Frederick Cooper Lamp Shades

Vanessa Weber Interior Design Expert

Vanessa is a New York-based designer specializing in architectural lighting. Whether you are planning an event, want to illuminate your backyard retreat or simply need advice on what lamp to purchase for your bedroom, Vanessa will be more than happy to share her knowledge and expertise.

Updated 21/04/2021

For an eclectic lamp shade that will definitely catch the eye, take a gander at this collection of Frederick Cooper lamp shades. They are as stylish as they are unique, and with a craftsmanship and attention to detail that makes them stand out and people take notice. If you want a lamp shade that will turn heads, one or two of these will do just that.

Buying Guide

Based out of Chicago, Frederick Cooper Studios created distinctively designed lamps that used a blend of media. Until then, lamps were designed primarily with metal and glass and the onus was on design more than function.

Lamps, despite their popularity, were considered a relatively new invention. Tiffany was just making its presence felt around the world with its use of colorful stained glass. Slag glass and reverse painting were just beginning to wean out.

This transitional period, clubbed with the rapidly advancing American architecture were the perfect premise for Frederick Cooper to design his lamps, which broke all conventional rules of design that were in prominence until then.

The lamps became wildly popular and at its peak, were a ubiquitous fixture in some of the top collections at that time. Cut to today, the company has been acquired by Wildwood, but continues to create lamps that borrow from the vintage designs.

If you are clueless about how to acquire authentic, vintage Frederick Cooper lampshades, then here’s some help.

What are Frederick Cooper lamps crafted from?

As we mentioned earlier, the most distinctive feature of Frederick cooper lamps is the use of mixed media in their lamps.

The base, for example, is not limited to metal.
Porcelain was used frequently in an array of hues and shades drawing inspiration from pottery.
Very often, a brass element was added to the base to give it some stability. And these also served as the label or logo for the brand.
The lampshades were mainly hand sawn and made of fabric, which explains why it’s possible to find them in mint condition even today.
Many of the lamps used Chinese motifs and cultural references, for example, the Tea tin lamp and the caddy lamp which feature original silk lampshades.
Besides fabric, the artist also used cane and wood for the lamp shades.

What are the most popular Frederick Cooper lamp styles?

While the lamp shades often walk away with most of the attention, it’s the lamp base that stood out in Frederick Cooper designs.

From porcelain lamp bases with ornate hand-drawn artwork, to nature-inspired motifs and figurines, the lamp bases were unlike anything that had been created until then.

The animal figurine bases in particular, like the elephant, bird on one leg, frog and the horse are quite sought after by collectors.

Where to get authentic Frederick Cooper lamp shade replacements?

If you find an authentic lamp with a damaged or missing lamp shade, it is quite possible to source a replacement. And it doesn’t have to be identical, same shaped or an antique either. That’s the best part about replacement lamp shades. It allows you to completely change the style of the lamp.

Having said that, a lot of people prefer sourcing an antique lamp shade replacement. Reach out to verified and reputed antique dealers to look for replacements. Counterfeiting is rife in the industry and most of the Frederick Cooper lampshades that you see for sale on eBay are fake.

If you find a lampshade that’s being sold as an antique, try to verify the origin. Speak to the company if they can provide any information about it. If nothing else works, pay an appraiser to know if it’s legitimate.