brian cassidy bookselle

26.
[Design]: [Electrical Lighting]
ANDERSEN, Lauritz W.
[Manuscript Photo Catalogue of
A Light Fixture Manufacturer]
Waterbury, CT: Waterbury Metal Wares, [ca. 1929]
Large 8vo. commercial album. Limp leather wraps over metal ring binding.
Printed catalogue with 75 added leaves holding 85 professional
black-and-white photographs, loosely corner-mounted. Some stamped
on verso with company name. With numerous additional manuscript notations
and dozens of sketches. An unmodified copy of the print catalog,
a supplemental catalog and various related scrap and ephemera
additionally laid in. General wear. Overall sound. Very good.
Draft production binder used in creation and revision of a 1929 catalogue
of electric lighting fixtures and accessories, belonging to
Lauritz W. Andersen, industrial designer and owner of The Waterbury
Metal Wares Co. Andersen was a prominent inventor and designer of
electrical socketry in the early 20th century; his career can be
traced through patent office records, where over 60 items bear his
name. He was with the firm of Plume and Atwood for approximately
25 years, leaving in 1915 to form Waterbury. The firm specialized in
fixtures and other components for lamps and lighting — including
earlier methods (candles, lanterns). Sconces, candelabras, floor and
desk lamps, as well as more specialized (piano, drafting) much in
evidence. The clear, professional photographs, as well as sketches
and notes within the binder provide a thorough glimpse into the early
industrial design and marketing of electrical lighting.
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