Heat brought novelty lamps alive.(Chicago Tribune)

Byline: Leslie Hindman

Q: I am enclosing a picture of a lamp that has been in our family for at least 70 years. It depicts a forest scene. When the lamp is lit, the heat from a small bulb causes the cylinder to revolve and give the effect of a raging fire. It is marked "Scene-In-Action-Corp., Chicago." Can you give me any information about it? _ E.F. Hartel, Chicago

A: Motion lamps make entertaining use of the heat given off by an electric light bulb. Motion lamps are characterized by the action of an interior cylinder revolving on a pin against the outer panes, giving the illusion of movement.

The concept took nearly half a century to develop after the first incandescent bulbs were produced in the last quarter of the 19th century. Several companies produced these lamps in many different forms and styles from the 1920s to the 1960s. The maker of your lamp, Scene-In-Action-Corp., was one of the earliest, producing them in Chicago from 1927 through 1936. Albert Sabath was their chief designer and the company made at least 11 different models. They retailed new for $4.95.

Your forest fire lamp and a Niagara Falls model were by far the most popular and are the most common on the market today. Jim and Kaye Whitaker, who have been dealing in motion lamps for years as well as pricing them for Schroeder's Antiques Price Guide (Collector Books, 602 pages, $14.95), were cautious in evaluating your lamp based on a photo. With such items condition is very important, and many lamps have been damaged by light bulbs whose wattage is too high and, as a result, cause parts to melt. The Whitakers recommend using a clear bulb no stronger than 25 watts.

Without being able to tell the condition or completeness of your lamp from a photo, they would put your lamp somewhere in the $125 to $250 value range.

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