Vintage Brass Adjustable Column Floor Lamp, Domed Base, c. 1960–1985
Viridian Eclection
The Piece
A brass floor lamp built as a plain column on a heavy stepped dome, with a thumbscrew collar partway up the stem that lets the whole upper section slide and lock at whatever height the chair beside it needs.
The column is a single polished brass tube, unbroken from base to fitting, and the lamp gets its entire character from proportion rather than ornament. No reeding, no capitals, no cast detail. Just the tube, the collar and the dome.
The base is the part that carries the design. It steps up from a wide flat rim through two shallow rings into the column, and it is weighted solidly enough that a lamp this narrow stands without wanting to tip.
The adjustment collar and the shade cup above it are finished in a bright nickel rather than brass, which is deliberate: two cool fittings set against the warm column at the two points where the eye stops.
Above sits a square tapered shade in cream, straight sided with crisp corners, lined in a warm gold that throws the light down and back up the column.
History & Provenance
There is no maker's label, stamp or foil anywhere on the base, the column or the fitting, so the dating rests on what the lamp is made of and how it works.
The adjustable stem is the most useful evidence. A friction collar with an external thumbscrew, letting the upper column telescope inside the lower, is the club or reading lamp mechanism that American and European makers used through the middle decades of the last century. It belongs to a period when a floor lamp was expected to be set to a particular chair rather than bought at a fixed height.
The construction agrees. This is spun and drawn brass over a weighted base, assembled with threaded fittings, with a cloth covered flex. It is a made object rather than a finished casting, and the brass is solid stock rather than plated tube, which is visible where the lacquer has worn through at the handling points and the metal beneath has toned rather than flaked.
The mixed metal fittings, bright nickel against warm brass, and the square tapered shade both belong to the later part of that window rather than the earlier one. A square shade on a round column is a deliberately modern pairing and it did not become common until the form had loosened up.
The range below is set from those things together and it is not narrowed further, because nothing on the lamp supports it.
The wiring has not been tested and the lamp is offered as a fixture to be checked and, if needed, rewired before use. That is said plainly rather than left for a buyer to find out, and a lamp of this age would not be unusual in wanting a new cord and socket regardless.
Product Details
| Era | c. 1960–1985. Dated from construction and mechanism. The telescoping stem with an external thumbscrew friction collar is the mid century club and reading lamp adjustment, and the lamp is built from solid spun and drawn brass over a weighted base with threaded fittings rather than being cast or plated. The bright nickel fittings against the brass column, and the square tapered shade on a round stem, both belong to the later part of that window. No maker's label, stamp or foil survives anywhere, and that absence gives an outer limit only |
| Maker | Unattributed. No label, stamp or foil found |
| Form | Column floor lamp with telescoping height adjustment on a stepped weighted dome base |
| Materials | Solid brass column and base, bright nickel adjustment collar and shade cup, weighted base. Fabric shade with a gold lining |
| Adjustment | Telescoping upper column locked by an external thumbscrew collar |
| Marks | None |
| Dimensions | Approximately 58 in. high as set, by 10 in. across the base. Shade approximately 16 in. across the bottom |
| Condition | Good honest condition, offered as found. Column straight and true, base heavy and stable, adjustment collar present with the thumbscrew turning. Brass with lacquer wear and handling marks at the base and the collar, toned rather than flaking, not polished. Shade present and square with the corners crisp, showing light soiling and some toning to the lower edge. The wiring has not been tested, is not warranted, and the lamp should be checked and rewired as required before use |
Why It Belongs in Your Home
The adjustment is the reason to choose this over a fixed lamp. Set it low beside a reading chair and the light lands on the page instead of in your eyes; run it up beside a sofa and it lights the room. One lamp, two jobs, no compromise on either.
Its footprint is small and its column is narrow, which matters in the corner of a room that is already full. It slips beside an armchair or the end of a sofa without taking a table's worth of floor.
Plain polished brass is a quiet material and it goes almost anywhere: against dark walls, against painted furniture, in a room of browns, in a room of modern upholstery. It does not date the way a decorated lamp does.
The square shade on a round column is the detail worth noticing. It is a small piece of deliberate tension in an otherwise simple object, and it is what stops the lamp reading as a plain brass stick.
Every piece is packed with professional-grade materials: multiple foam layers, double-boxing, directional and fragile handling labels. For large furniture we use custom timber crating. We photograph packing before dispatch and can provide images on request.
White-glove delivery is complimentary within 100 miles of Reno, NV. National shipping quotes provided at checkout. All shipments are photographed and documented. Damage claims must be filed with the carrier; we provide all documentation needed to support your claim.
Local pickup is available at Viridian HQ (Reno, NV) with 2–4 days notice. Contact us to arrange. Visit the Eclection on Tuesdays, 10 am to 4 pm.
All antique and vintage items are sold as described and all sales are final. Each listing includes detailed condition notes and photographs so you can make a fully informed decision. We encourage buyers to ask questions — about condition, dimensions, finish, provenance — before purchasing.
Antiques are irreplaceable and one-of-a-kind. Carrier handling is outside our control once a piece has left our facility, and major carriers including FedEx do not insure antiques. We do everything within our power to ensure safe transit, but cannot accept liability for carrier damage. If damage occurs in transit, we will provide full documentation to support your carrier claim.
Have a question? — we're happy to provide additional photos, condition detail, or discuss the piece directly.
