Lighting the Way

Here is another artifact found during our work at the Swann House foundation. This was found in Stratum 1 of Unit 83, which was excavated in the northeast corner of the foundation. As we have said (or perhaps you have noticed from previous blog posts), at least the first two feet of this unit were filled with rubble and modern trash. Even so, there were a few interesting artifacts in the mix, including this lamp collar. It is made from a copper alloy and is decorated with cast or molded roses and leaves. While we cannot say exactly what part of a lamp it is or when it dates to, a little bit of sleuthing in the 1902 edition of the Sears, Roebuck, and Co. catalog offers us some clues. It could be the decorative piece that attaches a bracket light to a wall, or the piece that covers the end of a glass globe attachment. As always, we welcome your ideas!

Kelley