Quirk's Victory Table Lamp

It's about time I added pictures of my example of this lamp. In fairly good condition, but not fettled yet. I got this lamp from Albert White who said the shade is one he made himself. Whether it is a copy of an original or not is unknown. I would expect it to need a glass around the mantle to use this type of shade and a Handi glass fits perfectly in the rest. A cheaper glass in the right size would be good to find. Anyway, here are the pictures.

 

Thanks for posting!

Cheers

Tony

 

Very nice Nils.

Is it a push/pull or a turning pricker?
Are you able to unscrew the handle?
Does the lip underneath curl right around?

Does it feel like a Kayen to you ??

 

It could be a while before I can answer your questions Anthony. The lamp is back 'home' in Australia and I wont be getting there again until the middle of next year. I'll try and ask my brother to have a look. I'm not quite sure what you mean by the handle unscrewing. The valve assembly screws off so the handle can be removed if that's what you mean. From memory, there is no hole for a radiator handle.

After you have pointed out the differences, I'm not sure about the Kayen link anymore, but have no idea what else it could be.

 

Thanks Nils, yes it was the valve assembly I was referring to.
Mine is asking for a bit more persuasion to undo than I am prepared to give and I have heard of another the same.

Neither do I

 

I came across mention of a mica Heat shield when searching Quirks in Trove posted here ;-

https://classicpressurelamps.com/index.php?posts/68162

 

A fine restoration project!

 

So nice in this one,
Can you share that size of lampshap to us. Please.

 

The lamp is actually on the other side of the world from where I am at the moment, so it is a bit hard to measure the shade. I'll see if I can convince my brother to measure it.

 

Well I got a reply from my brother.

The pricker is stuck and he would prefer I break it rather than him.
I'm not sure he understood what I meant about the rolled edge of the tank so will have to get back about that.

The shade has top diameter of 195mm, bottom diameter of 350mm, height of 180mm and side length of 200mm.

 

Dear Nils, thnks for details,
Now should be have times for diy.
Back soon.

 

Well I've just got back from holidays at 'home'. While I was there I got the burner sorted on this lamp and got it running. After a bit of carrying on to start with it settled down and works very well. Turning the ring to adjust the air gap doesn't seem to do much though. The screw up and down pricker control is a pain as well. Why they changed the original AGM design, I don't know. Anyway, here are a couple of photos without and with flash.

 

Good to see it burning, Nils.

Cheers

Tony

 

Looks good Nils.

 

It's a grand old lamp!

 

@Nils Stephenson, I also have a lamp like this, bought from Albert White and it too, has a shade with the same dimensions as yours which he made himself. The only difference I can see is that the wood handle on mine is painted green whereas yours appears to be blue.

Henry.

 

I have seen both green and blue handles on these lamps. Whether they reflect different time periods or were concurrent is unknown. Actually it would be nice to find out how long these Quirks lamps were in production.

 

This almost becomes a chicken and the egg question. What came first?

These lamps were produced by Quirks from the early 1920's so, did Quirks or Tilley become the first ones to use this shape/type of fount? It is a bloody tight call. My money is on Quirks.

I think it is most likely Quirks that manufactured Nettlefold Kayen. That of course is pure conjecture but it sure makes a lot of sense.

 

@Matty

I that's an interesting date for the Victory Table lamp. I knew that Quirks were manufacturing their "Quirks Patent Air Gas Machine" in the early 1920s in Alexandria (Sydney, Australia); and that they were "wound up" in 1923 [Quirks must have been resurrected some time later].

The Air Gas Machine was a lighting plant.

I didn't realise they were making stand alone lamps during this period.

Cheers

Tony

 

@Tony

It's a bit complicated as most of the early lamp makers history is. In an effort to be as brief as possible I'll try and explain without going into a lot of detail.

Quirks Lighting And Engineering were in liquidation from January 1, 1922, with claims against the company limited until January 22, 1922. I believe that was a voluntary liquidation just to enable the company to call in any creditor claims whilst they restructured the company under the name of Modern Lighting Limited. Another Quirks company, Flexibo Mantle Co was also absorbed by the new company, Modern Lighting Limited.

