Perihel Sunlamp and Mixray

11 years ago Posted by: skinflint Lighting History

Perihel light therapy lamps are a rarity which we are occasionally lucky to find. The lamps were developed by Perihel for the once popular medical treatment of light therapy. Used both in hospital settings and at home, they were manufactured in many different styles for home use, from single head sun lamps to the deluxe twin headed infared and ultraviolet.

Mix Ray in Use

The original treatments used a mix of infra-red and ultaviolet lamps and were used to cure many ills and to promote good health.

The home mix ray

People were encouraged to buy into the trend for these apparently health-giving UV lamps by saving coupons from newpapers and entering into monthly payment schemes to assist them in the purchase of the hugely expensive lights, a similar light by Hanovia retailed at £15 in 1929, and the equivalent in today's money is £850.

Perihel twin mixray sunlamp

Their elegant over engineering makes them perfect for a table light and now longer have their UV or infrared capabilities, as the team have removed all of the outdated electrical components. They are though steeped in history and have been painstakingly restored to give you a feature desk light that will tell a story for years to come.

Perihel lamp

Images:

1942 Mixray medical treatment being supervised by a nurse.

A post-war Perihel Mixray Sunlamp advertisement.

Thanks to Cosmetics and Skin for Vintage images.

SaveSave

SaveSave