Morgan Momentos – World War I Victory Lamp
Desk of Mr. D. W. Vanderbilt of New York City from the Snead & Co. Sales Brochure. Image Courtesy of Mr. Robert “Nick” McWhorter of Springfield, KY.
In late 2009, I stumbled across a “Victory Lamp” on an auction site on the internet. I had never heard of such a thing and no one I knew in the area of Morgan, where and when I grew up there, had one or likely knew about them either. Yet all the “Victory Lamps” assembled and sold by Snead and Company of Jersey City, NJ shortly after the Great War, later renamed to “World War I”, originated in Morgan, NJ.
Mr. McWhorter’s World War I “Victory Lamp”. Photo Courtesy of Mr. Robert “Nick” McWhorter of Springfield, KY.
Before we go much further, an enormous “Thank You” needs to go to Mr. Robert “Nick” McWhorter of Springfield, KY. Mr. McWhorter was kind enough to mail me not only photos of his Victory Lamp but copies of the original advertising brochures and assembly instructions his aunt, Thelma McIntyre, kept after she purchased Victory Lamp #822 for $18.40 in 1919 ($3 down payment, $3 a month for four months with a $3.40 final payment). Mr. McWhorter was also kind enough to send a copy of a draft of a letter his aunt hand wrote to Snead & Co. regarding the lamp and a short bio about her. She was quite an accomplished lady: Legal Secretary, Medical Technologist in the Women’s Army Corps (WACs) during World War II, College Professor then Laboratory Head at two hospitals before getting married at 57, retiring, and living to over 100! This documentation, which survived 91 years only because of the thoughtfulness and thoroughness of his aunt, greatly helped me gain a full understanding of the history of the lamps, tie some disparate research together, as well as provided some interesting “threads” to look into further.
The essence of these lamps, and their main component, was a 75mm artillery shell recovered from the remains of the beyond enormous series of explosions at the Morgan, NJ based T. A. Gillespie Loading Company plant. This catastrophe (to be featured in a future posting) started in the early evening of October 4, 1918 and went on for something like three horrifying days. The gigantic “Morgan Plant” was quickly built in 1918 to load explosives, e.g., Trinitrotoluene (TNT) and Amatol (TNT mixed with Ammonium Nitrate), into a wide range of sizes of artillery shells and casings for use by the US and its allies during World War I.
Another distinct feature of the lamp was the lampshade which was designed specifically for the lamp by a noted artist of the time (see posting from May 9, 2010). Snead and Company offered three options for how the lamps could be lit. Though pretty much unheard of these days when purchasing a table lamp for the home, these options were probably typical for the time period. You could choose between either electric, kerosene (oil) or gas (not gasoline). My mother still remembers the gas street lamps which were installed on her street in Jersey City in the early twentieth century. San Diego, California features a “Gas Lamp District” celebrating the days when lighting was done by gas. Berlin, Germany has many thousands of gas lights illuminating the city.
The Lamp
This unique and original lamp was composed of the following components:
- Open top lamp shade patterned with specially designed art work.
- The 75mm artillery shell.
- Hardware to accommodate the light source option chosen: electric, oil or gas.
- Statuary finished spun brass base.
- Label on the bottom of the brass base.
The lamp in its entirety was patented by Angus S. MacDonald, Assignor to Snead and Company, in order “to prevent unscrupulous imitation” and so “… none but GENUINE “75’s” saved from the Morgan explosion will be used or CAN be used.” There were actually two patents for the lamp, one had the open top lampshade, and the other had a doughboy helmet as a lampshade. Filed for on March 6 and 14, 1919, respectively, patent numbers 53,224 and 53,225 were issued on April 22, 1919.
The Shell
As stated, all the shells were recovered from Morgan after the explosions and reworked by Snead & Co. As per the brochure, “the economic conditions arising from the sudden stoppage of our war-work that made it possible, for the only time in the history of Snead & Co. (or of any other firm for that matter), to let their employees busy themselves with the fashioning of these shells into lamps and made possible their sale at less than HALF what a lamp of this class would cost.”
