single rare early 20th century salvaged chicago factory four light socket cluster with brass shells and glazed white porcelain rings

early 20th century antique american industrial quadruple light socket cluster fixture designed and fabricated by or for benjamin electric company, chicago, ills. the he keyless socket cluster contains a yellow brass shell or enclosure held in place with three black bakelite socket rings or insulators. socket clusters are connected groups of lamp sockets that may be used in a single socket or as part of a fixture to permit several lamps to be burned simultaneously. they are frequently used for indirect and semi-indirect lighting fixtures or with glass balls or domes. this arrangement breaks up the light source into several smaller units and thus reduces the intrinsic brilliancy; it often gives a more artistic effect than a single lamp. the clusters are frequently arranged for mounting on an iron pipe or fixture stem, and in some forms are made with a plug at one end to screw into a medium-base socket. they are generally arranged so that only two wires need be connected to the cluster. from two to seven lamps are commonly used and the connections may be made so that the lamps are in series or parallel: the series connection is used chiefly for clusters used on 500 to 600-volt electric railway systems. special forms of clusters are made for domes or other large fixtures having as many as 20 lamps in the cluster, and arranged in various groupings. the patented cluster was manufactured by the benjamin electric co., chicago, il. lightly incised patent dates are found on the yellow brass shell. the cluster remains in perfect working condition. designed and patented by reuben b. benjamin for benjamin electric. 

Measures 3" x 4".