Continuing my coverage of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida (previous posts here, here, and here), today we move on to the dining room.
Here and elsewhere in the American Craftsman-style house, two things struck me: one, its unpretentiousness (which some visitors, I discovered online, have found disappointing); two, the electrical items, especially the lighting. The torchieres didn’t photograph well in the bright light, but you can see the overhead “Electrolier” fixtures, with their Edison bulbs, pretty clearly.
The Family Home Living Room visible through the door includes the George Steck grand piano that Mina Edison liked to play after dinner, as well as another interesting “Electrolier” fixture.
We arrived in February, and the table is set for celebrating Thomas Edison’s birthday (11 February), complete with birthday cake. At the time I was there, I had an idea what those round metal things were on the stand next to his chair, but now I’m drawing a blank. Do you know?
“I never did a day’s work in my life, it was all fun.” – Thomas Edison
One of us -- 
2 comments:
What a beautiful home he had. I've only seen his workshop and such at Greenfield Village.
Maybe those round things are bells to call the servants ;o)
Back in the 1960s, my elderly neighbour who was born in the 1880s still used gas lighting provided by the local town gasworks. Her light fittings looked very much like these, with even the dangling chain/cord in the middle. I imagine it took a while for lighting designers to move away from the old gas lighting fixtures and design fittings appropriate to Edison's electric bulbs. Another house on our street had adapted the old gas fittings to electricity and I remember them as looking a lot like your photographs.
Thank you for showing these beautiful and interesting lights.
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