Comments about Bauhaus Table Lamp:

Sometime, I think it was in the early 1980's, the three metal arms that support the ring that supports the glass globe on these Tecnolumen lamps starting developing cracks. I happened to have seen an article in Bicycling magazine that explained why metals cracked when they had machined sharp angles in them (subject: "stress raisers"). It appeared to me that someone thought they could "out-Bauhaus the Bauhaus" and improve the design by making the three arms out of sharply machined metal, rather than metal formed in a press or jig with relatively gentle curves at the corners.

I wrote a letter to MoMA with my fountain pen, explaining why the lamps' support arms were cracking. I did not make a copy of it (that would have cost 25 cents) and I did not receive a reply. I did notice on my next visit to the museum that the Tecnolumen lamp was no longer in the store, and the original lamp was no longer on display upstairs in the design collection. Months later, the original lamp reappeared, and the Technolumen lamp reappeared, with properly-formed metal support arms.

Becuase of my own history with this lamp, I have always been intrigued by the idea of owning one. Like many people, when confronted with making a decision about purchasing an expensive item, I look for a good reason not to buy it, one that will leave me without the object, but feeling that I made the right decision. In the case of the WG24 Table Lamp, I found it difficult to judge the character of the light when the lamp was surrounded by other lights, and I was concerned that the metal ball at the end of the chain might break the glass if it swung into it.

Having bought the lamp a few weeks ago on faith, the idea that something both expensive and significantly flawed would not continue to sell well during an economic downturn, I am happy to report that the quality of the light depends largely on the bulb used. A General Electric Reveal 75 watt bulb gives wonderfully white light with this glass shade. The metal ball turned out to be hollow and therefore lightweight, a fact I have seen mentioned in none of the literature. The pull chain has both a feel and a sound that cannot be appreciated without pulling it for yourself.