Lighting New York, 1895-1946: Edward F. Caldwell & Company

The Cooper-Hewitt Library is celebrating the release of Shedding Light on New York: Edward F. Caldwell Collection, a new online database on Saturday, February 28th. Margaret Caldwell, great granddaughter of E. F. Caldwell, will also talk about the firm’s origins, craftsmanship, clients, and importance in the decorative arts world. Select original drawings and photographs from the Caldwell Archive will be on display.

Caldwell & Co. was America’s premier producer of lighting and other metal objects during the turn of the 20th century through the 1940s, and the archives are currently stored in the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Library in New York City. Notable clients of Caldwell lighting fixtures included the Rockefellers, the Carnegies, and the Roosevelts, and the company was also commissioned for famous landmarks such as the Grand Central Terminal, Radio City Music Hall, and the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.  Caldwell & Co. manufactured unique and intricate lighting fixtures in their Manhattan factory, such as chandeliers, electrified lamps and wall sconces, which were then shipped to prominent residences all over the United States.

The digitization of the Caldwell & Co. archives will bring unprecedented access of this vast collection to viewers around the world.  Prior to this project, researchers faced great challenges accessing the collection, due to the fragility of physical archives, their location in New York City, and the difficulty of searching through unidentified pieces in the collection.  The Smithsonian Institution Libraries anticipates this visual resource to aid a diverse population, including historians, restorers, antique dealers, appraisers, collectors, and designers.

Shedding Light on New York: Edward F. Caldwell Collection was supported in part by funds from the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) through the New York State Regional Bibliographic Databases Program.—Liz O'Brien

Comments

[woody]

History needs to be preserved. The traditional modern art techniques needs to be taught to the younger generations.They will all thank you later, not right away, but if they listen to you, they will never forget, give it time, they will remember if they want to, the best thing is, you showed them something and when they go to a store and see something like it, they will tell there friends. trust me.

[FuGenX Technologies]

History needs to be preserved. The traditional modern art techniques needs to be taught to the younger generations.

[Link Building Services]

@Vanessa Stalets

I completely agree with you, I feel it's lacking in many areas as well. In all honesty because of the modern age, when I think of Smithsonian, I think of 'night at the museum'.

[Metaphysics]

@Vanessa
I agree. The modern art of today seems to lack a certain 'depth' that is not found often in today's artists. There are a few shining exceptions around the world though.

[M.S.]

It would be great in the event that there was a way you could add pictures of the products today, because they pop up from auction as well as in private selections. I have attempted to do that, in a tiny way, along with my website www.efcaldwell.org. Lately Skinner auction house within Boston offered a Chinese-design phone cabinet (minus phone) also it was so fascinating to see the actual piece within the Caldwell archives in addition to it appears these days (pretty tough). I know there's only a lot of resources obtainable, of course.