Dear Helaine and Joe: I have an antique lamp with a hand-painted glass shade. It was a wedding gift to my mother-in-law in 1920. The name on the bottom of the lamp is "Moe-Bridges, Milwaukee." I am hoping you can tell me the value of the lamp. — E.E.M., San Jose, Calif.
DEAR E.E.M.: The name "Moe-Bridges" is certainly not a household word, even among many collectors. Most people who have just a passing interest in the lighting devices of the early 20th century know the names "Tiffany," "Handel" and "Pairpoint," but "Moe-Bridges" is probably unfamiliar and may sound vaguely like a person associated with the Three Stooges comedy team.
Regrettably, we could not find much written about the history of the Moe-Bridges Co. What we did learn was that the firm listed addresses in both Milwaukee and in San Francisco, and it was issued a patent for a lamp base design created by George Ludwig on March 6, 1923.
Reports are that it specialized in making reverse-painted lamps, meaning that the designs were painted on the inside, or reverse, side of the lamp shade. This was a very popular form of decorative lighting in the 1920s, but the crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression made these lamps too expensive for the general public.
Moe-Bridges normally signed its products on both the base and the shade, and E.E.M. should carefully check the inside surfaces of her shade for a signature (it will probably appear near the bottom rim or around the cap at the top of the shade).
The reason that this is important is that collectors want lamp bases and shades to have started out life together, and a dual signature is a reassuring feature to find.
Designs on Moe-Bridges lamps often feature landscapes with forest or country scenes that typically include a water element. The example in today's question is a little unusual because it is decorated with several elaborate sprays of flowers that are placed on a blue ribbon that runs around the bottom circumference of the mushroom-shaped shade.
Flowers are generally one of the most common decorations found on reverse-painted lamp shades, but the sales records we found on these lamps suggest that Moe-Bridges focused more on landscapes than on florals. Reverse-painted lamps made by some companies such as the aforementioned Handel and Pairpoint can fetch prices above $20,000, but Moe-Bridges examples bring somewhat less.
Unfortunately, E.E.M. did not tell us the diameter of the lamp's shade, and this is important information. In the photos, however, this size appears to be in the 15- to 17-inch range and for this size and quality the insurance replacement value would be in the $1,800-to-$2,000 range.
Helaine Fendelman is feature editor at Country Living magazine, and Joe Rosson writes about antiques at The Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee. Questions can by mailed to them at P.O. Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.