Who has never smiled at the Pixar opening sequence and its springy little lamp merrily bouncing on the letter “I”? Long before entering pop culture, this screen star already carried a weighty history: that of an engineering object turned British design icon. From technical feat to cult object, from wartime companion to arty piece endlessly reinvented, the Anglepoise has crossed the century with brilliance.
Conceived in the 1930s, the Anglepoise is based on perfect balance: a system of springs and articulated arms that grant it both stability and freedom of movement. Swiftly embraced in homes and workshops, it also found a darker use, illuminating factory benches and the cockpits of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A genius of lighting, a small miracle of balance, a heroic tool and a pop icon, the Anglepoise has never ceased to reflect its era while shining a light on it.
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Object
Lamp
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Singularity
Springs
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Lifespan
Ageless
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Personification
Pixar
The birth of a design icon, predestined for the automobile
It was in 1932, in his garden shed, that British automotive engineer George Carwardine gave lighting a spring forward. While seeking to develop a new suspension system for cars, he ended up applying the freshly invented spring mechanism to a lamp, allowing it to be adjusted with the lightest touch. The Anglepoise was born. Its success was such that he called upon spring manufacturers Herbert Terry & Sons, who in 1933 began producing the Anglepoise 1227, featuring a three-tiered base better suited to everyday use.
A wartime heroine, not born to shine in such dark times
When the Second World War broke out, its fate was transformed. The Royal Air Force took an interest in this ingenious and robust invention. The Anglepoise was then adapted to become the onboard lamp of Wellington bombers. Its articulated arm allowed navigators to read maps and instruments, even in the darkness of the cockpit. Far from being confined to aircraft, the Anglepoise also found its place in munitions, engineering and aeronautical factories during the war effort, particularly throughout the night-time blackouts imposed to avoid guiding enemy bombers.
A star of homes, museums and even cinema
From the 1960s onwards, the Anglepoise became a household object of the modern home, spreading widely with the rise of mass consumption. Then, in the 1970s, it acquired a “pop” aura and sailed through the postmodern wave without losing its shine, eventually earning its place in the permanent collections of several design museums.
Endearing, it takes on the role of a table companion. In fact, in 1977 it was staged by amateur filmmaker Peter Ryde in a short film entitled Wranglepoise (a contraction of wrangle, and Anglepoise), which captured the very spirit of the lamp. Its anthropomorphic qualities, giving the impression that it is alive and moving like a character, were brought to light.
In 1986, it achieved recognition: the Luxo lamp, a direct descendant of the Anglepoise lamp, appeared in the short film Luxo Jr. directed by John Lasseter, then in the 1990s, it became the star of the Pixar logo animation and entered global popular culture.
A colourful rebirth
In the 2000s, the Anglepoise experienced a revival through reissues and collaborations with leading figures of British design, notably Sir Kenneth Grange, who modernised certain lines and created iconic reinterpretations, and Paul Smith, who reimagined it with bold pops of colour. Today, on the occasion of its 90th anniversary, the original 1227 desk lamp has been reissued in a limited edition of 400 numbered pieces. Form and function are distilled into a polished aluminium frame, elevated with brass detailing and a burgundy braided flex.
Original 1227 Desk Lamp, 90 Years Limited Edition Raw © Anglepoise
With the complicity of Anglepoise.
