Mid 20th Century Rare Wallace & Tiernan Marine / Pair of Maritime Navigation Lights Made Floor Lamps

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This is an exceptional matched pair of mid‑20th‑century marine navigation lights, each retaining its original Wallace & Tiernan Products Co. … Read more This is an exceptional matched pair of mid‑20th‑century marine navigation lights, each retaining its original Wallace & Tiernan Products Co. brass manufacturer’s plate — a rare survival that firmly anchors the pair in the lineage of American industrial‑marine engineering.

Standing an impressive 5’2” on brass pedestals, the lights feature Fresnel‑style ribbed glass lenses—red for port and blue for starboard—housed within robust bronze/brass pressure‑tight enclosures. The protective cages, cast hardware, and patinated surfaces all speak to prolonged service in a salt‑air environment, consistent with commercial harbor craft, tug operations, or naval auxiliary vessels operating between the 1940s and 1960s.

Wallace & Tiernan, though best known for precision chlorination and pressure‑control systems, produced a limited range of marine‑grade signal housings built to withstand corrosive, high‑moisture conditions. Their castings were favored by shipyards for their reliability and longevity, making surviving examples with intact plates particularly desirable.

The unusual blue starboard lens is a notable collector’s detail. While green became standardized internationally, blue lenses were used by certain U.S. Navy divisions, European commercial fleets, and harbor patrol units — adding an element of rarity and potential research value.

As a pair, these lights possess strong architectural presence and museum‑level sculptural impact. They are suitable for:

• Maritime collections
• Industrial design archives
• Coastal architectural installations
• High‑end interiors seeking authentic nautical artifacts

Their scale and authenticity make them significantly more desirable than typical salvaged ship lights. See less