A Victorian lamp is a lamp in the style of the Victorian era (1837–1901), when homes moved from oil and gas light to the first electric lamps. The look is easy to spot: fringed and tasselled fabric shades, frosted glass tulips, ornate brass arms, coloured glass globes and, towards the end of the period, leaded stained glass. This guide explains the signs of the style and gives the real sizes of seven Victorian-style lamps from our catalogue, so you can check what fits on your bedside table, desk or hallway wall before you buy.
All the lamps below are new lamps made in a Victorian spirit, not antiques. They take modern bulbs and are listed with their real voltage and plug options.
How to recognise a Victorian lamp
- Fringe and tassels. Fabric shades edged with a row of tassels or beads are the most Victorian detail of all. Our Tasselled Velvet Floor Lamp has a caramel velvet shade with tassel trim on a slim brass-tone stand.
- Frosted glass tulips and flowers. Gas and early electric wall lights often carried small glass shades shaped like flowers. The Vintage Brass Flower Wall Sconce pairs an ornate scrolled arm with an amber frosted flower, a white frosted flower or a clear ribbed tulip.
- Coloured glass globes. A glowing glass globe, often green or milk white, on an ornate fitting. See the Scalloped Glass Globe Pendant, in emerald green or milk white on an antique-bronze canopy.
- Leaded stained glass. Domed shades of cut coloured glass joined by dark lead lines, made famous at the turn of the century. Ours are Tiffany-style lamps, not pieces from Tiffany Studios.
- Rich materials. Brass and bronze tones, velvet, gilded columns and printed florals, as on the Botanical Glass Globe Table Lamp.
Victorian-style lamps: real sizes
Sizes come from each product page. Where a size or lighting area is not given on the page, the table says so.
| Lamp | Type | Size | Where the light goes | Lighting area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baroque Stained Glass Table Lamp | Table lamp | H 36.5 cm (14.4 in), shade Ø 20 cm (7.9 in), base Ø 11.5 cm (4.5 in) | Jewel-toned pool of light on the table | Not stated |
| Tiffany Gypsophila Bedside Lamp | Table lamp | H 38 cm (15 in), shade 20 cm (7.9 in) | Warm pool of light around the base | Not stated |
| Cobalt Glass Bankers Desk Lamp | Desk lamp | H 36 cm (14.2 in), shade 26.5 cm (10.4 in), base 18 cm (7.1 in) | Down onto the desk | Not stated |
| Botanical Glass Globe Table Lamp | Table lamp | Not stated | Down onto the table and up the wall | 3–5 m² |
| Tasselled Velvet Floor Lamp | Floor lamp | H 158 cm (62.2 in) | Up and down | 3–5 m² |
| Scalloped Glass Globe Pendant | Pendant | Ø 30 cm (11.8 in), H 31 cm (12.2 in) | Whole globe glows, warm light downward | Not stated |
| Vintage Brass Flower Wall Sconce | Wall sconce | H 25 cm (9.8 in), projection 25 cm (9.8 in) | Soft halo across the wall | 3–5 m² |
A quick sizing guide, with numbers
Bedside table. On a 45 cm (17.7 in) nightstand, the 20 cm (7.9 in) shade of the Baroque or the Gypsophila leaves 25 cm (9.8 in) free for a book and a glass of water. The bankers lamp, with its 26.5 cm (10.4 in) shade, leaves 18.5 cm (7.3 in), so it is better on a desk.
Over a table. A common working rule is to keep a pendant no wider than two thirds of the table. The Scalloped Glass Globe, at Ø 30 cm (11.8 in), works over any table from 45 cm (17.7 in) wide; over a 90 cm (35.4 in) round table it takes one third of the width, a light, classic proportion.
A Victorian bedroom of 12 m². Using the lighting areas on the product pages: two Vintage Brass Flower sconces either side of the bed (3–5 m² each, so 6–10 m²) plus the Tasselled Velvet Floor Lamp in a corner (3–5 m²) give 9–15 m², enough for the room.
Wall depth. The brass flower sconce projects 25 cm (9.8 in) from the wall. Place it beside a mirror, a bed or a console rather than along a narrow passage where people brush past.
Where Victorian lamps work best
The style likes darker walls, wood panelling and layered rooms. Use a stained glass lamp as the warm low light on a bedside table or console, a fringed floor lamp beside an armchair for reading, and a glass globe over a round dining table. For more on the glass lamps, read our Tiffany lamp guide and our guide to Art Nouveau lamps, the style that followed. The desk lamp has its own story in our bankers lamp guide, and fringed shades are covered in French chandeliers and fringe lamps. For a softer, country version of the look, see cottagecore lighting.
Browse the full range in Vintage & Mid-Century Lamps, French Classic Lighting, Tiffany & Stained Glass Lamps and Floor Lamps.
For a broader look at old-fashioned lighting, including ribbed and pressed glass pendants with worked sizes for a table and an island, read vintage lamps and pendant lights. The bankers lamp is compared with other desk designs in our guide to desk lamps.
FAQ
What makes a lamp Victorian?
Ornament and rich materials: fringed or tasselled fabric shades, frosted glass flower and tulip shades, coloured glass globes, leaded stained glass and brass or bronze fittings. The Victorian era ran from 1837 to 1901.
Are these antique Victorian lamps?
No. They are new lamps made in a Victorian style. The stained glass lamps are Tiffany-style lamps, not pieces from Tiffany Studios. Each product page lists the voltage, and the Baroque Stained Glass Table Lamp comes with an EU, UK or US plug.
Which Victorian-style lamp suits a bedside table?
The Baroque Stained Glass Table Lamp (36.5 cm / 14.4 in high) or the Tiffany Gypsophila Bedside Lamp (38 cm / 15 in high). Both have a 20 cm (7.9 in) shade, which leaves 25 cm (9.8 in) free on a 45 cm (17.7 in) nightstand.
