Artificial Light: Its Influence upon CivilizationLuckiesh, Matthew
History
Artificial Light: Its Influence upon Civilization
Luckiesh, Matthew
Electric lighting; Lighting -- History
Old illuminants such as that emitted by the candle and oil-lamp were
used for centuries in interiors. All these illuminants were of a warm
yellow color. Even the earlier modern illuminants were not very
different in color, so it is not surprising that there is a deeply
rooted desire for artificial light in the home and in similar interiors
of a warm yellow color simulating that of old illuminants. The
psychological effect of warmth and cheerfulness due to such illuminants
or colors is well established. Artificial light in the home symbolizes
independence of nature and protection from the elements and there is a
firm desire to counteract the increasing whiteness of modern illuminants
by means of shades of a warm tint. The white light is excellent for the
kitchen, laundry, and bath-room, and for reading-lamps, but the warm
yellow light is best suited for making cozy and cheerful the environment
of the interiors in which mankind relaxes. An illuminant of this
character can be obtained efficiently by using a properly tinted bulb on
tungsten filament lamps. By absorbing about one fourth to one third of
the light (depending upon the temperature of the filament) the color of
the candle flame may be simulated by means of a tungsten filament lamp.
Some persons are still using the carbon-filament lamp despite its low
efficiency, because they desire to retain the warmth of tint of the
older illuminants. However, light from a tungsten lamp may be filtered
to obtain the same quality of light as is emitted by the carbon
filament lamp by absorbing from one fifth to one fourth of the light.
The luminous efficiency of the tungsten lamp equipped with such a tinted
bulb is still about twice as great as that of the carbon-filament lamp.
Thus the high efficiency of the modern illuminants is utilized to
advantage even though their color is maintained the same as the old
illuminants.
All modern illuminants emit radiant energy, which does not affect the
ordinary photographic plate. This superfluous visible energy merely
contributes toward glare or a superabundance of light in photographic
studios. A glass has been developed which transmits virtually all the
rays that affect the ordinary photographic plate and greatly reduces the
accompanying inactive rays. Such a glass is naturally blue in color,
because it must transmit the blue, violet, and near ultra-violet rays.
Its density has been so determined for use in bulbs for the
high-efficiency tungsten lamps that the resultant light appears
approximately the color of skylight without sacrificing an appreciable
amount of the value of the radiant energy for ordinary photography. This
glass, it is seen, transmits the so-called chemical rays and is useful
in other activities where these rays alone are desired. It is used in
light-therapy and in some other activities in which the chemical effects
of these rays are utilized.
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