The Inscriptions
The Snead & Co. artisans modified each shell in preparation for the lamp. Two engravings were made on each shell. The first one, located about half way down the shell, indicated “VICTORY NOV 11, 1918 75 M/M SHELL”. The second, significantly longer, was engraved on the copper driving band which is located about a fifth of the way up from the bottom of the shell and completely encircles it. This second inscription is from Isaiah 2:4 in the Old Testament: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Each 75mm shell was then finely polished and finished with dull ebony black baked enamel.
The Lamp Shade
It appears that there were ultimately two types of lamp shades offered. The first lamp shade type featured a metal doughboy helmet. Quite likely this was the shade provided with the first lamps made available. The second one had an open top and was composed of Strathmore Vellum Parchment. The art work on the open top lamp shade was designed by Franklin Booth, a noted period artist best known for his stylized ink line drawings which captured the “feel” of wood engravings (see the to-be-reposted Victory Lamp Lamp Shade page). It was open on the top to allow for the venting of the burned oil or burned gas and, as the brochure states, “to allow light to be reflected from ceiling”. The helmet version was more suitable to the electric version it would seem.
Franklin designed the lamp shade to have a different mood depending on whether the lamp was lit or unlit. Without light, the shade portrayed a war scene. With light, the lamp transformed to a scene of peace. This was done by having artwork both on the outside of the lamp shade as well as the inside. Franklin utilized design and color to create this transformation. The antique tan and brown shaded drawings on the outside of the lamp and the rose colored tinted drawing on the inside of the lamp, while different, were designed to overlap when lit.
Each shade was hand sewed and hand colored.
The Label
One of the things to look for if you buy a Snead & Co. Victory Lamp is a paper label on the bottom of the brass base. The label says:
“75 M/M VICTORY LAMP”
Manufactured by the Snead & Company (some added “Iron Works” and some didn’t).
Founded 1849 Jersey City, NJ
This lamp was made from a genuine U.S. Government French-American 75 M/M Shell saved from the Morgan explosion.
Snead Lamps are patented as follows:
April 22, 1919 May 10, 1919 June 3, 1919
Other patents pending
Of all the lamps sold on the on-line auction sites (e.g., eBay, Manions, Worthpoint), and they have been showing up at the rate of around one every few months, they have all been electric and I have not seen one which still had the original Franklin Booth shade available. I did see some which had the doughboy helmet though.
Interestingly enough, while most everyone in 1919 was familiar with what the “Morgan explosion” was, by the time 2010 came along, most people had no idea – including many who live in Morgan. Hopefully this web site and Randy Gabrielian’s book “Explosion at Morgan” will help change that.
Originally posted on May 9, 2010.
Hello,
I have acquired a Snead Oil Lamp that has Three glass cylinders that appear to hold oil. One large center cylinder, approx. 3″ diameter, and two 1 1/2″ side cylinders.
I cannot find any info. on it. Do you have any knowledge of it?
Thanks.
David
I have just purchased the victory lamp from an antique shop near Sheffield (England). lt has no shade , but what a fantastic piece of history. Thanks to you for putting together it’s history.Glenn.
I use mine all the time – its on my office desk!
Hey how much u think they going for sale this days??
Check eBay.
Hi David,
Sorry, I don’t have any information about that lamp. I only have info about the Snead Victory Lamp and their library book stacks. If I find something, I’ll let you know. Do you have any images of the oil lamp? Sounds interesting.
Thanks,
Verne
I do have some pics. What is your email? I will send you one.
I think it is actually a Gas Victory lamp.
Hi, I’m a former US Army Artillery Officer. I would like to locate and purchase a victory lamp. Any leads or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Ross,
Thank you for your service. These lamps show up on eBay seemingly at around once a month in various stages of condition. One with a helmet lamp shade sold last week for $235. Another is on sale this week. Do a search for “Victory shell lamp” or something like that.
Good luck!
Verne
see ebay site http://www.ebay.com/itm/GILLESPIE-MORGAN-PLANT-EXPLOSION-NJ-COMMEMORATIVE-SHELL-LAMP-FROM-REMNANT-/121375172115?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c42862613
I have one! Just found it in an inheritance I received! What an amazing piece of history!!!
