The Charleston Museum continues to shed light on the subject of lighting with the second part of its “Brilliant!: Ancient to Modern Lighting” exhibition series. “Brilliant! Ancient & Primitive Lighting” (Part I) came down on February 16, and “Brilliant!: Modern & Special Purpose Lighting” (Part II) will open March 1.
The second installment of “Brilliant!” explores lighting advancements beginning in the middle of the Nineteenth Century and continuing into the Twentieth Century. The production of kerosene, the introduction of gas lighting and the development of the incandescent bulb were key lighting innovations.
These inventions were so intertwined that several lamps and chandeliers in the museum’s collection were converted again and again to accommodate each new method of producing light from kerosene to electricity. “Brilliant!: Modern & Special Purpose Lighting” also includes work and special purpose lamps in unique forms for bicycle, carriage, automobiles, marine, railroad, miners, police and sewing lamps.
At 360 Meeting Street, the Charleston Museum, founded in 1773, is America’s first museum. For more information, www.charlestonmuseum.org or 843-722-2996.