Once the Quirks Lighting And Engineering liquidation period had finished on January 22, 1922, that business name was retired and a new name of Modern Lighting Limited was adopted. As Modern Lighting Limited, Quirks built a new factory factory in Kippax St, Sydney, to continue manufacturing the Air Gas Machine you mentioned, electric lighting plants and hollow wire lighting systems. The factory had been under construction, commenced by Quirks Lighting And Engineering.

Quirks Victory Light Co commenced in January of 1923 in Castlereagh St, Sydney. Quirks Victory was the marketing arm of Modern Lighting Limited and advertised, sold and installed the Modern Lighting Limited range of products. As of yet, I have not been able to convince myself as to which arm manufactured the portable lighting products such as bracket lamps, lanterns and table lamps etc, Modern Lighting Limited or Quirks Victory.

Modern Lighting Limited ceased trading in 1930 but Quirks Victory continued.

 

Thanks, @Matty

I'm away from my files at the moment, but what I recall is that from around the mid-1920s Quirks Victory Light Co. marketed the Air Gas plant and a bunch of other equipment; then later an electricity generator as well as the Air Gas plant, plus a large pressure stove for the kitchen; then hollow wire systems as well. [My sequencing might be dodgy].

If I recall correctly, advertisements for their "new" stand alone pressure lanterns and table lamps appeared around 1938 or thereabouts.

Cheers

Tony

 

I can't edit my previous post. I just went through some notes and whilst the above is correct in the winding up and commencement of Quirks Engineering and Modern Lighting, Modern Lighting was registered on the 21st of July, 1921.

Tony, Quirks were selling AGM lanterns from at least 1919. Linden Quirk Patented the burner as seen in Nil's lamp above in 1921 (from memory). Quirks were manufacturing their own styled lamps from that period onwards.

 

I just tried to upload some advertisements of lamps unique to Quirks but the site wouldn't allow me to for some reason.

Tony, I can assure you, the above lamp were made by Quirks from the early to mid 1920's.

 

@Matty

I knew the AGM connection and the patent (it's in here at CPL somewhere) - I've just never managed to find an illustration of a Quirks lamp earlier than the one that's in my files; but I haven't looked that hard.

Cheers

Tony

 

I have shown the illustrations to Mr MacRae and discussed my findings with him. Mr MacRae has adjusted his PLC listing on Goulburn Specials to state it is now known Quirks manufactured these lamps.

 

@Matty


You've obviously got Quirks lanterns and lamps from earlier than I have. If you're interested, I'll send you stuff that I have (when I get back to my files - but you've probably already have them if you've done all that work).

I'd love to see a pic/ad. of one from the early 1920s.

Cheers

Tony

 

This is an interesting bit of lighting history. Here is the note from the PLC:-


William Montague Harley Quirk born 18th December 1857 was one of 7 Children of parents The Reverend James Richard Quirk and Anna Maria Storr in Attleborough, Warwickshire where his father was Vicar. He emigrated to Australia between 1876 and 1886. William Married Ada Mary Cooper 18th October 1886 in Goulburn, New South Wales. William and Ada had three children Linden 1887, Eric 1891 and Dorothy 1894. William died 27th March 1923 at "Willeroo", Bay Street, Brighton, Victoria.

William was in Sydney 11th June 1895 when he and Joseph Abbot applied for Australia patent 5848, a spout for wool washers. I assume he was employed as an engineer at the time because in 1900 he applied to become a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and a few years later in 1902 he was Manager of J. Barre Johnson & Co. West Australian agents for Babcock and Wilcox. By 1908 he had established Quirk & Co, who were acting as agents for Waugh & Josephson, Engineers Sydney, selling marine oil and steam engines and refrigeration equipment. At some time about 1908 William established his company Quirk & Co. In 1909 Quirk & Co were selling “The Light of the Age” an air gas machine lighting system but it is not clear if they were manufacturing this equipment. It may well be they were marketing an American system possibly made by AGM.

