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Aquarium Motion Lamp, Scene-in-Action, ca 1930

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Ben's loves1552 of 22881911 Spalding Baseball CatalogDurand Cobalt Blue & White Pulled Feather Vase c.1925
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    Posted 5 years ago

    aesthete1880
    (29 items)

    This is a really fun novelty item, an aquarium motion lamp made by a Chicago company, Scene-in-Action, ca 1930. They made the first well-know motion lamps in the U.S., and seemingly spared no expense, crafting this lamp from quality materials, including highly detailed cast metal (bronze?), optic glass casing, a carefully rendered paper lithograph, and an early plastic painted inset that rotated from lamp heat (this one is missing its paper top). The metal bottom of this lamp contains a host of different patent numbers pertaining to the technology. This particular lamp is uncommon (in comparison to the Forest Fire and Niagara Falls ones) and was seemingly designed to sit below an actual fish bowl (see advertisement). With brightly colored fish, moving water, an octopus or squid, dark green seaweed, and a glimpse into a magical underwater world, what could be more fun?

    All comments are welcome.

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    Comments

    1. yougottahavestuff yougottahavestuff, 5 years ago
      Beats a Lava Lamp any day!!! Nice Post!!
      Stuff
    2. billretirecoll billretirecoll, 5 years ago
      Nice Lamp, I love the top of it also! :^D Thank you for posting! :^)
    3. aesthete1880 aesthete1880, 5 years ago
      billretirecoll, thanks for your comment! The top is surprisingly detailed. I think it might be modeled somewhat off of the bronze entry doors at the Shedd aquarium in Chicago which feature a bunch of sea creatures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/quacko/128928583/in/photostream/

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