History of Lampe Berger

The Lampe Berger, pronounced Bershay, was originally designed to disinfect the air in hospitals and morgues throughout France. Once Louis Pasteur proved that tiny organisms invisible to the naked eye existed, the race was on to end the spread of germs and disease. In 1898, a Pharmacist named Maurice Berger picked up the challenge and invented the Lampe Berger.

He came up with the groundbreaking idea of using catalytic combustion to purify the air, and once he proved his theory, the Lampe Berger became a fixture in hospitals, morgues, and household of the aristocracy throughout France.

When Berger opened a shop in 1910 at 18 rue Duphot in Paris, the Lampe Berger became a hit in homes across Europe, gracing the rooms of kings and queens and notable people such as Picasso and Coco Chanel. The lamps became a must have in smoking clubs.

In 1927 Berger sold his business to Jean-Jacques Failliot. With this change of hands came a wider selection from a meager dozen lamps to over 100 different styles and prices. This made Lampe Berger affordable for the masses.

The company survived the first World War and flourished. The 1930’s brought the addition of fragrances to enhance the Lampe Berger’s effectiveness by emitting a pleasant, clean smell in a variety of scents.

Jean-Jacques Failliot died of wounds suffered during World War II, and his son Gilbert took over the company. The bombing destroyed the factory in Courbevoie, halting production for a short time. Even after the war ended, supplies were hard to find. Crystal lamps became nearly impossible to make, ushering in the era of earthenware and hand-painted porcelain. In the 1950’s Opaline glass was introduced. The smokey glass lamps became very popular.

The Failliot family sold the company in 1973 to Marcel Auvray. The Auvray family brought the Lampe Berger into the future with style, shipping lamps to homes all over Europe and hospitals all over the world. In 1997 he created a Research and Development department in Limoges France with the idea to modernize and branch out, selling to households in other countries. The research in Limoges created the Air PUR system 3C wick. The new wick was so innovative, it is still in use today and considered a great advancement in air purification.

World-renowned artist Pierre Casenove joined the company in the late 1980’s, and his designs attracted the likes of Regis Dho. The Auvray family made many advancements and now holds a patent in over 20 countries.

Homes, hospitals, and similar facilities have used the Lampe Berger to purify the air in enclosed spaces for over 100 years, and they are more popular than ever. Many lamps are collectibles with famous designers like Cristal de Baccarat, René Lalique, and Emile Gallé.

Throughout the history of Lampe Berger, many awards and recognitions have been earned for its many benefits.

Won the French Invention of the Year award in 1901
Awarded the ISO 11014-1 for product safety and excellence
Won the Lyon Superior Award
Received the Paris Commodity Award six times
Won the Roman Market Product Award in Italy in 1906
The Exposition International d’Economie Manager God Award was given in 1912
In 1938, the Lampe Berger received the National Scientific Research and Development Gold Award
Certified in Atlanta, US as Best Decorative Award Figure in 2000
China awarded the High-Quality Consumer Product and Lifestyle Art at the New Millennium Advanced Technology Exposition in France in 2001
USA FDA approved
The catalytic burner carries six international patents

The Lampe Berger company takes great pride in growing and developing, working towards improvement. They have a prestigious international reputation, distributing in 56 countries. The stars are the limit, and Lampe Berger is reaching excelence in every area.