Christmas Lights Information Page.

Christmas Lights, aka Fairy Lights, Night Lights, Illumination Lamps, Jubilee Lamps, Float Lamps and who knows how many other names, have been around since the late 1700s.  William Henry “Baron” Stiegel began producing Christmas Lights at his glassworks in Manheim, Pennsylvania, sometime in the 1760s or 1770s.  Another U. S. glassmaker, Caspar Wistar started making similar lamps at about the same time.

 The earliest Christmas Lights had round bottoms and pronounced pontils, and were intended for hanging only.  Similar lights were produced, well past the middle of the 19^th Century, in England, France, and probably other countries, as well as in the U.S..

 Towards the end of the 19^th Century many, many variations on the original theme were produced, including different patterns and shapes, and figurals, which included a Cameo and a head of Queen Victoria as well as the heads of various other British Nobility.  There were also figurals of a bunch of grapes and a tulip.

 After about 1890, the most common type produced was the Diamond Quilted pattern, which remains the most commonly collected type.  Probably because there were so many of them made!  They were made up to about 1920.

 In the 1990s, both India and Mexico started making reproductions of the Diamond Quilted lamps.  They are still being made, and sell for about $10.00 each.   More information on identifying these reproductions can be found in the reference, below.

 Most if not all of the above mentioned types were made in a variety of colors, ranging from clearglass, through aqua, ambers, greens, cobalt blues and a couple of different shades of red.  The reds are by far the hardest to come by and most expensive.  Since the formula for red glass, in those days, included gold, it was expensive to make, therefore the quantities produced were small.  Some makers actually colored or painted clearglass lights.  Although this practice was acceptable, when done by the original maker, it is less acceptable now, when it’s done to dupe an unsuspecting collector!

 Originally, Christmas Lights were meant to be oil lights.  They were partially filled with water, then some type of oil was floated on top with a wick.  Later, in the late 1800s,  this was replaced by small candles, similar to the votive type most of us use in them today.  As mentioned above, the earliest lights were made to be hung.  They were equipped with a wire bail, which enabled one to hang them on the Christmas Tree (hazardous) or hang them outside, along the lane, during the Yuletide season (less hazardous, but a pain in the neck when it snowed or rained!)  Nowadays, most of us are content to just put them in a sunny window, where we can enjoy them year round!

 An excellent reference on the subject can be found in George Johnson’s “Christmas Ornaments, Lights, and Decorations – Collector’s Identification & Value Guide” – Volume III.   (ISBN 0-89145-746-1)   As far as we know, this book is still available from amazon.com.