I have a Victory lamp similer to above, but main section is black. Do you know anyone who would be able to give me an approximate value?
I don’t know anyone specifically, but I do see that one appears on eBay about every other month and have ranged up to about $250-300. Mine also has the black shell component.
I acquired a lamp also. How do you know where to find the lamp #
Not sure what you mean by “lamp #”? There was a label on the inside of the base section which can be seen if you turn the lamp upside down. Some of the labels, like mine, would have ended up in pretty bad shape. Others are perfect. I have been monitoring these lamps for years on eBay and have never seen one with the lamp shade as was shown in the flyer. I’ve seen some with WWI Doughboy helmets but none with that special lamp shade. Wonder why?
Verne; Greetings from Columbiana Ohio.
Very, very happy to have just purchased this piece of history. Thank you for posting the info on this lamp. Plan on restoring the lamp with a Doughboy helmet. Will never stop searching for one with the shade. God Bless.
Ken
Awesome! I’m sitting right next to mine. Very cool. I am wondering if any of the lampshades were ever really sold. Haven’t seen one on eBay in the years I have been monitoring.
Thank you for all the information on the 75mm Victory Lamp.
I have one handed down from my father. It is in fair to poor condition but I intend to refurbish it.
I will have the parts bead blasted to remove all the existing paint and crud. Then have the body Ceramicoated with black, the nose cap coated with light gray, and the base coated with the light gray. Install a new lamp socket and bracket for the shade.
The existing decal on the underside of the base was partially destroyed but I was able to reconstruct most of it. I will replace it with a new one made from the label you have in this article.
Awesome!
We have an authentic, bottom sticker
and all, WW1 Victory Lamp. Can a
replica lamp shade (bomb explosion)
be purchased anywhere
I’ve been monitoring eBay for many years and while I see a Victory Lamp appear about every other month or so, I have never seen the lampshade as was in the original brochure. I have seen a number of lamps with the doughboy helmet but all the others don’t have any lampshade. I don’t know if that means the lampshades have not survived or whether they never really shipped. Probably the former. I would also like to find one. If you find one, please let me know!
wow, brings back memories of me doing the piles of scrap metal in SAYREVILLE NJ during clean up in late 1980’s had one of these lamps in poor condition and sold it to a lamp restorer for 25 bucks for him to re-hab…..wish I kept it
Won one at a local auction this week in Southwestern Illinois for $135. They listed it as “Trench Art” and I doubt they had any clue that it was a Victory Lamp despite the label/information on the bottom under the base. Mine has the original doughboy helmet and it very good condition considering it’s age. I wonder if it was re-wired to be a two bulb lamp or if the doughboy ones came with two bulbs originally? The hardware certainly looks like it is original. Anyway, not sure anyone is still checking this string but thank you for posting the information as I have learned quite a bit online. It will shine light on the faces of the hundreds of WWI, WWII and Vietnam soldier pictures that adorn my office walls. Hero’s. Every one of them.
Glad you are enjoying your lamp. I am very happy with mine after getting it rewired. An amazing artifact.
I purchased what must have been the 75mm shell from a Victory Lamp. It’s heavily corroded and all that was visible was “swords into plow”. It was enough to catch my interest as I knew it was a munition shell. I’m thrilled with my $5 piece of history, but would like to clean it up. Any suggestions? It looks as if it has spent the last 99 years underground.
Congrats! Not really sure how best to clean it. Brass part would use brass polish I would imagine. I once cleaned a very large old and dirty musical instrument. I put it in a bathtub then used brass and silver polish to clean it. Everyone about fell over when they saw the finished product.
I have some info on my lamp and ashtray and other information is posted on this web site: surplusrifleforum.com, Look under the heading: General Off Topics page 2. I have compiled some info about the lamps and provided detailed photos of the parts. Here is the link to paste into a direct search.
http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=186
Tons of info on those links – amazing! Has anyone ever actually seen one of the lampshades featured on the poster – the lampshade which changes when the light is turned on? Thanks for letting us know about those sites, there are a lot of ads I have never seen. BTW, my shell lamp is illuminating my laptop as I write this. It is a very cool lamp and very meaningful for a guy who grew up in Morgan!
