Alternative Name(s): Rite Lite, Rite-Lite

Metal TV lamp designed and made by Frismag Electrical Engineers Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Physical Description

Yellow anodised, spun aluminium lamp, consisting of a circular base, inverted cone lamp with bulb and socket and a large circular concave lid with attached handle. The base has a white plastic switch on top and a gold-coloured, fabric-covered, flexible electric cable and brown plastic plug attached to one side. A series of holes are punched along the top of the lamp in a repetitive pattern of the letters 'TV'.


From the time television was introduced to Australia in 1956, new owners were tempted with a variety of accessories to enhance their viewing comfort. The TV lamp became popular when concern was raised over the potential strain put on the eye by long periods of TV watching in darkened rooms. The rays from the lamp were seen as a counterbalance to the rays from the screen. The lamps were designed to spread defused light around the room, usually in an upward direction. So as not to ruin the attractive finish of the TV set, the lamps were usually very decorative, designed to be ornamental as well as functional. This lamp takes the concept to the extreme, celebrating its use through the TV shaped holes. Most of the metal TV lamp designs adopted the prevailing fashion for space age and science fiction themes.

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