of a 
Florentine m 0 - 
tive, in well-ren¬ 
dered bas relief. 
An amber tint 
lends to the inte¬ 
rior a light which, 
while of sufficient intensity for all utilitarian purposes, does not 
emphasize every wrinkle and facial blemish, like the unmodified 
“white” source, but instead makes the hostess and her guests 
appear mutually to best advantage. 
In reality this interior appears much brighter than is indicated 
by the photograph, due to the extremely difficult conditions under 
which it was taken, but it serves admirably to illustrate a 
method of utilizing a center-ceiling light in a manner entirely 
' v- -'Xd r 
*. < - A- 
' n > 
A ceding frxfu’rei of tJlfs'g.Orl. accomplishes a general illumination of the room that both brings out 
details in decoration ar.eT-is pleasing to the eye. Light is reflected from the ceiling and is diffused 
through the glassware, but is bright enough to permit reading in any part of the room 
