I found this early fluorescent fixture catalogue from 1939, predating even the introduction of the F40T12 lamp. The F40T12 was listed as coming soon with only fixtures designed around the F15T12. F15T8, F20T12, and F30T8 available. It seems to predate the introduction of autotransformer based ballasts too. Interesting because most of the lights are designed for F15 and F20 lamps, the 4ft lights actually use F20 lamps in tandem. Interesting a few form factors introduced in this catalogue survived to the present day, such as the industrial, the strip light, the wraparound, and the troffer.


https://archive.org/details/fluorescentlight00nove/mode/2up

Interesting how they suggest to use T8 lamps (and green ones, too) only behind shielding (louvres or glass).

I found that interesting too, T12s were recommended for open use, while T8s were recommended to be shielded.

Also interesting is how dim comparatively the early lamps are compared to modern lamps, especially the ones produced during the heyday of T12 in the 1970s and 1980s. 

By default, F30T8 fluorescent tubes do require autotransformer ballasts on 120v mains. In that catalog, you can see that before autotransformer ballasts were made, F30T8 fluorescent tubes were said to be incompatible with standard lighting equipment at the time.

Yeah, the suggestion was to either run them on 240v circuits or to order luminaires with step up transformers in the auxiliary, much like the very early F40T12 luminaires.

This arrangement with the separate choke coils and step up transformer didn't last long as by the early 40s, autotransformer ballasts were common and later in the 40s the starting compensators became integrated too.

These fixtures predate the introduction of glow switch starters too, instead thermal starters or magnetic auxillaries were used. 

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW what beautiful early fluorescent apparatus! Those days before the good ol F40T12 workhorse came or just coming out then!