Lamps in the movies!
The Louis Kalff Junior desk lamp was used as a prop in the 2016 movie War Dogs, in a hotel in Albania, together with a Dijkstra floor lamp. War Dogs is a biographical black comedy-drama film about two arms dealers. Starring Jonah Hill, Miles Teller and Steve Lantz.
The Louis Kalff Junior desk lamp was used as a prop in the 1994 movie The Hudsucker Proxy in an office of a newspaper in 1958. The Hudsucker Proxy is a film with Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Paul Newman. It is a comedy film co-written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.
Links (external links open in a new window)
Philips history on the Philips website
The story about the Philips logo
War Dogs DVD or Blu Ray for sale at Bol.com
IMDB movie database about The Hudsucker Proxy
The Hudsucker Proxy DVD for sale at Bol.com
Vintageinfo
Junior desk lamp – slightly other version
Louis Kalff Junior Desk Lamp
Materials: Orange painted round aluminium base. Cast iron counterweight inside the base. Dark grey painted curved brass rod. Aluminium and brass orange socket holder. Orange painted perforated round aluminium UFO style mushroom lampshade with elongated slots. Brass parts. Bakelite E27 socket.
Height: 42 cm / 16.53”
Width: ∅ 35 cm / 13.77”
Base: ∅ 11,5 cm /4.52”
Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 100 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb with an E27 socket can be used. For this lamp preferable a silver bowl/cup light bulb for the down-light effect.
Period: 1950s, 1960s – Mid-Century Modern.
Designer: Louis Christiaan Kalff (1897 – 1976) in 1955.
Manufacturer: Philips, Eindhoven, The Netherlands and Turnhout, Belgium.
Other versions: The Louis Kalff Junior desk lamp exists with slight differences in the lampshade, rod and base. Made in several colours.
The reason is unclear why there are some many varieties in these lamps. You also see it with other lamps designed by Louis Kalff. Was he capricious and not easily satisfied with a design? Or is it just the parts supplier? Another example of the Junior desk lamp with some slight differences can be found here, on Vintageinfo.
Koninklijke Philips N.V.
Inspired by the fast-growing electricity industry and the promising results of Gerard Philips own experiments to make reliable carbon filaments, Frederik Philips (his father) financed the purchase of a modest factory in Eindhoven, The Netherlands in 1891. Frederik Philips was a Jewish banker based in Zaltbommel.
In 1895, after difficult first four years and near bankruptcy, Anton Philips joined the company. He was Gerard’s younger brother. With Anton’s arrival, the family business began to expand rapidly. The brothers changed their family business by founding the Philips corporation. They laid the foundations for the later electronics multinational.
In 1930 the first shaver of the Philips company was introduced and was simply called “The Philishave”.
A day before the German invasion in the Netherlands on 9 Mai 1940, the Philips family fled to the United States of America, taking a large amount of the company capital with them.
Operating from the US as the North American Philips Company, they managed to run the company throughout the war. After World War II the company was moved back to the Netherlands, with their headquarters in Eindhoven.
The 1960s-1970s version of the Junior is named Romeo.
Louis Christiaan Kalff
(Amsterdam, November 14th 1897 – Waalre, September 16th, 1976)
Louis Kalff was a pioneering industrial designer in the Netherlands during the first half of the 20th century. With a solid background including studies in sculpture, ceramics, furniture design and architecture, he began to work for the Philips company in 1924, department consumer electronics company marketing.
In 1929 he started a department for design of lighting products (LIBU – Lichtadviesbureau (Dutch for light consultancy). Louis Kalff was responsible for the lighting sections of the World Exhibitions in Barcelona, Antwerp and Paris.
As freelancer he also designed posters and advertising for the Holland America Line, Calvé, Zeebad Scheveningen, Holland Radio. He also designed book covers.
After World War II Kalff kept himself active in industrial design for Philips. After his retirement in 1960, Louis Kalff stayed with Philips as a consultant and architect. In 1961 he was given the direction and execution of the Evoluon building in Eindhoven. It was the last work of the light architect who almost worked for 40 years at the Philips group.
Louis Kalff Junior Desk Lamp – Parts
The Evoluon building in Eindhoven, The Netherlands
The roof has many similarities with the Junior desk lamp.
Many Thanks to Ger for the beautiful pictures and enthusiasm.