This Whip-o-Lite No. 280 "fluted" shade first appeared in 1935. The diameter of the shade itself is 16 inches, but the shade ring on the inside of the shade has a 14 inch diameter and used a 14 inch shade holder. It was originally designed to for use on the Majestic table lamps that were produced in 1935 and 1936. One Aladdin advertisement actually stated that it was the only shade that should be used on the Majestic lamps.
The Aladdin Queen table lamps followed from 1937 to 1939 and again the fluted shades were used to adorn them. The idea behind these two styles of lamps is that they were taller and the fluted shades were said to reflect more light down onto the table.
The fluted shades were originally said to have been designed from scraps of paper left over from the design or other shades. While this may have been how the first prototypes were fabricated I seriously doubt that the intricate design present on many of the flutes shades could have come from "scraps".
The flute shades were quite popular and in time were used on floor lamps as well as the table lamps. Like all shades the test of time is particularly hard on this style of shade. The individual flutes become quite brittle with age and the edges are easily torn or broken. Finding one in perfect condition is really quite rare.
In the photo above, the black band that seems to run through the design at the bottom of the shade is not part of the design at all. It is merely the shadow caused by the inner shade ring, along with the metal spider arms of the shade holder. What appears to be brown on the edges of the flutes at the top of the shade is also a shadow from the upper metal shade ring.