Candles for the Moderns

Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 3/1/2001

Looking back to the early 1960s, we discover that the current candle craze had some very early roots. This article from 1962 reported that candle sales were on the rise. While the 1961 candle shipment receipts of roughly $36.2 million may pale in comparison to the more than $2.3 billion in candle sales estimated for 2000 by the National Candle Association, the trend was there. Perhaps we have the manufacturers of that decade to thank for the popularity of the candle in American homes: The article describes candlemakers as driving the trend by introducing "fashion hues" and, in a surprisingly familiar and modern strategy, positioning candles as home decor pieces coordinated with the rooms around them.

For their timeless charm, decorative versatility, and relative inexpensiveness, what can hold a candle to candles? Even after the marvels achieved by the incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, we "moderns" are still enchanted by the flickering glow of candlelight.

In fact, from what light statistics throw upon the matter, it seems that our appreciation of candlelight has increased with the use of electric bulbs, rather than diminished. According to the figures on the value of shipments of candles compiled by the Census of Manufacturers, candle receipts jumped from $6,329,000 in 1939 to $17,906,000 in 1947. And, since the war, candle shipment receipts have increased at a steady rate, until by last year they totaled $36,199,000. Even accounting for the increase in population and the inflationary rise of the dollar that these figures also reflect, proportionately they show that candles have jumped in popularity with Americans by some 100 percent since 1947.

Import figures in the last five years bear out this picture of the growth of the American candle market. Candle imports in 1957 reached 1,421,316 pounds, valued at the ports of entry at $483,954. In 1961, we imported 3,826,000 pounds of candles, valued at $1,255,827.

So Americans are definitely buying more domestic and imported candles than ever before in the 20th century. However, one doesn't have to look up statistics to appreciate this fact.

The vigor of today's candle market can be seen in the array of products on the market and in the new place that home fashion magazines are according them both on tables and in room settings. Unlike the Medieval times, when the flame of a candle held a somber, awesome significance, in modern life candlelight reflects the lighter, gayer moments of life. We now have candles for pool or patio parties in summer, candles for cocktail or dinner parties, candles for football get-togethers, candles for the Fourth of July, candles for Halloween, and candles for Valentine's Day. And, of course, with the biggest candle selling season just getting underway, there's no end to the Christmas wax and candle designs you'll be seeing, mostly now in a light, whimsical style.

While these holiday and special occasion candles are a big and important segment of sales, it is what candlemakers are doing to the everyday variety that makes candles more a part of the American's everyday life. Candles are now being produced in fashion hues that coordinate with the other colors that seasonally become fashionable in American homes. This year, candles in coordinating colors of green and brown are being introduced and are receiving editorial emphasis in House & Garden.

One candlemaker is decorating his candles in glass with fabric material that may accent or match draperies or current upholstery patterns. Candle sconces and candelabras, as well as hurricane lamps, are permanent fixtures in some room settings. What has happened to candles, in short, is that they have become an indispensable home decorating feature for both elegant and informal interiors.

American candlemakers are inspiring much of the year-round use of candles, not only by keeping up with home fashion trends but also by the frequency with which they introduce a wealth of imaginative new candle designs.-Gifts & Dec (then called The Gift and Art Buyer ), November 1962