Wall lights have been used since the middle ages, at least.
(prHWY.com) August 24, 2012 - California, CA -- Wall lights have been used since the middle ages, at least. Modern ceiling lights can be purchased in any size to fit the space you have, but in the middle ages the hallways in castles were very dark and there were no modern ceiling lights to illuminate them. Therefore, the wall lights were crafted and hung in these hallways so that people might travel through them safely.
In the days of medieval castles the passage ways generally had few windows to allow natural light in. So they were dark during the day and they were extremely dark during the night hours. The great rooms of these castles had chandeliers that hung in their centers to illuminate them. The passageways and smaller areas did not have chandeliers in them. Wall lights were invented to eliminate the problem of dark and dreary passageways, bed chambers, and smaller areas within a structure.
These wall lights were properly named "sconces" and there are "sconces" still in use today. These first items were general made of different metals. Some of the items were made of metal that was highly polished so that it reflected the light that the candle or torch provided. That made the hallway brighter.
The fixtures were hung strategically through a passage way so that when you reached a point where one of them stopped illuminating the space there would be the light from another one beginning. They were most frequently hung at a height that would allow them to be just above the average persons head. This was so that anyone that came through the passage and needed the light could reach the item to ignite them. These items that still remain for viewing have been measured. The average of height of people has increased over time according to the placements of these sconces. What was once head high to most people is now only shoulder high to most people?
Most of these early sconces were powered with candles or with torches. Eventually gas sconces were crafted and used and of course the gas versions gave way to the electric versions. These items were very different from the modern ceiling lights we use now, but they provided the basic lighting needs, and they also were used as decorative pieces to enhance the beauty of the structure.
The original wall lights were usually shaped in an oval shape. They were generally rather large items. Eventually some of the structures began to have their sconces crafted from finer metals so they were prettier to look at. These were no different than our modern ceiling lights when it came to people wanting to make the items practical to use and yet beautiful to look at when they were not in use.
In the 17th century it was popular to have sconces that were made from fine metals that were highly polished. The sconces during this period were also likely to have mirrors placed behind them so they cast their light out farther than the ones without a mirror behind them.
Wall lights
http://www.lightingmajestic.com/wall-lights.html have been around since time began it seems. The modern ceiling lights
http://www.lightingmajestic.com/ceiling-lights/modern-ceiling-lights.html we use are replacements for the chandeliers of old, but the sconces we use are still primarily fashioned and strategically placed like the original ones were.
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