1948-1953

The aladdin Simplicity group of lamps consists of six different styles. They are rather heavy glass lamps, so they are not as prone to chipping as some lamps, but the finishes on several of them are paint. While the glass doesn't chip easily the paint itself can be scratched or chipped. It can also be worn thin from handling, or dulled and stained from kerosene (coal oil) being spilled on the lamp. Dirt can also work its way into the painted finish over the decades, and if the lamp is a barn find, the painted finish may have absorbed enough dirt that it will not come clean no matter what you do.

Care must be taken when cleaning these lamps. The paint is fairly durable, but it is still paint and using abrasive cleansers can damage it. It's better to soak the lamp than it is to try scrubbing it with brushes and hard cleaners. Soak it in something such as Oxiclean, or something similar. If your are going to use a brush make sure it doesn't have stiff bristles and be gentle in it's use.

In the pictures below the top row of lamps are all made of Alacite glass that was a special type of glass patented by the Aladdin Mantle Lamp Company and exclusive to them. It was known for it's "ivory" appearance which was rather popular in it's era. Alacite glass however does have one major fault which is its being quite brittle and easily chipped. Luckily the Simplicity Alacite lamps are quite thick so they do resist chipping.

The lower row are all made of clear glass that has been painted. I'm not positive if the paint was baked on, but the ay it adheres to the glass would make me think so. The paint on these lamps can scratch and chip, but it is not extremely easy to do so.