What is a Wall Lamp?
A wall lamp is a lighting fixture that is secured to a wall to provide a convenient source of illumination. Wall lamps come in many styles, from simple coach lamps to elaborately filigreed sconces. Some have a light source focused downward for reading, but most decorative sconces are pointed upward. The illumination casts a warm glow on the ceiling and provides an indirect source of ambient light in the room. The earliest wall lamp was literally a flaming torch set in a metal slip that was bolted to a stone wall. The fire hazard was great, but torches were used as a light source for thousands of years. In the early 1800s, modern gaslights came into fashion. They were fueled by coal gas, still relying on a live flame. Gas lamps were much safer than open torches, however, because a glass shell called a hurricane globe protected the flame. Although torches and gaslights could provide a hands-free light source, they were dangerous, unreliable, smoky and sooty. When the electric light made
A wall lamp is a lighting fixture that is secured to a wall to provide a convenient source of illumination. Wall lamps come in many styles, from simple coach lamps to elaborately filigreed sconces. Some have a light source focused downward for reading, but most decorative sconces are pointed upward. The illumination casts a warm glow on the ceiling and provides an indirect source of ambient light in the room. The earliest wall lamp was literally a flaming torch set in a metal slip that was bolted to a stone wall. The fire hazard was great, but torches were used as a light source for thousands of years. In the early 1800s, modern gaslights came into fashion. They were fueled by coal gas, still relying on a live flame. Gas lamps were much safer than open torches, however, because a glass shell called a hurricane globe protected the flame.
