i'm no lamp connoisseur but i certainly agree those are hideous.

The 1st and 3rd in the second row are fine but I wouldn't touch any of the others.

"Rather frightful" lamps ffs :D

The old crap comment was tongue in cheek. I also enjoy the aesthetics you find appealing, but some of the adjectives you used to support your ultimate conclusion of grotesque aesthetics is what got to me. Geometric, angular, and new to be exact.

You also have to understand that those designs would, in fact, fit the aesthetics of many modern homes, so it's not unreasonable for low/middle class consumers to feel "Yes! That is what I want in my home. That object reflects and accentuates my taste in art and general aesthetic values!" even if you can't appreciate or understand where they are coming from. I have no argument in regards to the quality of the products, but aesthetically I disagree. I like a couple of those designs.

I was taking my reaction to an extreme to convey the surprise I experienced given my contemporary consumer ignorance. It appears we were both being tongue-in-cheek.

You're quite right - the lamps pictured are likely suitable for low/middle-class homes, and it would be unreasonable for me to expect that sort of customer to purchase a Victorian lighting solution. I suppose I was frustrated that there was not a single offering from Target remotely in the ballpark of what I was looking for, but again - that was also an unreasonable expectation. I'd presumed that neo-Victorian style was still in fashion for at least a sufficient portion of the hoi polloi to warrant a single representative piece, but I was incorrect in that assumption. Or perhaps more simply, it would appear that Target does not market to that demographic, neither financially nor artistically.

My difficulty, (and it is entirely my own doing), is that I so seldom set foot into a market which sells mass-produced or new goods that every time that I do serves as a culture shock to my system.

Why is it that in so many old movies and tv shows footsteps are so loud? It's ****ing irritating and takes me out of whatever scene I'm watching.

that is pretty heckin' cute

Drinking smoking I'm not promoting
Cool with the Queen but I'm not voting
Big in the game but I'm not boasting

You're just a badman behind the qwerty
I've been a G from early
Before D Double E said 'dirty'