lamp

[outlaws15]

I'm not having much luck identifying this lamp. Can anyone help?
This what is on the bottom of lamp.

Lynard Of California and Septor
Culver city California
UL NO. E 21524-6373

One of the last things in my folks house that we are almost done cleaning out.
The height of lamp is 56" with lamp shade
Light bulb to base is about 28"
Very heavy lamp
Thanks

 

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[Red-Coat]

I thought a lot about this before replying. This history of this pair/partnership of two companies seems to be very poorly documented. There is a record of a patent (for a futuristically styled lamp) being filed in 1953, which was granted in 1956. It was filed by William Rosenthal as inventor and assigned to Lynard of California, Inc but with no mention of the company ‘Septor’. The patent is here:

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/e2/35/99/fbf992345be501/USD170772.pdf

Doubtless you will have seen some of their lamps popping up on auction sites with dating said to be 1950s/1960s and they mostly seem to be in the modern style using organic materials such as carved wood, cork and stone; or in futuristic styles and materials of the kind we regard as design icons today. Accordingly, those latter ‘statement’ pieces seem to be extremely collectable, with prices range from ‘high’ to ‘exorbitant’.

I’m left with the impression that their lamps were largely hand-made in artisan premises in limited numbers for a relatively short number of years and probably sold in swanky home décor stores. Maybe not nationally. Maybe Lynard supplied the artistic elements and Septor took care of the electrical fitments?

There seems to be nothing one could describe as in ‘classical’ style that resembles your very Grecian-urn-looking lamp. It doesn’t seem to have been their thing, which makes me a little suspicious. Does your lamp have a paper label stuck on the bottom, like the one below?



If so, I have an uneasy feeling that the label has been purloined from a Lynard & Septor lamp… or perhaps found loose and mistakenly stuck onto a lamp to which it didn’t originally belong.

The serial number ‘UL NO. E 21524-6373’ doesn’t help. UL numbers relate to ‘Underwriter Laboratories’ of Illinois, who provide certifications for safety purposes that are internationally recognised (in 46 countries). E 21524 is a set of electrical standards for internal wiring or external connection of electrical equipment and still in force under that number today.

Interesting that on the label I showed above (from a known Lynard & Septor lamp) the words “and Septor” plus the electrical safety certification numbers are crossed out. My guess is that this was done by an auction house or secondhand seller who isn’t accepting liability for a certification originally obtained by Septor (hence my belief that Septor took care of the electrical fitments). I don’t know about the States but, over here, the secondhand sale of items that are legally required to meet certain safety requirements presents difficulties for a re-seller unless the item has been re-certified.

 

[outlaws15]

That is cool information and thank you for digging up that information that I'm going to copy and keep it with the lamp.
That is the exact looking piece of paper on the bottom of the lamp, nothing crossed off on my piece of paper, probably cause it wasn't an auction item. I know it came from my fathers aunt who was known in our family to have the best stuff money could buy and the only reason I decided to keep it aside. My brothers actually put it in a local paper for ten bucks and only got one hit. The hit didn't take it cause it is so big and heavy. I then told my brothers to take it down and I'll try to find more information on it.
Looking like im stuck with it now
Thanks again I truly appreciate your time and knowledge. I'm truly amazed at your talent and wealth of information.

I thought a lot about this before replying. This history of this pair/partnership of two companies seems to be very poorly documented. There is a record of a patent (for a futuristically styled lamp) being filed in 1953, which was granted in 1956. It was filed by William Rosenthal as inventor and assigned to Lynard of California, Inc but with no mention of the company ‘Septor’. The patent is here:

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/e2/35/99/fbf992345be501/USD170772.pdf

Doubtless you will have seen some of their lamps popping up on auction sites with dating said to be 1950s/1960s and they mostly seem to be in the modern style using organic materials such as carved wood, cork and stone; or in futuristic styles and materials of the kind we regard as design icons today. Accordingly, those latter ‘statement’ pieces seem to be extremely collectable, with prices range from ‘high’ to ‘exorbitant’.

I’m left with the impression that their lamps were largely hand-made in artisan premises in limited numbers for a relatively short number of years and probably sold in swanky home décor stores. Maybe not nationally. Maybe Lynard supplied the artistic elements and Septor took care of the electrical fitments?

