Uncovering The History of Pattyn Products
Among design collectors, Pattyn Products lamps are regarded as some of the finest examples of early 20th-century American modern design. Pattyn successfully crafted iconic lighting that bridges multiple styles, from Art Deco and Streamline Moderne to Mid-Century Modern.
Pattyn Products (Modern Products Corporation) was one of the most innovative manufacturing companies of the Machine Age during the 1930s and 1940s. Pattyn produced several renowned streamline moderne (and bauhaus influenced) lamps that now appear in many private and museum collections across the U.S. such as the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Cooper Hewitt, Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art, MoMA, and Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Pattyn Products Lamp model 310, Walter von Nessen - attributed (c1935-1940) - Pattyn Products. Photo from collection of Author.
Introduction
The company utilized some of the best new materials of the era, such as Bakelite, a very early phenolic resin-based plastic, and spun aluminum. Spinning aluminum is the technique of turning aluminum bar stock on a lathe to remove material and shape raw aluminum into the final product. Pattyn lamp designs frequently employed an innovative mix of new and classic materials, such as Bakelite and brass, layered in horizontal bands, strongly evoking the Streamline Moderne aesthetic. The Model 310, shown above, features brass layered between alternating black and red pieces of Bakelite set within the spun aluminum lamp body. Other models might have also included phenolic laminates such as Micarta or even clear Lucite within some of the layers.
Several lamp designs utilized an intriguing new way to diffuse and direct light through a series of discs and frosted glass. This diffusion technique is very reminiscent of early designs by German-American designer Walter von Nessen, which appear in the August 1930 issue of House Beautiful (Nessen Studio 161). A close-up view of a similar lamp was featured in the August 1930 issue of House & Garden (Kahn 46). Many museums and researchers have attributed the Model 310 lamp design to Walter von Nessen under contract for Pattyn Products.
While the design is very similar to von Nessen's previous work there doesn't appear to be any documentation to substantiate this attribution to the designer. It's likely that much more in-depth research will need to be done to either confirm or refute these attributions.
Walter von Nessen - Nessen Lighting.
Glass & Disc Desk Lamp, Walter von Nessen - (1930) - (Nessen Studio 161).
Close-up of Glass & Disc Desk Lamp, Walter von Nessen - (1930) - (Kahn 46).
About Pattyn Products
Despite the possible designer’s prominence and the firm’s recognition among collectors and museums, little is truly known about the Mo-Town company responsible for producing many of these remarkable lamp designs.
Pierre Paul Pattyn, a Belgian-American immigrant born on February 16, 1902, founded Pattyn Products in Detroit, Michigan, likely in the mid to late 1930s, though the exact year remains unknown. Information on the early years of the company is very sparse but it was quite an experimental venture very much like Pattyn himself. Pierre Pattyn was an entrepreneurial figure, actively involved in founding and managing several companies throughout his career. The first evidence of this began with Michigan Radio Parts, which later became known as U.S. Radio Products, Inc. The company designed and manufactured specialized radio components and appeared to be doing quite well in 1939 since Pierre took out an ad in Radio News declaring "HELP! YOU HAVE SWAMPED US." The ad informed customers that demand for their RX-18 all-wave tuning assembly had far surpassed their expectations and that the company was expanding into an additional manufacturing facility that would bring an entire lineup of new products to market (Radio News 52).
Pattyn was probably experimenting with manufacturing aluminum home goods concurrently with his other ventures especially since those successes would have provided the necessary capital to expand another venture. Pattyn Products went through several different phases and changed name a few times over the years to keep up with its shifting market focus. It was known as Pattyn Products (The Directory 208), Pattyn Machine Shop - possibly due to WWII
The company maintained its main store at 11840 Harper Avenue and branch plant at 11808 Harper Avenue as of 1946
Likely in an effort to diversify the business, Pattyn began experimenting with other inventions, most notably games and electronic musical instruments. Most of the patents held by Pattyn are related to several of his musical inventions. It was during these efforts in 1951 while Pierre was in the process of manufacturing a new type of instrument, he was arrested and charged with unlawful stock sales. A flood of investors angry about the slow timeline to roll out the new instrument brought the issue to the prosecutors office (“Broker-Inventor Held” 7).
Pierre P. Pattyn from Detroit Free Press Article (Sep 15, 1951) - (“Broker-Inventor Held” 7).
Unfortunately it's not really known if Pattyn had an active role in designing any of the iconic lighting his company was known for or if it was all staff and contract designed. The only known lighting patent that was issued to Pierre Pattyn was a 1952 patent for a three-way push button switch
Pierre P. Pattyn Patent for Push-Button Multiple Switch (Oct 7, 1952) - (Pattyn Push-Button Multiple Switch).
Pattyn's Modern Products Company filed for bankruptcy and was liquidated through an announcement in the Detroit Free Press on Dec 2, 1951. The newspaper listed the court-ordered sale of assets that included: "Alum. Lamp Standards, Top Spacers, Discs, Plates, Rings, Lamp Shade Parts..." (“Modern Products Corp., Bankrupt” 28).