On August 1st 1912 Quirk & Co was dissolved and registered as a public limited company Quirk Lighting and Engineering Co. Ltd. William Quirk with a 33% share. Directors:- Thomas Waddell Chairman; Sir James Graham K.B. M.D. ; John Stinson; John Hain; W.M. Quirk managing Director. By 1915 this company had premises at 352 Flinders Lane Melbourne, 117 Pitt Street Sydney, 125 Grenfell Street Adelaide and 116 Adelaide Street Brisbane. In 1917 W. Semple, Business manager for Queensland, was appointed as General manager for Australia and T.W. Sands was appointed manager for Victoria & Tasmania. At some time around 1922 the Victorian business in Melbourne was sold to Modern Lighting Ltd. An advert dated 17th January 1922 has T.W. Sands of 367 Post Office Place Melbourne as sole agent for Modern Lighting Ltd (Late Quirk’s Lighting and engineering Ltd.) This company seems to have ceased selling Quirk’s lighting product in favour of Evening Star lamps. Modern Lighting Ltd seems to cease trading by about 1930. Quite what was going on is a mystery because also in 1922 the Victory Light Company is advertised with offices in Adelaide and by 1923 Quirk’s Victory Lighting Company was advertised displaying lighting products in Melbourne with an office at 378 Flinders Street Melbourne. So at some time around the early 1920s the company name was changed from Quirk Lighting and Engineering to Quirk’s Victory Lighting Company. In 1930 the company address had changed to 29 William Street Melbourne. There was an advert dated 30th August 1930 for Quirk’s Ready-Lite lamp which is AGM model 256. However this is the last mention of the company in Melbourne.

On December 9th 1937 Quirk’s Victory Light Company of 229 Castlereagh Street Sydney advertised the Quirk’s Kitchenkook range of gasoline cookers. These were American AGM products but at this date there is no mention of any portable lighting. However on 21st July 1938 a very similar advert mentions, but does not illustrate, “Quirk’s Victory lanterns and Table lamps” A slightly later advert dated 11th November 1938 illustrates these products as AGM models 290 table lamp and what appear to be slightly modified lanterns 287 and 288. There are then several adverts illustrating these same products up to 21st April 1950. As the illustrated lamps last appear in any AGM catalogues in 1933 we may assume that as stocks were sold off these were not available much after 1940 and the lamps actually on offer were not as illustrated. In the 1950s the company began to specialise in electric generator lighting plants and fluorescent lamps.

There are no adverts for gasoline lamps after 1954 although the company continued to make electric plants and appliances and are still in business today as Quirk's Victory Light Co Pty Ltd PO Box 340, Botany NSW 2019

 

@Tony, here's the ad:



Part of the secret to finding the lamp is knowing it's name. These lamps were called Ezy Lite. The picture is from 1926. So yes, it is obvious I have earlier history than you.

Tony, forget trying to connect these lamps from the 40's or 50's They were made in the 20's.

Considering the the Quirks Victory, Castlereagh St, factory was still manufacturing through the Kayen era, it would not surprise me if that factory produced Kopsen Kayem. In fact, considering what is now known about Quirks, I would think it is virtually a certainty.

 

@Matty

Thanks.

Just to be clear, I wasn't trying to link Quirks lamps from the 1940s or fifties.

Rather, I was trying to find the link to the "early 1920s" (before 1925/6), given that you said above, about the Quirks 'Goulburn' lamp,:

"These lamps were produced by Quirks from the early 1920s".

I had concluded from earlier discussions here at CPL that the Quirks 'Goulburn' lamps were later than the (early) 1920s (I thought they were from the thirties).

I've never tried to sort the Quirks timeline out because I knew others, like you, were doing it. I just managed to accumulate some files while looking for other stuff on Trove and elsewhere.

Interestingly, I picked up a bunch of Australian newspaper clippings today about the Coleman Quicklite Co. In among the Coleman stuff is a very interesting ad from 1930 for a Quirks 'Ready-lite' lamp. I'll post it in the Reference Library when I get a chance.

Cheers

Tony

 

@Mackburner

Thanks for the detailed timeline. I'll send you and @Matty a clear copy of the paper ad. for the Quirks 'Ready-lite' that I got yesterday.

Cheers

Tony