Decorative Enamel Bowl 50-GA
The 1950s marked the beginning of a major extension of the range of ordinary incandescent lamps with bulbs having new shapes and finishes, purely for decorative applications. It was the goal of the lamp manufacturers to add value to their products so as to earn better margins, such as were being achieved by their colleagues in the luminaire business.

GE pioneered the introduction of ceramic glazes fired into the bulb surface in 1946, which allowed ordinary mass-produced bulb shells to be economically coated with a coloured finish. It was first launched in the Deluxe Pink colour, to deliver a warmer light for residential interiors. It was not enough though to add significant value - consumers would still hide the lamp away inside a decorative luminaire.

Following this realisation, lampmakers began to experiment with more decorative shapes so as to inspire the use of bare bulbs, and in the late 1950s GE launched this so-called "GA" style - a combination of the G and A shapes. It was offered in GA-25 and GA-30 sizes, with finishes of ivory or pink.

Rather than applying a flat colour to the whole bulb surface, only the bowl is coloured and it features a pattern of concentric rings. It is not only decoratively-inspired, but scientifically designed. The coated crown delivers a soft glare-free light downwards, while the frosted upper surface allows approximately 2/3 of the light to efficiently uplight the ceiling. The result is an elegant lamp whose efficacy is not significantly reduced below that of the ordinary inside-frosted lamp. The lamp proved to be a popular cash-cow for many years, but by the 1970s its shape had fallen out of fashion, and was replaced by other decorative shapes.
Manufacturer: General Electric U.S.A.
Lamp Power: 50 Watts
Lamp Voltage: 120 Volts
Lamp Current: 0.417 Amperes
Cap Type: E26s Aluminium + Vitrite insulator
Bulb Type: GA-80 GA-25 in eighths/inch
Bulb Finish: Inside frosted Pink enamel coating
Filament Type: C-9 Single coil wreath
Atmosphere: 95:5 Ar:N2 Red phosphorus getter
Luminous Flux: 600 lm
Luminous Efficacy: 12.0 lm/W
Beam Intensity: N/A
Beam Distribution: N/A
Colour Temperature & CRI: CCT: 2700K CRI: Ra 100
Chromaticity Co-ordinates: CCx: 0.460 CCy: 0.411
Rated Lifetime: 1000 hours
Burning Position: Universal
Overall Length: 113 mm 4 7/16 inches
Light Centre Length: mm inches
Factory: Youngstown, Ohio U.S.A.
Date of Manufacture: August 1958 Date Code: 32 . .
Original / Present Value: Unknown Unknown
 
References: 1) GE Lamp Catalogue, USA, 1960, p.15