Bankruptcy & Liquidation Announcement in the Detroit Free Press. (“Modern Products Corp., Bankrupt” 28).
Documented Lamp Designs
The most well known and celebrated Pattyn Products lamp is the iconic 310. It is featured in a 1946 ad in the Detroit Free Press below. The lamp is displayed alongside a Chase “Crescent” bookend, designed by Walter von Nessen around 1935 and discontinued in 1942 due to WWII.
Even though the von Nessen attribution to the lamp is not confirmed, it was common in product photography of the era to style objects from the same designer together like this.
Pattyn Products Lamp model 310 - 1946 Ad in the Detroit Free Press. (A. J. Doyle & Co. 94).
Machined Aluminum Lamp Ad - Better Homes & Gardens July 1950
Photo of an extraordinarily rare Pattyn Products lamp brochure. Likely from the late 1940's or early 1950's. Posted to Facebook in 2016. (Stitt).
Design Variations
The 310 lamp comes in a few variations. Most have brass rings at the bottom, but some, like the one from the Carnegie Museum, do not. Another difference lies in the height of some sections and the chamfered edges, which likely changed during the production run. Some versions tend to have a shorter base and larger chamfers, while later, more common models are slightly taller with smaller chamfers.
Pattyn Products 310 Lamp variation that omits brass rings from the lower section. (Carnegie Museum of Art).
Other Lamps and Lighting
It's not known how many different lamp models were designed by Pattyn Products but we are continually uncovering evidence that there was indeed a full line-up beyond the few lamps that advertising was found for. The table lamp below exhibits hallmarks of both Pattyn Products and Walter von Nessen's design style. This lamp's base and "separator neck" are notable for utilizing Micarta (a brand of phenolic resin layered with cloth or paper) and bakelite integrated into horizontal bands similiar to the 310 lamp. This model's number and documentation are unknown but it was likely a very early one and thus extremely rare today.
The lamp pictured below features the same style of phenolic composite base as the lamp above and includes the same inset details on the top of the aluminum base. Additionally this lamp was purchased by its owner from an estate sale within the vicinity of Pattyn Products' original locations in Detroit. The design may be incomplete as the shade and socket were missing when purchased.
"Detroit Art Deco Lamp." (Arondoski).
Other Possible Products
It's often thought that Pattyn Products made many other household decor items from aluminum, Bakelite, and other materials but we were not able to substantiate that claim from any documentation. If we were able to find a catalog, brochure, ad, or authentic label from the period we might be able to verify some of these claims. I've often wondered if they indeed were the makers behind a pair of spun aluminum candlesticks that I found in an antique shop years ago.
Spun Aluminum Streamline Deco Candlesticks - unknown manufacturer and designer, (c1935-1940). Photo from collection of Author.
** Please contact us if you have any additional information, advertisements, documentation, brochures, catalogs, patents, labels, etc about Pattyn Products or Modern Products Corporation. We would love to continue to update this post and continue to educate others if and when more information becomes available. Thanks!
Works Cited:
A. J. Doyle & Co. “Advertisement for Pattyn Products Lamp” Detroit Free Press, 31 Mar. 1946, p. 94.
Nessen Studio. “Lamps That Might Fittingly Be Characterized As Tailor-Made.” House Beautiful, vol. 68, no. 2, Aug. 1930, p. 161.
Kahn, Jacques. “Modern Lighting Departs Radically From The Methods Of The Past.” House & Garden, Aug. 1930, p. 46.
“U.S. Radio Products, Inc. Advertisement.” Radio News, vol. 22, no. 2, Aug. 1939, p. 52. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/sim_radio-television-news_1939-08_22_2/page/52/mode/2up?q=%22pierre+p+pattyn%22. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
Carnegie Museum of Art. Object: Table Lamp. Carnegie Museum of Art, https://collection.carnegieart.org/objects/8fd4f848-0b8f-4445-b03e-38cc0cb8b12e. Accessed 21 Sept. 2024.
Modern Products Corporation. “
Stitt, Mike. “Pattyn Products Lamp Brochure” Facebook, 28 Sept. 2016, www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207566252582153&set=p.10207566252582153&type=3. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
The Directory of Michigan Manufacturers. United States, Manufacturer Publishing Company, 1946, p. 208.
“New Charters Filed.” The News Journal, 16 Sept. 1949, p. 22.
“Modern Products Corp., Bankrupt.” Detroit Free Press, 2 Dec. 1951, p. 28.
Proceedings of the Common Council of the City of Detroit, p. 915.
Pattyn, Pierre P. Push-Button Multiple Switch. 7 Oct. 1952.
Arondoski, Ray III. Photograph of Art Deco Lamp. Instagram, 23 May. 2024, https://www.instagram.com/p/C7VS5OFu1ah/. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
Modern Products Corporation. “Advertisement for Pattyn Lamps.” House Beautiful, May 1950, p. 75.
Modern Products Corporation. “
“Broker-Inventor Held in $106,500 Stock Deal.” Detroit Free Press, 15 Sept. 1951, p. 7.
