The Handel Company
Handel & Co. was formed in 1892 when Philip Handel bought out the partner with whom he had formed Eyden & Glass Decorators seven years earlier. The company became Handel Company, Inc. in 1904. The new company began manufacturing leaded glass shades for oil and gas lamps, as well as the new ‘electroliers’, in the late 1890′s and continued doing so until they closed their doors in 1936.
One of Handel’s principal designers, Henry Schmidt, had worked for Louis Comfort Tiffany, and – perhaps as a result of this experience – many of the Handel designs were similar to the more expensive Tiffany models. Handel shades were made from glass purchased from other glassmakers and were prized for their geometric designs, although a few relatively simple floral designs were also manufactured. During this period it was commonplace for lamp bases and shades to be sold separately, so non-Handel shades are often found on Handel bases and Handel shades grace bases made by others, often by their Meriden, Connecticut neighbor, Edward Miller & Co.
At first Handel marked their work by hanging small metal tags within the lamp shade. Later they stamped “Handel & Co.” on the shade’s interior leading and on their lamp bases. Bases were also marked with a fabric label sewn onto their felt pads. Both marked Handel shades and bases are being reproduced today.