I’m looking to purchase a Victory Lamp for my collection of WW 1 items. Any assistance in locating a lamp is greatly appreciated; most of my WW 1 collection is German and USMC. Thanks again
Hi, My only recommendation is to check eBay. A lamp seems to come up every few months. That is how I got mine.
hi i have a victory lamp but it is different from the others i have seen
everything is the same except mine is the shell with all the same markings but is a full round including the shell casing
has anyone seen one like this
I have one of theses shells i came across very interesting history.
Though my aunt was a very through lady, she did one thing wrong to this lamp. When she took it from the old home place in Springfield, KY, she had the shiny black finish on the shell stripped and then brass plated. Oh, how I wish it still had the original finish. I have another one in my possession and it needs a new nose cone.
Nick, So great to hear from you again!
Just purchased a victory lamp from an antique shop near Sheffield England.what an awesome piece of history. I didn’t know the story but realised it was something important.Underneath was a partial piece of the pro Ted text which led me to this site.Thanks for the in depth information, I will treasure this lamp for my collection.For information purposes the lamp was on sale for £180. and l bought it for £150.which l think would be just over $200.lt has no shade but has the original black glaze and electric bulb holder.Thanks,Glenn.
I have what I believe to be a GREAT CONDITION Victory lamp. I haven’t saw any posts with a serial #. It is M1u10T-0. The copper band is perfect with all writing. The label on bottom is complete and still glued in place. The original light socket still works. It’s a BRYANT, 660W, 150 V, PAT’D NOV. 26, 1907. It has a three wire top that screws onto the socket to hold the lamp shade. The wires would not support the round helmet. Would love to hear from you.
Marty – Sounds awesome! Aren’t they cool? Mine is right next to my computer and I use it all the time! Would love to see a photo of yours! Verne
I purchased one of these a very long time ago when I was maybe 10 years old. Actually my mother bought it for me at a used merchandise store that I think was the GOOD WILL store in Greeley CO ? It was painted black and if I recall had multiple sockets for bulbs. The lamps electric parts are long gone . It has been in my possession and still is since I got it. The inscription is of course of a WW1 75mm and the driving band has the inscription from Isaiah 2:4. I wonder if it could ever be restored . Sadly I am the one who dismantled the lamp 65 years ago. I only now posses the projectile.
Hi! I deconstructed an old wooden phone box and an extendable camera as a kid – I still regret that as well. You could probably buy another Victory Lamp in sorry shape – they are on eBay often – and have someone piece them together. I had someone add a new lightbulb socket and shade holder on mine. Mine didn’t have a shade of either the metal WW1 helmet or the shade in the advertisement. I have never seen one of the lamps with the shade shown in the advertisement. Hopefully someday!
I have a Victory lamp that is in good condition. It has been in my family since it was purchased in 1919. It has the label and the inscribed Bible quote. It fits all the descriptions except one. I can not find the inscription “Victory” Nov. 11, 1918, 75/75 MM Shell” on it. Can someone enlighten me?
It should be half-way up the shell. In the image of Mr. McWhorter’s lamp in the article, you can see it half-way up the lamp. Perhaps yours was painted over? I guess it’s possible that some shells didn’t have that engraving stamped in. My shell lamp is black in color and appears to have a type of enamel paint (if they had such a type of paint 100 years ago). Mr. McWhorter’s appears to have no paint. The lamp in the brochure doesn’t seem to have the “Victory” inscription. What type of lamp shade, if any, does your lamp have?
I have seen the original parchment lampshade on my grandfather’s “Victory Lamp” as a very young boy which really impressed me. I remember him showing me how the image changed when turning it on or off.
I now have several “Victory Lamps” that I have found both on e-bay and antique stores, all without that seemingly impossible to find shade. One of my favorites is an oil version.
I will be 78 in a few months however I still remember that elusive shade.
Ralph – That is awesome! I use mine everyday – it is right next to my computer on my desk. Yeah, why can’t we find one with that shade? Maybe someone with artistic tendencies will someday craft one? Perhaps it is bio-deSHADEable?