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January 1939. Herrin, Illinois. "Operating room at Herrin Hospital (private)." 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size.
Judging from the physical size, these are 150 watts or larger, as appropriate for the application. Very large incandescents are hard to come by nowadays, having been supplanted by halogen in this type of environment, and fluorescent or HID elsewhere.
And no, one need not spend $5 for a compact fluorescent. At my local store, I can buy 60W incandescents for 32 cents each, vs. $2 each for a 14W CFL (four-packs). Even if the CFL only lasts 2,000 hours rather than 10,000, it will still save $10 in electricity. And yes, I have metered it. The math doesn't lie.
After more than 100 years of successfully using Edison's invention for lighting up the night, we are all in for a shock come January. The bulbs that now sell for about 25 cents each will no longer be available. Our alternate choices will be costing us anywhere from $5 each to $50 each. Having personally used fluorescent lights occasionally, I found it to be a hassle and hazard to dispose of them (mercury and gas) and a few burned out within a couple of months. The LED's give a different light and cost more. The "halogen" bulbs get as hot as 800 degrees and start fires. This issue will come as a surprise to many low income people who can barely buy food and/or pay rent who will not have the money to replace $50 or even $5 lightbulbs. Just the facts ma'am, just the facts.
[Mistaken notions vs. the facts. - Dave]
I hope the maid got all the dust off those fixtures!
Or at some hipster antique shop near you.
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