In 1947, when George Nelson embarked on the task of decorating his newly opened office in mid-town Manhattan, he found the silk-covered Swedish hanging lamp that he coveted to be prohibitively expensive. So he decided to design his own. The "bubble" lamps, as they were called, were first introduced in 1950 by the Howard Miller Company (brother of Herman Miller, Howard Miller also first launched Nelson's renowned series of clocks.) Using a spray coating of translucent plastic polymer over a skeleton of steel wire, Nelson created an alternative to traditional pendants and chandeliers, offering large-scale, diffuse lighting for all size and manner of interiors. A wide range of shapes and sizes are now available. Ball or Cigar bulb (not included): incandescent 150W/120V/E26/A21. Saucer bulb (not included): 60W/120V/E26/A19.