April 5, 1987
By David M. Buchanan
Vigo County Historical Society
Lighting the way
Lamps let ancestors pierce dark corners
Our desire to keep the darkness away, to light the deepest corners, has been a part of our psycho for centuries. The earliest portable light was the hand-held torch, probably made of twigs dipped in animal fat and set alight. Such light was feeble at best and in an enclosed space put out enough smoke to obscure what light was given.
The principle of the oil lamp, one in which a wick draws oil up from a font, has been known for several thousand years. Many variations on the principle are found in almost all cultures. Lamps also may be found in a large variety of sizes, from hand-held to those used in churches, public buildings and palaces.
Though the
concept of oil lamps and wicks was known, it really wasn’t very efficient. A
variety of oils, usually from animals and from flammable liquids, like
turpentine and alcohol, were used for the wicks but were expensive or dangerous.
Oils tended to be thick and did not travel well through the wicks. Student
lamps were developed to use the force of gravity to help the flow of oil. Other
lamps used mechanical devices to pump oil from the font into the wicks. Because
of these drawbacks, the widespread use of wick-burning lamps did not take place
until the middle of the 19th century.
In 1860, Weston Howard and Samuel Kier developed the process of refining crude oil into kerosene. It burned steadily, with good light, and was thin enough to be easily absorbed by a wick. Chimneys were placed around the wicks to protect the flame from drafts and to create an artificial draught (much like a fireplace chimney).
With the introduction of kerosene, the lamp industry mushroomed. Thousands of patents were applied for by inventors marketing a wide range of lamp bases, wicks, burner systems and chimneys. Lamps were made for public and private places, exterior and interior.
The treasure this week at the museum is an overlaid or cased-glass lamp. Its font is made of clear glass that has a second layer of ruby red glass fused to the clear. Craftsmen created patterns by cutting away the red glass to expose the clear glass. The lamp base is made of cast iron decorated with oak leaves and beads.
Such lamps were popular during the 1850s and 1860s and were predominantly manufactured by the New England Glass Co. and the Sandwich Glass Co. Ruby-on-clear glass usually was made at the New England Glass Co. Sandwich Glass Co. colors included green, pink, rose, amber and turquoise over clear glass.
The font and chimney of this lamp are a little unusual. The chimney is hand-blown and, unlike modern chimneys, has a very small lip at its base. The brass rim that holds the lamp is just a very small scalloped edge, one that usually would not hold any chimney securely, especially if the lamp was being carried. But one of the scallops has a set screw in it. That screw, because of the lip on the base of the glass, holds the chimney firmly in place, even if the lamp is turned upside down. The burner is hinged, allowing the chimney to tip forward for lighting the wick.
Fred Stahl used the lamp when he was a young boy in the 1880s. The lamp probably was over 30 years old at that time. Stahl was like many children. The thought of leaving the warmth and light of the family’s evening gathering to go up to his bedroom, passing through the darkened hall, dim corners and night-filled bedroom to reach the comfort of bed terrified the lad. He parents allowed him to take his lamp to light the way.
After Stahl’s death, his wife, Charlette, donated the lamp to the historical society.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.