sistrah (sie strahlt hell = she burns brightly) is the name given to a series of semi-modular technical lights, developed by c.f. otto müller and the lighting technology institute of the karlsruhe institute of technology (lichttechnischen institut der th karlsruhe). it was launched in 1932 and aimed for maximum brightness and glare-free illumination with extremely efficient energy utilization through its technical glass. this was accomplished through two layers of glass, a first layer consisting of opal glass and a second, outer layer of clear glass or, if required/specified, a colored layer, which for the sistrah lights was either green, orange or red.
the lights were marketed as a universal light, which meant that only a small number of models were needed to cover a wide range of lighting needs. among the different models were a pendant light, table lamp and wall lamp. initially the lights were used for retail lighting in shops, restaurants, office buildings, schools, factories, lecture halls etc, but around the late 1930s, one could spot these in homes as well. the sistrah-construction was patented in germany and under a different name, megaphos, in several other countries, for example france, sweden and hungary. at least in sweden’s case, production was done under license by einar bäckströms metallvarufabrik of malmö, who launched the product as early as 1933.