There seems to be nothing one could describe as in ‘classical’ style that resembles your very Grecian-urn-looking lamp. It doesn’t seem to have been their thing, which makes me a little suspicious. Does your lamp have a paper label stuck on the bottom, like the one below?

View attachment 1866213

If so, I have an uneasy feeling that the label has been purloined from a Lynard & Septor lamp… or perhaps found loose and mistakenly stuck onto a lamp to which it didn’t originally belong.

The serial number ‘UL NO. E 21524-6373’ doesn’t help. UL numbers relate to ‘Underwriter Laboratories’ of Illinois, who provide certifications for safety purposes that are internationally recognised (in 46 countries). E 21524 is a set of electrical standards for internal wiring or external connection of electrical equipment and still in force under that number today.

Interesting that on the label I showed above (from a known Lynard & Septor lamp) the words “and Septor” plus the electrical safety certification numbers are crossed out. My guess is that this was done by an auction house or secondhand seller who isn’t accepting liability for a certification originally obtained by Septor (hence my belief that Septor took care of the electrical fitments). I don’t know about the States but, over here, the secondhand sale of items that are legally required to meet certain safety requirements presents difficulties for a re-seller unless the item has been re-certified.

 

[Red-Coat]

You're most welcome.

Here’s a little more that may help attribute your lamp. The ‘William Rosenthal’ who filed the patent referenced above was in fact the owner of ‘Lynard of California’. He originally had a lamp-making business called ‘California Art Works’ which was a small player in the market. California Art Works brazenly copied designs from other manufacturers, including the larger ‘Reglor’ company of California, who had been producing a successful line of chalkware classical figurine/statuette lamps since 1947.

Reglor (established by Bernie & Rina Stein) took him to court for copyright infringement in February 1952 as “Stein et al. versus Rosenthal et al. (Santi, third party defendant)” in the United States District Court S.D. California, C.D. The specific infringements related to “statuettes or sculpture entitled Male and Female Curved Ballet Dancers; Egyptian Dancer, Male; and Egyptian Dancer, Female” so it seems that Rosenthal did actually produce some lamps with classical imagery. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if these were just ‘sample’ infringements and he had copied other pieces or other manufacturer designs that were never challenged in court. Nevertheless he lost the case and paid fines, damages and costs. That seems to have marked the end of ‘California Art Works’ and the beginning of his new business ‘Lynard of California’.

On that basis, I could believe that early in the history of Lynard (say c.1952), some classical pieces copied from elsewhere were produced and your ‘urn’ may be one of them. Nevertheless, Rosenthal’s new business focussed itself on original designs of a modernist, futurist and abstract nature thereafter, albeit for only a short number of years.

 

[outlaws15]

Thank you again and a very very enjoyable read. Just amazing.

You're most welcome.

Here’s a little more that may help attribute your lamp. The ‘William Rosenthal’ who filed the patent referenced above was in fact the owner of ‘Lynard of California’. He originally had a lamp-making business called ‘California Art Works’ which was a small player in the market. California Art Works brazenly copied designs from other manufacturers, including the larger ‘Reglor’ company of California, who had been producing a successful line of chalkware classical figurine/statuette lamps since 1947.

Reglor (established by Bernie & Rina Stein) took him to court for copyright infringement in February 1952 as “Stein et al. versus Rosenthal et al. (Santi, third party defendant)” in the United States District Court S.D. California, C.D. The specific infringements related to “statuettes or sculpture entitled Male and Female Curved Ballet Dancers; Egyptian Dancer, Male; and Egyptian Dancer, Female” so it seems that Rosenthal did actually produce some lamps with classical imagery. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if these were just ‘sample’ infringements and he had copied other pieces or other manufacturer designs that were never challenged in court. Nevertheless he lost the case and paid fines, damages and costs. That seems to have marked the end of ‘California Art Works’ and the beginning of his new business ‘Lynard of California’.

On that basis, I could believe that early in the history of Lynard (say c.1952), some classical pieces copied from elsewhere were produced and your ‘urn’ may be one of them. Nevertheless, Rosenthal’s new business focussed itself on original designs of a modernist, futurist and abstract nature thereafter, albeit for only a short number of years.