What is this strange vintage lamp?

January 5, 2011 6:51 PM

What is this cool and yet weird vintage lamp? I found it at an estate sale, and can't place exactly what it even is. White orb surrounded by a black wooden band.

Shot 1

Shot 2

Added info:

1. There are no manufacture markings, but it doesn't look handmade.

2. It takes two clicks to turn on and two to turn off. WTF.

posted by allthewhile to technology (5 answers total)

The switch is likely for a 3-way light bulb: dim, normal, bright, then off. If you have a regular bulb, it's 2 on and 2 off.
posted by CathyG at 6:56 PM on January 5, 2011

It looks like maybe there used to be an illuminated world globe in the stand, and someone has replaced it with a blank orb to make a lamp instead.
posted by lollusc at 6:59 PM on January 5, 2011

Cool lookin' lamp! It strikes me as something made in a faraway land and purchased at an import store, such as Pier 1. Definitely vintage looking, maybe seventies? I could see it next to a water bed...
posted by exphysicist345 at 9:25 PM on January 5, 2011

It's a lamp.

I'd say 70s is about right (the dark polished wood is the big tip-off). It's definitely a conversation piece. I doubt it was a globe (those are common enough and usually have the Earth at the appropriate angle and so on), particularly because the globe that's there fits its base so well.
posted by dhartung at 9:43 PM on January 5, 2011

This looks like something designed for a department store counter or restaurant. It would be very high-style for a home, but could have been produced at an industrial decorator shop.
posted by Miko at 6:27 AM on January 6, 2011