View source for Torchère

{{Short description|Lamp with a tall stand made of wood or metal}}
{{for|the French Canadian meat pie|Tourtière}}
[[File:Italian - "Torchère" with Acanthus Leaves and Clawed Feet - Walters 6543.jpg|thumb|An Italian torchère, decorated with carved [[Acanthus (ornament)|Acanthus]] leaves and clawed feet, in the [[Walters Art Museum]]]]

A ''' torchère''' ({{IPAc-en|t|ɔr|ˈ|ʃ|ɛər}} {{respell|tor|SHAIR}}; {{langx|fr|torchère}} {{IPA|fr|tɔʁ.ʃɛʁ|}}; also variously spelled "torchèr", "torchière", "torchièr", "torchiere" and "torchier" with various interpretative pronunciations), also known as a '''standard lamp''',<ref name=synonym>{{cite web |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/standard-lamp |title=standard lamp |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2023 |website=Cambridge Dictionary |publisher=Cambridge University Press & Assessment |access-date=2023-10-09}}</ref> '''torch lamp''' or '''floor lamp''', is a [[Lamp (fixture)|lamp]] with a tall stand of [[wood]] or [[metal]]. Originally, torchères were [[candelabrum|candelabra]], usually with two or three lights. When it was first introduced in [[France]] towards the end of the 17th century the torchère mounted one candle only, and when the number was doubled or tripled the improvement was regarded almost as a revolution in the lighting of large rooms.<ref>{{EB1911|wstitle=Torchère |volume=27 |page=50 |inline=1}}</ref>

==Background==
Today, torchère lamps use [[fluorescent bulb|fluorescent]], [[halogen bulb|halogen]], or [[Light-emitting diode|LED]] [[light bulb]]s. Adjusting the [[pulse-width modulation]] in the electronic ballast can allow the fluorescent torchères to be dimmed.

Halogen torchères usually came with a simple switch. Some more expensive models have a [[TRIAC]] dimmer circuit built into the stem. Early lamps with 300W bulbs tended to fail quickly. Retrofitting the lamp with a 100W bulb resulted in a substantial improvement in bulb life with minimal loss in brightness.

Halogen torchères have been banned in some places, such as [[dormitories]], because of the large numbers of fires they have caused.  The torchère was held responsible by the [[US Consumer Product Safety Commission]] for 100 fires and 10 deaths since 1992.<ref name=pop>{{cite journal | title = The Light Stuff| journal = [[Popular Science]] | date = October 1997 | page = 41}}</ref>  Halogen bulbs operate at high [[temperature]]s and the tall height of the lamps brings them near [[flammable]] materials, such as [[curtain]]s.<ref>{{cite book| author = Nancy Harvey Steorts | title = Safety and You | isbn = 0815628005 | year = 1999|  page = 15 | quote = The halogen lamp industry voluntarily undertook an initiative to repair about 40 million halogen torchere floor lamps. The CPSC is aware of 189 fires and eleven deaths that occurred because of these lamps.}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Mogul lamp]]

==References==
<references />


{{DEFAULTSORT:Torchere}}
[[Category:Light fixtures]]

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