Artificial Light: Its Influence upon CivilizationLuckiesh, Matthew
History
Artificial Light: Its Influence upon Civilization
Luckiesh, Matthew
Electric lighting; Lighting -- History
Although some of the first attempts at spectacular lighting outdoors
were made with search-lights, spectacular lighting did not become
generally popular until the appearance of incandescent filament lamps of
reasonable efficiency and cost. The effects were obtained primarily by
the use of small electric filament lamps draped in festoons or installed
along the outlines and other principal lines of buildings and monuments.
The effect was almost wholly that of light, for the glare from the
visible lamps obscured the buildings or other objects. The method is
still used because it is simple and the effects may be permanently
installed without requiring any attention excepting to replace
burned-out lamps. However, the method has limitations from an artistic
point of view because the artistic effects of painting, sculpture, and
architecture cannot be combined with it very effectively. For example,
the details of a monument or of a building cannot be seen distinctly
enough to be appreciated. The effect is merely that of outlines or lines
and patterns of points of light and is usually glaring.
The next step was to conceal these lamps behind the cornices or other
projections or in nooks constructed the purpose. Light now began to
mold and to paint the objects. The structures began to be visible; at
least the important cornices and other details were no longer mere
outlines. The introduction of the drawn-wire tungsten lamp is
responsible for an innovation in spectacular lighting of this sort, for
now it became possible to make concentrated light-sources so essential
to projectors. Furthermore, these lighting units require very little
attention after once being located. With the introduction of
electric-filament lamps of this character small projectors came into
use, and by means of concentrated beams of light whole buildings and
monuments could be flooded with light from remote positions. The effects
obtained by concealing lamps behind cornices had demonstrated that the
lighting of the surfaces was the object to be realized in most cases,
and when small projectors not requiring constant attention became
available, a great impetus was given to flood-lighting.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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