In 1879, Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison independently developed—combining and perfecting existing elements deriving from the research of Humphry Davy, De Moleyn and Göbel—the incandescent filament electric light bulb. To disguise the intense electric light, lampshades were used.
When was the first lampshade invented?
The first form of lampshades appeared in 18th century Paris. As street lamps began to line the French capital's streets, fixtures were put in place so that the gas-lit lanterns would glow downward, creating pools of illumination in the otherwise darkened roads.
What were old lampshades made of?
I quickly discovered that almost half of all Victorian-period lampshades were made of cloth or paper—not glass. Over the many years that ensued, the lampshades succumbed to the ravages of time. The first to go were the fragile, often handmade shades of crepe paper or even wallpaper.
