Abstract: An enhanced lighting unit is disclosed that is particularly useful for lighting displayable materials such as photographs, paintings, graphics and the like. The unit is compact and includes a housing having display positioning elements that define a planar display area for viewing of displayable materials thereat. The display area can be adjacent to a display surface, such as is provided, for example, by a picture frame, for receipt of the material to be displayed thereat. The unit also includes a light diffusing surface in the housing opposite to, and substantially coextensive with, the planar display area with the light diffusing surface being disposed so that the distance between the planar display area and the light diffusing surface continually decreases along their entire lengths.