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Pressure Lamps International; Akron (USA)Pressure Lamps International
The Akron Lamp & Mfg Co.
©AWMoore 2004
The Diamond brand name used by the Akron Lamp & Manufacturing Company was
characterised, not surprisingly, by the diamond symbol as a logo. The company
manufactured liquid fuel pressure devices from the turn of the century up to
1949, when trading ceased. Their products included irons, heating devices,
cooking stoves and lamps and lanterns. Early lanterns used mica shields, as did
other manufacturers, but glass chimneys were used later.
The first factory 1898, and company founder and president J. Steese
J.C. Steese set up the company in 1898, in a single room in Akron, Ohio,
employing three men to make up to eight lamps per day. The Akron Lamp Co. later
changed it's name to the Akron Lamp & Mfg. Co. and by 1935 there were several
hundred employees making 200,000 lamps, lanterns, stoves and irons per year.
"Each and every customer must be satisfied" was the watchword adopted by Steese
right from the start, and the company claimed their workers were "happy in their
different capacities" working in spacious and congenial surroundings. This
advert is from the magazine "Popular mechancis" dated 1919. As well as being an
advertisement for lamps (model 92) and lanterns (style A) the advertisement
offered work for sales agents.
By 1935 the comapny had expanded a thousand fold, and occupied a large corner
block between 592 and 606 South High Street, Akron.
S. High Street, Akron, Ohio. 1935 - artistic impression!
The company made claim to "Quality Products" and offered a 30 day no-risk
trial. The manufacturing capacity was large enough to qualify them as
suppliers to some of the larger catalogue houses, including
Montgomery-Wards and Sears-Roebuck. In their time they were major
suppliers, and there is a suggestion that they might have used agents in
the UK. This is only tentative, and I have no real evidence that they did
so.
The company headquarters and factory was located at High Street, Akron,
Ohio, USA. Models it produced include table lamps 92, 120A, 120B, 121,
125, 140A, 140B, 150, and 155, and lanterns 103, 131, 132, 132A, 134, and
301. The model 134 lantern, a massively heavy lantern with carburetta type
generator, was marketed through Montgomery Ward as the 24A, shown on the
right
In 1935 or thereabouts the 2 mantle 132 A was described as a "new kind of
wickless lantern - never before a lantern like the new type Diamond". Note the
square valve wheel, and the mica globe with sliding door. Perhaps this is an
allusion to the message from Akron President Steese to his salesmen, "It is our
earnest desire that you get the squarest kind of square deals".
The pictures show models 125, 140 A and B, 301 and 132A (Bottom)
The sales pitch continues with "Cuts through the darkness like a searchlight,
the nearest approach to daylight ever provided by any lantern - powerful,
penetrating, yet soft and easy on the eyes". Anyone who has looked directly at
one of these types of lantern might disagree with that final claim!
Akron Diamond De Luxe Lamp, model 150
Like many other manufacturers, Akron produced an ornamental lamp in an attempt
to bridge the gap between functionality and decor. The model 150 had a pottery
base finished in "rich green" with a parchment shade in green and gold. Topping
the shade is a finial ornament of "rare beauty", all for $9-85. Fuel was either
gasoline or kerosene.
One of the more elaborate stand lamps made by Akron was the "Moderne" type 155,
which was clearly an atempt to move away from the rather bland but functional
style that had dominated all table lamp designs since the 1920s. The Moderne,
like other Akron lamps, could be used with gasoline or kerosene, but required a
specific generator for each fuel. Akron gasoline generators normally had an oval
tip, and kerosene generators had a square tip. This is an important feature that
helps with identifying which fuel an Akron lamp uses.
Early version of the 155 "Moderne" Lamp, and below, the parts list
Most manufacturers produced coloured globes or chimneys at some time in their
history. These were more expensive, and so not many people would buy them.
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Akron Lamp Co, Akron, Ohio
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