E. F. Caldwell & Co. Collection

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The E. F. Caldwell & Co. Collection contains more than 50,000 images consisting of approximately 37,000 black & white photographs and 13,000 original design drawings of lighting fixtures and other fine metal objects that the produced from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries.

Founded by Edward F. Caldwell (1851-1914) and Victor F. von Lossberg (1853-1942) in 1895 in New York City, E. F. Caldwell & Co. was America’s premiere design and manufacturing firm of electric light fixtures and decorative metalwork. They illuminated many of New York City’s most significant public and private buildings, as well as several buildings across the country when many cities were being electrified for the first time. They worked with McKim, Mead & White, Carrere & Hastings and other major architects of the day. Their clients were the most prominent Americans of the time including the Fricks, Morgans, and Carnegies. This set of images highlights some of E. F. Caldwell & Co.’s projects in the New York City metropolitan area.

In 2008, a significant portion of this collection was digitized and is now accessible and searchable online at www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/Caldwe ll/.

Caldwell project information was gathered from the Caldwell account books and on rare occasions may differ from the actual production of a piece and/or the client transaction. When possible, the information was verified with historic and contemporary sources.

The Cooper-Hewitt Museum Library’s online collection, Shedding Light on New York: Edward F. Caldwell Collection, was supported in part by funds from the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) through the New York State Regional Bibliographic Databases Program.

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40 photos | 5,036 views

items are from between 16 Dec 2008 & 24 Feb 2009.