75 mm Victory lamp

Lamp has a metal base. Attached to the base is a 75mm bullet. Inscribed on the projectile is "VICTORY Nov 11 1918 75 M/M SHELL." Inscribed on the driving band near the bottom of the projectile is a verse from Isaiah 2:4 in the Old Testament of the Bible, "THEY SHALL BEAT THEIR SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES AND THEIR SPEARS INTO PRUNING HOOKS: NATION SHALL NOT LIFT UP SWORD AGAINST NATION, NEITHER SHALL THEY LEARN WAR ANYMORE." Affixed to the top of the projectile is an American light bulb socket, which would hold the light bulb. The socket has the inscription, "LEVINTON PATENTED 250 W 250V." The lamp cover is a WWI American doughboy helmet and has the measurements 12 cm high x 31 cm wide.

  • OCLC #: 985705284
  • Physical Location: Special Collections — Hunter — REALIA 03574
  • Personal Collection:
    • WWI Hunter Collection
  • Production, Publication, Distribution, Manufacture, and Copyright Notice: [Jersey City, NJ?] : [Snead and Company?], [after 1918]
  • Physical Description: 1 lamp : metal ; 63 cm high x 8 cm wide x 17 cm in diameter
  • General Notes:
    • Title by cataloger.
    • Title taken from book "Trench Art: An Illustrated History."
    • This item was made to celebrate the Allied victory of World War I and was patented in 1919.
    • Snead and Company of New Jersey, NJ was contracted with T.A. Gillespie Company of South Amboy, NJ to manufacture 1,100,000 75mm projectiles. When the T.A. Gillespie Company had a fire and explosion at their Morgan shell loading plant, which killed 100 employees and destroyed the manufacturing plant, Snead and Company finished manufacturing the projectiles. When peace was declared in 1918 the projectiles were made into victory lamps. Other versions of the victory lamp included ones containing WWI American doughboy helmets as lampshades. --Paraphrased from information in the book "Trench Art: An Illustrated History" by Jane A. Kimball.
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