Miner's Cap Lamp
Miner's Cap Lamp
- Description (Brief)
- This oil-wick mining lamp was in use between 1850 and 1920. Its double spout indicates that it burned "Sunshine" fuel, a mixture of paraffin wax and 3% mineral oil produced by the Standard Oil Company. Often called a "Sunshine Lamp," the outer spout served to insulate the wick in the inner spout, thereby conducting enough heat to melt the wax in the Sunshine fuel. This kind of lamp hooked onto a miner’s cap, and produced an open flame.
- Object Name
- lamp, oil, cap, miner's
- mining lamp
- Measurements
- overall: 2 in x 3 1/2 in x 2 1/2 in; 5.08 cm x 8.89 cm x 6.35 cm
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-8945
- accession number
- 240639
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-8945
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Mining
- Work
- Industry & Manufacturing
- Natural Resources
- Mining Lamps
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.