Circus lightbulb?

[oz]

Hi All;
Just surfed in thinking of a lightbulb I gave my daughter 15 yrs ago.
I was painting a gentlemans house in Williamsburg Va. who was the chaplin[retired] for the Ringling Barnum & Baily circus. He was with them for years. Needless to say his house was full of circus memorabellia.
When I was leaving the house one day I looked on the top of his garbage and found a elephant filament lightbulb and lamp. It works fine, but the cord could use replacing but not needed so I left it alone. When I gave it to my daughter she thought it was dumbo because she was young enough to beleive it was and it thrilled her at the time thinking that.
What it is, is it's the trademark elephant of that circus. I was wondering did they sell those as souveniers back some time ago or what? The cord on the lamp is an old cloth cord so I figured it might be from the 50's or so.
The lamp is just big enough to showcase the bulb.
Anybody ever see one or know a link where I can find more info on it ?
I'll get a picture if need be when I see her at Thnksgiving.

Oz

[Tim]

Welcome to the forum Oz and thanks for sharing the story.  Before I comment, does your daughter's light bulb look similar to these two?

[oz]

From what I recall it looks like the one on the top ,and light up like the one on the bottom.
Oz

[Tim]

I was wondering did they sell those as souveniers back some time ago or what?

Are you asking if the circus sold these bulbs as souvenirs?  This could be possible but I don't know for certain.  If true, then I can confirm that these bulbs were not solely produced and distributed through the circus as the two elephant bulbs appear in the catalogs and brochures.  They could be purchased by any consumer and were for general public sale originally.

The cord on the lamp is an old cloth cord so I figured it might be from the 50's or so.

The catalog data that I have for Aerolux dates from 1938 to 1974.  The elephant bulbs appear in all the catalogs that I have from 1938 to 1974, so 1950s is well within that range.

The lamp is just big enough to showcase the bulb.

The bulbs were often sold with simple lamp fixtures that didn't detract from the beauty of the bulb.  They were usually simple, elegant, and were designed to focus attention to the actual glow light itself.

Anybody ever see one or know a link where I can find more info on it?

The company that produced the elephant bulbs was Aerolux.  More general information can be found at these links:

Figural Glow Lamps in America

Aerolux catalogs

Aerolux gallery

As a side note, and since it is Election Day here in the US, Aerolux also produced a Republican emblem lamp that featured the same elephant, but with the added letters "GOP".  In the same spirit, a Democratic emblem lamp was also produced.  I'll attach some pictures.

[oz]

Thanks for the info Tim!
The base was one of the metal ones not one of the marble[?] ones.
I see what you mean in the catalogs that it could have been just a generic elephant.
That answers my circus question. I just took it for granted that the circus was the source for it considering where I found it.
I'll have to look a little closer at it when I see my daughter during the holidays for any telltale signs on it.
Very cool lightbulb the way it glows. Allmost gives off a blacklight look to it.
Do you know if it would be more likely to last a long time from burning out considering the elephant seems to be the filament?[ and quite thick.]
Thanks for your time,
Oz

[Tim]

Unlike incandescent lamps that most people are more familiar with, neon lamps like this never really burn out.  Instead, the glow will weaken over a period of time.  The process is so gradual that you will not notice it.  "Sputtering" is also an issue which causes the bulb to become darkened inside.  With heavy prolonged use, the glass will darken making its glow discharge difficult to see.  These lamps were rated for 2,000 hours and generally last a very long time with light to moderate use.