The mysterious O.S.B.

One item in the Caroline Simpson Library Collection has been capturing our attention recently: a beautifully illustrated catalogue of electric light fittings, identified only by a mysterious insignia on the cover – the initials ‘O.S.B.’

The book is a large-format volume (approximately 23 by 30 centimetres) bound in what appears to be its original varnished cloth case binding. The cloth is a deep teal colour, with a printed Art Nouveau decorative border and an embossed insignia on the cover. There is some wear to the binding and pages, but it remains in generally good condition.

The pages are fairly thick, with a fine glossy surface. Most of the illustrations are printed in full colour using chromolithography, producing detailed and highly saturated images, while a smaller number use only black and brown ink. The designs are individually numbered, which indicates that this is a catalogue produced by a manufacturer or wholesaler to facilitate the ordering of products. The pages are numbered, and at least three pages are marked with both a number and a letter, suggesting that they were inserted into the existing order at a later stage. Subtle variations in colour use and illustration style across the volume also suggest that it may have been produced cumulatively, with designs added over time (although likely within the relatively narrow period in which these designs were fashionable).

No prices are listed, a feature common in trade catalogues to avoid needing to reprint every time prices changed. There is no company name, no place of publication and no obvious maker. So where and when was it produced? Who designed and sold these elaborate fittings – and who bought them? And who, or what, is the mysterious O.S.B.?

This article traces our attempts to answer those questions. While some details have come into focus, others remain unresolved.

First clues: date and provenance

The catalogue was acquired by the Caroline Simpson Library from the Sydney antiquarian bookseller David Spode, and was dated to around 1905. This is consistent with some of the earliest manufacturing of decorative electric light fittings, at a time when few homes globally were electrified.

But because Spode sold books from all over Europe and Asia, his involvement doesn’t help us narrow down where the catalogue is from.

Looking for comparisons

To better understand the catalogue, we compared it with similar material in our extensive collection of trade catalogues.

An 1890s supplement issued by the London metalworking firm Benham & Froud presents a large range of relatively modest electric light fittings.

A 1904 catalogue from the French bronze manufacturer Ch. Boulanger offers a more elaborate selection, including highly ornate designs in modern (Art Nouveau) and historical styles at the luxury end of the market. The marked prices range up to 3,000 francs (equivalent to about 25,000 Australian dollars today) for the most extravagant models.

A 1907 light-fitting catalogue in the Caroline Simpson Library Collection is from the Sydney importer and bronze foundry Watson & Crane. Watson & Crane’s domestic manufacturing focused on plumbing, building and industrial supplies, so these light fittings were likely imported. The light fittings are predominantly in the Art Nouveau style, with a particular emphasis on the more restrained designs associated with centres such as Glasgow, Vienna and Munich, rather than the exuberant ‘whiplash’ curves and opaline glass typical of contemporary French and Belgian work.

These examples reflect the diversity of styles associated with Art Nouveau, an international movement that took different forms across Europe. French and Belgian designers often favoured flowing, plant-like curves, while designers in Scotland, Austria and Germany developed more simplified, geometric interpretations (often referred to as Glasgow style, Secessionist style or Jugendstil – German for ‘Youth style’).

What makes the O.S.B. catalogue distinctive?

The O.S.B. catalogue stands out for both its range and its presentation.

The range and complexity of the designs is closest to the Ch. Boulanger catalogue, which similarly combines naturalistic, plant-inspired Art Nouveau designs with more conservative Louis XIV and Renaissance revival styles. Both catalogues feature grand chandeliers suited to prestigious domestic interiors or public buildings. There are, however, important differences. The Ch. Boulanger catalogue leans more heavily towards revivalist styles and the exuberant, flowing forms of French and Belgian Art Nouveau, with little representation of the more restrained, stylised approaches seen in Scottish, Austrian and German design – approaches that are evident in the Watson & Crane catalogue.

The O.S.B. catalogue brings all of these strands together and includes an unusually broad selection of designs. Its revivalist designs draw on sources ranging from the Renaissance through to the baroque, rococo and neoclassical Empire styles. Alongside these, it presents a wide spectrum of Art Nouveau: from finely detailed, naturalistic floral forms and sinuous ‘whiplash’ curves to figurative lamps and the more abstract, geometric interpretations associated with Secessionist and Jugendstil design in Austria-Hungary and Germany.

The high-quality chromolithographic printing of the catalogue, in full colour, allows the finishes of the fittings – likely combinations of bronze, copper and iron, variously patinated (a chemical process that alters the colour of metal by creating an oxidised coating, or ‘patina’) and painted – to be represented with subtlety and variation. In contrast, other catalogues in the collection rely on simpler line drawings or black-and-white photography.

