Antique of the Week: Converted Vintage Lamp

As everyone in Kensington knows, Antique Row is one of the community’s points of pride. Howard Avenue and its side streets are lined with shops specializing in antique furniture, rugs, vintage toys, used books and more. This large presence in the community sparked our feature, Antique of the Week, where we will showcase a different item or curiosity each week to bring attention to pieces from the past.

This week, we are featuring a converted lamp from the 1930s sold at Split Personality. 

“When homes were just becoming electrified, there were a lot of glass lamps that were being electrified,” said Judy Sanders, the proprietor of Split Personality. 

She said that this lamp was formerly a kerosene lamp, and then, it became transformed to use electricity. It even has a candlestick as a base and slag glass, used to make stained glass, for the top part. Sanders said that the top of the lamp was made separately, and someone must have assembled it at a later time.

The advent of electricity completely transformed towns. As cities became dependent on electricity, Sanders said that it was typical for many kerosene lamps to become converted to electrical lamps.

You can buy this vintage converted lamp at Split Personality, which is located at 3760 Howard Ave. Call 301-942-4440 for more information on this week's antique.