1940-1950 PAGE 4

Another interesting development of the postwar 40s were these fluorescent lamps, introduced by Sylvania in 1945. The lamps were sold in outfits of seven by companies such as Royal and Polly. Quite expensive--they were about two and a half times as costly as a regular lighting outfit-- the sets did not not sell well and were discontinued by the end of the decade. The lamps are a milky white before power is applied, but glow with wonderful soft pastel colors when turned on. The color of the lamp is determined by the various gases and phosphors contained within, and is activated when electrical current passes through the gas. Sylvania offered these lights in coral (orange), yellow, blue, green and orchid (pink). The orchid color was a later addition to the color mix, as boxes from the first year of production like the one pictured above only list the other four colors. The lamps dim with age and use and eventually fail to glow, but do not burn out suddenly like their incandescent counterparts.

Below is another set offered by Miller Electric:

After the War, NOMA and other companies tried to make up for lost ground by offering many new styles of lamps. These circa 1947 Glo Ray lamps are an example of such an attempt. Heavy and cumbersome, the lamps were not big sellers and were soon discontinued. Sales of all Christmas lights were soon to be greatly effected by NOMA's offering of the newly patented Bubble Lites.

Here is an unusual outfit from Snapit, called Sleigh-O-Lites. The lights are stored in a unique sleigh that slides out of the box. Uses for the sleigh are printed on the bottom of the outer sleeve, and suggestions include a "unusual decoration under the tree," or a "beautiful and decorative centerpiece for your festive table, either with lamps turned on or filled with fruits and nuts...candies or gifts." The lighting string is a typical C-7 candelabra base string with seven inside-colored GE lamps. The string is of high quality, as the Snapit company was mainly engaged in the manufacture of electrical devices. This was their one and only foray into the Christmas lighting business. The outfit is circa 1948.

Here are a few more outfits from the 1940 to 1950 decade:
DATE	DESCRIPTION/NOTES	OUTSIDE PICTURE
circa 1940	The Leo Pollack Company made very high quality outfits in the 30s and 40s.
circa 1940	A Belcolite outfit, made by a small company that was not in business very long.
circa 1940	Paramount made this "Straightline" outfit for many years
circa 1941	This Radiant set has red and green cloth cording and uses candelabra base C-7 lamps.
circa 1941	Another offering from The Leo Pollack Company.
circa 1941	A Reliance outfit advertising the use of Westinghouse light bulbs.
circa 1946	This is the postwar version of the more colorful Polly box pictured above.
circa 1947	This On-A-Lite outfit was made by The Iron Firemen Company, and was one of the first to offer sockets that could be placed anywhere on the lighting cord. NOMA later acquired the rights to the patent.
circa 1948	This set from Glolite was actually made by NOMA. Glolite was a division of the larger company, and products sold under the Glolite name were of cheaper manufacture.
circa 1948	Kas-Kel outfits are not often seen, as the company only sold Christmas lights for a very few years.
circa 1949	Cheerbrite offered these lights for several years.
circa 1949	An inexpensive outfit from Majestic.