Like the light fittings it presents, the catalogue itself is a premium product, and was probably produced by a specialist art printer.

A small but significant detail

The question of where the catalogue may have been printed opens up an additional avenue of inquiry, and a closer look reveals a key piece of information. On page 169, in small type, appears the imprint: H. F. Jütte, Kunstanstalt, Leipzig.

Leipzig, then in the German Empire, was a major centre for high-quality colour printing at the time. ‘Kunstanstalt’ (meaning ‘art institute’) indicates an establishment that produced art prints.

This tells us where the catalogue was printed – but not necessarily where the light fittings were made. Around 1900, manufacturers across Europe often commissioned German printers for their technical expertise, especially in chromolithography for high-quality colour reproduction for artistic and scientific publishing.

That being said, a search for light-fitting manufacturers based in Leipzig does suggest a potential candidate. Sächsische Broncewaarenfabrik (Saxon Bronze Goods Factory), headquartered in Leipzig, produced decorative metalwork including light fittings. Surviving Sächsische Broncewaarenfabrik advertisements and stationery from this period include illustrations of chandeliers and pendants in similar (but not identical) styles to those presented in the O.S.B. catalogue – featuring variously naturalistic branches and leaves, metal textured to mimic the weave of a basket, sinuous curves and baroque revivalist designs.

Could the ‘S’ and ‘B’ stand for Sächsische Broncewaarenfabrik?

Tracing similar objects

We hadn’t found any close matches for the O.S.B. catalogue in our own collection, so our next step was to search auction records and public collections for light fittings with similar designs. Online marketplaces and dealer catalogues reveal many light fittings in related styles, but most lack firm attributions, bringing us no closer to identifying ‘O.S.B.’ Specialist dealers, including French firm Mathieu Lustrerie, hold examples that closely resemble designs in the catalogue, attributed to prominent Art Nouveau designers including the Austrian Josef Hoffmann, French Eugène Soleau and Belgian Gustave Serrurier-Bovy.

Could the ‘S’ and ‘B’ stand for Serrurier-Bovy? Certainly, Serrurier-Bovy’s style incorporated both the sinuous curves typical of Belgian Art Nouveau (as seen in the work of Victor Horta, one of the movement’s founders) and the more restrained decorative approaches of the English William Morris and Scottish Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Serrurier-Bovy’s firm, established in 1903, produced decorative furnishings on a moderately large scale, with a particular emphasis on lighting, until his death in 1910. This makes him a plausible candidate for the identity behind ‘O.S.B.’ – although the ‘O’ remains unaccounted for.

We contacted our colleagues at Mathieu Lustrerie, who maintain a museum and collect specialist material on historical lighting, to see if they recognised the catalogue or its designs. While they did not recognise the O.S.B. catalogue, they noted that some designs recall the work of the British designer W. A. S. Benson, and suggested this as a possible direction for further research.

William Arthur Smith Benson was an English designer associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement. Because he worked in Britain – where Art Nouveau is often seen as less influential – and moved within Arts and Crafts circles, his work is usually classified under that label rather than Art Nouveau. Yet while some of his designs reflect the Arts and Crafts Movement’s characteristic simplicity and medieval revivalism, many others align closely with Art Nouveau, incorporating finely worked ‘whiplash’ curves and organic forms. Benson also designed lighting for Siegfried Bing’s Maison de l’Art Nouveau in 1895, a Parisian gallery that helped define and promote the style. Benson’s firm, W.A.S. Benson & Company, was established in 1900 and is known to have issued at least one substantial trade catalogue. This raises the possibility – though not a certainty – that the ‘S.B.’ in O.S.B. could stand for ‘Smith Benson’.

One additional reference comes from a 2014 auction in Munich, where a book with the same O.S.B. cover was listed simply as ‘O.S.B. Lampen’ (lamps), described as ‘fachliteratur’ (meaning ‘specialist literature’ or ‘trade literature’) and sold for 100 euros as part of a Jugendstil design lot. We have not been able to get in touch with the auction house to receive any further information.

What we know, and what we don’t

Based on current evidence, we understand the catalogue to be:

• a high-quality chromolithographic trade catalogue produced by a Leipzig art printer
• dating from the early 20th century, around 1905
• presenting a wide range of luxury electric light fittings in both historical revivalist and Art Nouveau styles
• likely commissioned by a European manufacturer, possibly but not definitely based in Germany.

The meaning of O.S.B. remains unknown.

An open question

Research like this is often incremental. New information – whether from other collections, trade records or surviving objects – may yet clarify the catalogue’s origins.

In the meantime, the O.S.B. catalogue remains an intriguing example of early electric lighting design, and a reminder of how much there is still to discover.