At the time of the firm 's founding , electric lighting for the stage was in its infancy . Held finds no catalog of stage lighting equipment earlier than Kliegl 's catalog of 1898 . as cited in Rubin . Indeed , it may be inferred that the use of " Electric " in the company 's name was intended to distinguish its products from the illuminating gas or acetylene fueled equipment they would replace . Many of what became common devices , such as the stage " shoe " or thrust plug and the disappearing footlight were patented by the Kliegls , and many others were developed into the forms still familiar today Initially they continued the Myerhofer business as " contractors and manufacturers " , as noted in their Catalog G of 1913 . In 1903 they furnished and installed the complete stage lighting system for the Metropolitan Opera Company 's new home on West 37th Street ( John was at the time an electrician for the Met ) . In 1933 they would be again called to provide a complete new stage lighting system , although not as installers . Catalog G also displayed the carbon arc floodlight , developed by the firm in 1911 , as the iconic '' Klieglight '' . A diverse assortment of lighting and electrical products were also cataloged , such as exit signs , backup batteries , dimmer boards , connectors , effect projectors , chandeliers , marquee lights ( and complete marquees ) , charging outlets for electric cars , switchboards , etc . Featured was a " Skyrocket " sign for Tilyou 's Steeplechase Park in Coney Island . The development of electrical standards was spurred , in part , by the Iroquois Theatre fire of 1903 . Kliegl Brothers ' Catalog E states that " plugs and receptacles are in accordance with Underwriter 's requirements and pass city inspections " . The Kliegls maintained a direct interest in the development of standards for theatre electrical systems . From 1950 to his death , Herbert Kliegl was a member of the National Fire Protection Association ( NFPA ) code making panel No. 115 . A precursor of today 's spotlights , the " baby spotlight " , their first using an incandescent lamp , was introduced in their Catalog E of 1906 as cited in Rubin . The takeover of the incandescent lamp would be inexorable . as cited in Rubin From about 1908 , motion picture studios were using the company 's floor-stand arc lamps , which allowed for point-source lighting , including some of the first low-light effects ; the shadow produced by the two pairs of carbon rods can be seen in some early films . In their 1922 catalog , the company was still featuring its motion picture studio equipment , but by 1926 , references to motion picture applications had dwindled to a single line of type on the first page . In 1924 they introduced the use of glass rondels as color media in border and footlights , eliminating coloring of individual lamps . Kliegl Brothers introduced its Fresnel lens spots in 1929 , and by 1935 were ordering their own Fresnel lenses from Corning . as cited in Rubin Pages devoted to Kliegl products in the 1928/29 catalogs of retailers such as Holzmueller on the west coast and wholesalers like Marle in Stamford , Connecticut , showed that their sales now extended well beyond their own factory . The condensed catalog of 1929 for the first time lists a broader range of " Mazda " ( incandescent lamps ) than arc spots . By 1930 , the " Mazda " name has vanished , yielding to " incandescents "
Iroquois Theatre fire
Iroquois Theatre fire
Kliegl Brothers Universal Electric Stage Lighting Company