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Collections

Olga Lee
Lampcirca 1952, manufactured circa 1952-1954

Not on view
Mid-century adjustable desk lamp with a double-cone shade in deep slate-blue, pale green articulated arm, chrome counterweight, and V-shaped metal base
Mid-century modern desk lamp with a teal enameled double-cone shade on a cream articulated stem, mounted on a angular dark teal base.
Mid-century adjustable desk lamp with teal enameled metal double-cone shade and cream-painted articulating arm, mounted on a teal angular base with visible electrical cord.
Verso of artwork showing white surface with two adhesive labels: a yellow oval label stamped with the number 49734 and a red X, and a rectangular paper label reading "Ralph O. Smith, Burbank, Calif."
Designed by
Olga Lee
United States, active United States, California, Los Angeles, 1924-2014
Manufacturer
Ralph O. Smith Manufacturing Company
United States, California, Burbank, circa 1949-1954
Title
Lamp
Date Made
circa 1952, manufactured circa 1952-1954
Medium
Aluminum, iron
Dimensions
27 1/2 x 10 x 12 in. (69.85 x 25.4 x 30.48 cm)
Credit Line
Decorative Arts and Design Council Fund
Accession Number
M.2007.186
Classification
Furnishings
Collecting Area
Decorative Arts and Design
Curatorial Notes

From her Los Angeles studio, Olga Lee designed modern furniture, textiles, lighting, and interiors. This lamp’s wasp-waisted shade, boomerang-shaped base, and anthropomorphic silhouette are typical of new design in the 1950s. The lamp is flexible and versatile too—it has a dual shade that shines light downward for reading and upward to illuminate a room.



(California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way," 2011-12)

Selected Bibliography
  • Tigerman, Bobbye, and Monica Obniski. Scandinavian Design and the United States, 1890-1980. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich: DelMonico Books-Prestel, 2020.
  • Hall, Jane. Woman Made: Great Women Designers. London: Phaidon Press Limited; New York: Phaidon Press Inc., 2021.
Selected Exhibition History
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". October 1, 2011 - June 3, 2012
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". October 1, 2011 - June 3, 2012
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". March 20, 2013 - June 3, 2013
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". March 20, 2013 - June 3, 2013
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". July 6, 2013 - September 29, 2013
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". July 6, 2013 - September 29, 2013
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". November 2, 2013 - February 9, 2014
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". November 2, 2013 - February 9, 2014
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". March 29, 2014 - July 6, 2014
  • California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way". March 29, 2014 - July 6, 2014