P & A Double Student Lamp Gold Mica Flec Shades 1880's Description *Plume and Atwood Double Student Lamp with matched pair of gold spatter mica flec straight ribbed cased shades with white interior. *The base retains it original bronze patina from the factory.(never polished or lacquered). *The base is in excellent condition with no dents in the brass metal. Applied floral designs accent the fonts and the oil tank. The base and the rim of the tank cover have the hob-nail beading design motif. *The thumb wheels are embossed with the P&A Duplex signature. *The lamp stands 21 1/2" tall to the top of the finial and is 24 1/2" across the shade fitters. *The two matched pair of mica gold spatter shades are in mint condition with no cracks, breaks or flea bites. Very minor roughness on one shade fitter rim, nothing major but mentioned here for accuracy and easily covered by the shade rim. *This lamp was most likely electrified at the factory (in 1890's) and ordered that way by a wealthy client who didn't want to mess with the oil burning feature and wanted the new electric lighting feature. Noted, because the thumb wheels are stationary and do not move a wick. Also noted because the tank had been cut to accommodate the wiring. *Excellent example of a double student lamp with a rather rare pair of shades. *Buyer pays for shipping and insurance. Double boxed for your best protection in transit. 2 boxed, one for the shades and chimneys and one for the frame. *Some History the manufacturer: The Plume & Atwood Manufacturing Company was organized in January, 1869, albeit under a different name. It began as Holmes, Booth and Atwood when Israel Holmes, John C. Booth and Lewis J. Atwood formed a partnership after "defecting" from Holmes, Booth and Haydens. Other principals included Aaron Thomas, George W. Welton, and Burr Tucker. Soon after it's formation, the firm bought the brass mill of the Thomas Manufacturing Company in Thomaston which had originally been organized in 1854 to roll metal for making clock movements. They also purchased the Hayden & Griggs Manufacturing Company, a similar concern in Waterbury. Hiram W. Hayden, an original partner of HB&H, contended that the new company's name matched the existing company's name too closely. A legal battle ensued and Hiram prevailed. In 1871, Holmes, Booth and Atwood became Plume and Atwood Manufacturing Company. The "Plume" was David Scott Plume, the treasurer of the new company.1 The company was incorporated in January, 1880. Plume & Atwood produced a full line of lamps and lamp trimmings. Their lamp lines included ROYAL, PLUMWOOD and NAUGATUCK in table, bracket and hanging versions. They made gas burners, shade ring of all descriptions, filler caps, and just about any brass lamp part you could mention. Their burners included BANNER, a high quality DUPLEX, the MOEHRING and HARVARD burners often associated with finer student lamps, the HORNET, NUTMEG and ACORN burners often found on night lamps, and scores more. The 1906 catalog, depicted below, is packed with seventy-eight pages of lamps and trimmings. Between April 18, 1871 and November 19, 1912, the company was listed as the assignee for at least 62 lighting patents - see the patent table below for details. Lewis J. Atwood, a prolific inventor, dominated the field with 44 patents during this period, a whopping seventy-two percent of P&A's patents! It should be noted that Atwood also had a significant number of patents assigned to Holmes, Booth and Haydens when he worked there - at least fourteen between 1862 and 1870. References Courter, J.W. The Plume & Atwood Manufacturing Company. n.p., n.d.