Topic: Fry "Golden Glow" reflector

[ian.macky]

Hi all--   I had a query from someone trying to identify this unusual Fry Golden Glow reflector.  The reflectors I've seen before (and that you can find pictures of online) are for locomotives, street cars, etc, and have a central hole where the illunination source sticks through...   but this one doesn't have a hole, and it doesn't look familiar to me.

Here's the original query and some pics.

I stumbled across your website while trying to research a reflector I have which is marked "Fry Golden Glow". It is, I believe, uranium glass. Possibly from a train headlight or track marker -- I don't know. When I searched "Fry Golden Glow", your site came up. I'm attaching a few photos in hopes that perhaps you might know what it is, and/or that perhaps you might be able to direct me to someone who could identify it. Most of the photos were taken indoors. The 2 which show a green glow were taken in darkness, in the light of a regular flashlight -- not a black light. The diameter of the reflector is 9". The glass (concave, of course) is approx 7/16" thick. On the back of the glass is black paint, underneath which seems to be a thin layer of copper or copper plating or copper paint.  The concave "bowl" is marked at the bottom, "Fry Golden Glow". Above those words is what I believe is probably/perhaps a keystone-shaped logo/mark which contains tiny numbers which seem to be (best guess) "2-26".  If I'm interpreting the shape correctly as a keystone, perhaps it's a Pennsylvania mark? Or perhaps the Pennsylvania RR?

Anyone?

[Anne]

Hi Ian, this is a bit of a puzzle eh?  Hubby and I have been having a bit of a think about what it could be and we wondered if it was one of a pair of reflectors that was mounted into e.g. posts or walls to indicate it was OK to proceed past that point - indicating an exit from a car park or similar, or maybe a reflector for foggy conditions? At 9" diameter it is clearly meant to show up from a distance away.  Neither of us has come across anything quite like it before though, and our thoughts might not be at all helpful!

[Ekimp]

Being concave like it is, I would think either the viewer or the light source was expected to sit at the focal point. If you search ‘antique glass reflector’ you come up with oil lamps with similar shape reflectors held behind them like this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antique-Oil-Lamp-Wall-Bracket-Mercury-Glass-Reflector-Fluid-Venus-Flame-Light-/293036694427

Maybe it is something from theatre lighting? Incidentally, it looks like it reads ‘Goolden’ with two ‘o’s rather than golden.

[ian.macky]

I think the golden glow reflectors were the equivalent of modern amber fog lights, but maybe not?  Fry used the same glass formula for ordinary glassware too; see The Glassworker (1925 article)

Yes they do look like the kind of reflector used with oil lamps...  but why amber?  And it'd surely be heavy compared to the usual metal ones.

And yes it does look like 'GOOLDEN' but I think that's just optical distortion since the sandblast/etch mark is on the back side of the glass and it's being viewed through the irregular surface...

Keep guessing everyone!  I remain stumped

[Ekimp]

This sort of thing from theatres: https://shop.aghendy.com/products/pair-theatre-lights

You can see in the following website drawings of various types of theatre lights, spotlights etc, that have the reflector mounted behind the bulb with no need for a hole in the reflector. http://www.theatrecrafts.com/pages/home/topics/lighting/types-of-lantern/

[ian.macky]

I asked how the owner came by the reflector since that may provide a clue...

Ian, it came from a collection in Maryland. Man collected eclectic stuff, and passed away. Nobody to ask. Now... The reflector has found a good new home -- right where it should be, I think. It's going to be included in a public collection of Fry Glass.They don't know for sure what the reflector was meant to do, but have suggested that it may have been a signal switch used on the PPR (the Pennsylvania RR? I don't know.). Apparently, the Penn RR ran the tracks through Rochester -- the hometown of Fry Glass.

A signal switch reflector might answer-- weight would not be a problem then, like Ekimp's theater light idea.