Black Strand Electric Patt 23N Follow Spotlight Floor Lamp | 1960s Theatre Stage Light in Original Paint on Ertel-Werk Bundeswehr Tripod
Black Strand Electric Patt 23N Follow Spotlight Floor Lamp | 1960s Theatre Stage Light in Original Paint on Ertel-Werk Bundeswehr Tripod
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A Strand Electric Patt 23N from the 1960s, still wearing its original paint in black and the marks of a working life. The 23N is the narrow-beam follow spot version of the Patt 23, with a long lens tube and a clear glass lens. It is mounted on a height-adjustable Ertel-Werk tripod from the German Bundeswehr, rewired for everyday use and supplied with a bulb.
At a glance
| Manufacturer | Strand Electric, London |
|---|---|
| Model | Patt 23N, the narrow-beam follow spot version of the Patt 23 |
| Produced | 1960s |
| Finish | Original paint, black, with signs of use |
| Lens | Clear glass lens |
| Wiring | Rewired, E27 fitting, approx. 3 m (9.8 ft) cord with inline switch and EU plug |
| Bulb | Included. Takes any standard E27 LED or incandescent bulb |
| Tripod | Vintage Ertel-Werk field tripod, issued to the German Bundeswehr, height adjustable |
| Spotlight dimensions | 45 x 33 x 28 cm (17.7" x 13.0" x 11.0") |
| Lowest height | 118 cm (46.5") |
| Highest height | 165 cm (65.0") |
| Availability | One of one, once sold this exact piece will not return |
| Import duty | Payable by the buyer in their own country (outside the EU) |
The story
Strand Electric began in 1914, when two London theatre electricians, Arthur Earnshaw and Phillip Sheridan, set up in the West End. Its Pattern 23, introduced in 1953 and built until 1983, became one of the most widely used small theatre spotlights in the world, found in theatres, schools and television studios. The 23N was the variant made for distance. Its long lens tube carries a 6 inch lens instead of the standard 3.5 inch one, which narrows the beam to about 11 degrees with a clean edge, and Strand's own leaflet puts the weight at around 3.9 kg. That tight beam made it suitable as a follow spot, a light aimed by hand to stay on a performer as they move, in ballrooms, cabaret clubs and theatres.
The Patt 23N carries a colour frame holder at the front of the lens tube, where gels were slid in to colour the beam. On this one the original black paint is still there, worn at the edges and marked where it was handled, the kind of surface a restorer cannot recreate.
Under it stands a Bundeswehr field tripod from Ertel-Werk of Munich, a firm that traces its history back to 1802 and a precision workshop for astronomical and surveying instruments. The tripod was made to carry optical equipment in open terrain, and it brings the same quality of build to the lamp. Its legs adjust so the spotlight can stand anywhere between 118 cm and 165 cm.
The restoration
We rewired the lamp with an E27 fitting, about 3 metres of cord, an inline switch and an EU plug, and a bulb is included. The paint, the lens tube and the tripod are original, with the honest marks of use.
In your interior
The black spotlight on its olive-green tripod gives a floor lamp with real stage presence. It suits a studio, a loft, a bar or restaurant, or a living room corner, where its narrow beam can pick out a wall, a plant or a painting, and the adjustable height lets you place it where you want.
Suited to collectors of British theatre and television lighting, interior designers looking for a statement floor lamp with original finish and provenance, and anyone who prefers a piece that shows the life it has had.