Sistrah Lamp

In 1931, the designer Carl Friedrich Otto Müller (born 1885) developed the Sistrah lamp in collaboration with the Institute of Light Technology at Karlsruhe Polytechnic. At that time, the institute was directed by Joachim Teichmüller (1866–1938), who had established lighting technology as a subdiscipline of electrical engineering at Karlsruhe. Teichmüller also created the Teichmüller sphere, a measuring chamber for lighting devices that allows the intensity of emitted light to be measured in all directions. The goal in developing the Sistrah was to create a “universal” light source that provided maximum brightness completely glare-free and as energy-efficiently as possible. The lamps were designed in various models suitable for stores, restaurants, offices, doctors’ offices, schools, and homes. They were available as pendant and floor lamps. Even a special version for billiard tables is featured in the 1932 brochure. The name “Sistrah” is derived from the first letters of the German phrase “Sie strahlt hell” (“It shines brightly”). This brand name was used for distribution in Germany, but the lamp was marketed internationally under the brand name Megaphos (meaning “great light”). Sales began in 1934 through the company Sistrah-Licht GmbH, a subsidiary of Müller & Zimmer. The Sistrah lamp quickly attracted considerable attention in professional circles due to its innovative technology. Its enduring appeal is evident even today: vintage models command prices with four digits before the decimal point, and several versions continue to be produced. as