Object Type
The brass and copper lamps designed and produced by W.A.S. Benson at around the turn of the 20th century are among his best known pieces. The German architect and critic Hermann Muthesius suggested in Das englische Haus ('The English House') of 1904-1905 that Benson was the first to illuminate dining tables with light reflected from a shiny metal surface, while keeping the actual source of illumination hidden.

People
Benson was educated at Eton and Oxford and trained in the office of the architect Basil Champneys. Through his friendship with the painter Edward Burne-Jones, he was introduced to William Morris who encouraged him to set up his own metal workshop in 1880. In 1882, he established a foundry in Hammersmith and in about 1887, a shop in Bond Street, London. Benson was a founder member of the Art Workers' Guild, established in 1884 to promote links between architecture and design. Following the death of William Morris in 1896, he became managing director of Morris & Co. (for whom he also designed furniture and wallpaper). Benson's own firm prospered, but during the First World War the factory was entirely converted to producing material for the war effort. By the cessation of hostilities in 1918, Benson had become discouraged and he closed the factory upon his retirement in 1920.

Design & Designing
Benson was admired for the simplicity and clarity of his designs, which made little use of extraneous ornament. He also designed for machine production, openly admiring and exploiting its potential.