Pictures and text from Theelectrickid:

The shutter keeps clicking, here's some pics of the 1950s recessed can
lights this house still has. (Nostalgia area maybe?)

As can be seen, these are little more that aluminum "cereal bowls" with

a lampholder in them. I don't know what the wiring looks like. (Maybe
someone can fill that bit in?)

One: Top-of-stairs. When we moved here, this one had a 15watt bulb in
it, and I still have the bruise from falling down three stairs to prove

it. Now it has that round-bulb CFL.








Two: Over the front door. (Front soffit.) See the paint chipping? This
had a 100watt bulb when we moved here. Now also equipped with a
round-bulb CFL.








Three: Looks like someone 'upgraded' this one. It's kind of hard to see

with the 90 coats of white paint, but look for the screws holding it in

place. Apparently the can light is still there. This is on my list of
"Things the handyman previous owner did that I get to take apart and
inspect now." $10 says the cord from the chandelier goes to a plug,
plugged into one of those socket-to-receptacle things up in the
recessed light.





Okay, I have one question, why did these style fixtures give way to the

ones we're all familiar with? Price? Code? Fire hazard?



(As stated, all text is Ian's)

It's on thing as to what you see form the outside. But what has the heat done to the wiring behind the fixture.

The fixtures appear to be your basic recessed cans, with an outdated type of trim. Remember, even into the 60's there was a lot more reliance upon "A" type bulbs ('normal bulbs'), and limited availability of all the reflector types we now take for granted.
Likewise, metal was used for a lot of things that are, today, plastic.


As for the chandelier, Ian is probably right .... there's likely a cord plugged into the socket. Here's a pic of such a pigtail:





I don't recall ever seeing such fixtures in the stores ... but clearly they were at one point. Still, I am curious as to how that chandelier is supported.

Jeezus, did they just stick the bare ends of the wire into one of those screw-plug bases????!!!!!

No, Sven ... the thing was actually manufactured that way.

AFAIK, such fittings were common ... and UL listed them up until the Depression.

If my memory serves me, Capri recessed eyeball trims used those adapters,rather then moving lampholder down from the can.

Halo still uses such a device in their 4 inch cans

Looks like some wiring I found in a public school back in Michigan Years ago. Likely still there.

Gotta' love the pull chain.

Leland ... that pull chain was the cause of my being called there. It seems that the light wasn't working, even with new bulbs. Removing the fixture revealed that the pull chain was 'off.'

To be fair .... the owner had recently evicted the tenants, who had attempted to turn the basement into an additional apartment. Ironically, the light was also controlled by a switch on the wall.

This was the least of the problems I had to fix .... but also one of the most entertaining