of gas-jets totaling a
few hundred candle-power described it as an "occasion of extraordinary
splendour." What would they have said of the modern spectacular lighting
at the Exposition where Ryan used in a single effect forty-eight large
search-lights aggregating 2,600,000,000 beam candle-power! No other
comparison exemplifies more strikingly the progress of artificial
lighting in the hundred years which have elapsed since it began to be
developed.

The nature of the light-sources in the first half of the nineteenth
century did not encourage spectacular or display lighting. In fact, this
phase of lighting chiefly developed along with electric lamps. Of
course, occasionally some temporary effect was attempted as in the case
of illuminating the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral in London in 1872, but
continued operation of the display was not entertained. In the case of
lighting this dome a large number of ship's lanterns were used, but the
result was unsatisfactory. After this unsuccessful attempt at lighting
St. Paul's, a suggestion was made of "flooding it with electric light
projected from various quarters." Spectacular lighting outdoors really
began in earnest in the dawn of the twentieth century.

Although some of the first attempts at spectacular lighting outdoors
were made with search-lights, spectacular lighting did not become
generally popular until the appearance of incandescent filament lamps of
reasonable efficiency and cost. The effects were obtained primarily by
the use of small electric filament lamps draped in festoons or installed
along the outlines and other principal lines of buildings and monuments.
The effect was almost wholly that of light, for the glare from the
visible lamps obscured the buildings or other objects. The method is
still used because it is simple and the effects may be permanently
installed without requiring any attention excepting to replace
burned-out lamps. However, the method has limitations from an artistic
point of view because the artistic effects of painting, sculpture, and
architecture cannot be combined with it very effectively. For example,
the details of a monument or of a building cannot be seen distinctly
enough to be appreciated. The effect is merely that of outlines or lines
and patterns of points of light and is usually glaring.

The next step was to conceal these lamps behind the cornices or other
projections or in nooks constructed the purpose. Light now began to
mo