Here is a very old PC with a colour wheel, certainly one of the most beautiful item of my collection, I would like to thanks Gianni for this donation.
The information I have about this lantern, but not checked yet: It seems to be a light instrument use for lighting the glass canopy in Le Palais des Congrès in Liège (Belgium) for the Universal Exhibition in 1958.
Generaly speaking, the construction is based on folded metal sheets assembled with rivets. Some parts are cast iron, like the shaft support for the colour wheel, and the lamp support, as well as the base.
We can notice the chimney on top of the lantern, and the many ventilation holes. Was this lantern used with a gas burner or a limelight?
The lamp support is quite interesting, but the lamp holder is clearly not an original part. I guess it was converted to electricity, maybe an E40 lamp holder?
The beam angle is adjusted by sliding the lamp carriage with a knob underneath the lantern.
There is some letters casted in the lamp support: "AW Lg"
Other oddities: there is a counterweight attached inside the door to balance the lantern with the colour wheel.
The colours are gass panels. Each one composted of glass strips, probably to reduce thermal stress in the glass.
When I received this light, there were only the green and the blue colour sections left. I made new yellow and red sections. I guess the all five sections were equiped with glass filters to balance the wheel.
- Lens: Clear PC lens 150mm
- Accessories: Colour Wheel and base plate
- Origine: Belgium?