Artificial Light: Its Influence upon CivilizationLuckiesh, Matthew
History
Artificial Light: Its Influence upon Civilization
Luckiesh, Matthew
Electric lighting; Lighting -- History
The sun-room partakes of the characteristics of the living-room to some
extent, but, it being smaller, a semi-indirect fixture may be
satisfactory for general illumination. However, a portable lamp which
supplies an indirect component of light besides the direct light serves
admirably for reading as well as for flooding the room with light when
necessary. Two or three baseboard outlets are desirable for attaching
decorative or even purely utilitarian lamps. The sun-room is an
excellent place for utilizing "flower-box" fixtures decorated with
artificial foliage. In fact, a central fixture may assume the appearance
of a "hanging basket" of foliage. The library and den offer no problems
differing from those already discussed in the living-room. A careful
consideration of the disposition of the furniture will reveal the best
positions for the outlets. In a small library wall brackets may serve as
decorative spots of light and if the shades are pendent they may serve
as lamps for reading purposes. In both these rooms an excellent
reading-lamp is desired, but it may be decorative as well. Wall outlets
may be desired for decorative portable lamps upon the bookcases.
The sleeping-room, which commonly is also a dressing-room, often
exhibits the errors of a lack of foresight in lighting. In most rooms of
this character there is one best arrangement of furniture and if this
is determined it is easy to ascertain where the windows and outlets
should be located. The windows may usually be arranged for twin beds as
well as for a single one with obvious advantages of flexibility in
arrangement. With the position of the bureau determined it is easy to
locate outlets for two wall brackets, one on each side, about sixty-six
inches above the floor and about five feet apart. When the brackets are
equipped with dense upright shades, the figure before the mirror is well
illuminated without glare and sufficient light reaches the ceiling to
illuminate the whole room.
A baseboard outlet should be available for small portable lamps which
may be used upon the bureau or for electric heating devices. The same is
true for the dressing-table; indeed, two small decorative lamps on the
table serve better than high wall brackets owing to the fact that the
user is seated. A baseboard outlet near the head of the bed or between
the beds is convenient for a reading-lamp and for other purposes. An
outlet in the center of the ceiling controlled by a convenient switch
may be installed on building, as insurance against future needs or
desires. But a single lighting-unit in the center of the ceiling does
not serve adequately the needs at the bureau and dressing-table. In
fact, two wall brackets properly located with respect to the bureau
afford a lighting much superior for all purposes in the bedroom to that
produced by a ceiling fixture.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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