Patented on August 20, 1878, this lamp is the invention of lamp maker Charles F. Spencer. Until 1880 the U.S. Patent Office required both documentation and a three-dimensional working model to demonstrate every invention submitted for a patent. Although it now shows signs of rust and wear, this lamp once served as Spencer’s patent model for an innovative approach to lighting.
Quarter-circle pan with flat, curved front edge and two, wire-rimmed, straight sides that is attached to a long, straight, metal-wrapped, looped wire handle on back of one side with two rivets. Pan is made from one piece, cut and folded into shape; no solder visible. No marks.
John H. Irwin received patent number 35,158 on May 6, 1862, of this design of a coil oil lamp. Irwin’s lamp was designed for coal oils and other similar hydrocarbons (such as kerosene) which volatilized at low temperatures and required an excess of oxygen to support illumination. The excess of oxygen was provided by the lamp’s large draft passage, which was divided into compartments to prevent stiff currents of air from blowing out the flame.
Coal oil originally emitted a smoky flame until it was refined into kerosene. This refinement allowed lamps to be used indoors. The bright and economical flame changed concepts of time, work, leisure activities, and consumption. Lighting systems shifted from candles, to whale and other oils, to coal gas—often all were used simultaneously. Improved lighting increased productivity as factory workers labored far into the night. Lit public spaces extended the hours spent in oyster houses, theatres, and museums, and provided shoppers better views of consumer goods.
Dick’s improvement in “Signal-Lights for Locomotives” included a combination of a stationary and a moveable headlight which could also identify the train name or number.
Robert Cornelius submitted this patent model in his patent application that received patent number 3,028 on April 6, 1843. The novel innovation in Cornelius’s lamp was its ability to burn lard and other concrete fat with a minimal amount of heat. This allowed lamps to use cheap lard for fuel instead of the costly whale oil that had dominated the lamp industry prior. The lamp used a deflector that heated a tube leading to the fuel, providing no more metal to heat the lard than was absolutely required. Cornelius’s lamp outsold those fueled by expensive whale oil, making his company the largest lighting company in America. Cornelius also attempted to perfect the daguerreotype photographic process, taking the first-ever self-portrait in 1839.
Jennings held patents for a variety of inventions, including the friction match and a threshing machine. This one, for a “Vapor Burner,” related to lamps and lighting.
Alonzo Platt received patent number 42 on October 8, 1836, for his design for a chandelier that he called a Union Lamp. The goal of the invention was to provide direct light without the obstruction from a surrounding shell or body, casting perfect light in all directions with no circle, shadow, or shade. Platt sought these direct rays of light from the union of three or more distinct lamps with their own reservoirs. Platt also suggested the form of the fish for the lamp that would serve as oil reservoirs. The wick tubes protruding from the mouth of the fish was the novel invention of the patent, made to open and close with a hinge mechanism to replace the wicks with ease.
From a simple hanging lantern suitable for use in a barn to an elegant blown glass table lamp, whale oil illuminated the homes and businesses of America from the 18th century well past the time of the discovery of petroleum in Pennsylvania in 1859.
Kerosene and other petroleum products largely replaced whale oil for illumination by the end of the century. However, the use of other whale products for various purposes lasted well into the 20th century.