Posted 13 years ago
Jackie
(26 items)
There are two of these kerosene lamps, but the other is missing it's straight glass chimney. I don't have any identifying info--just family stories. My great grandparents were one of the last to get electricity in their little Victorian home. Although my great grandmother retired at dusk, not so with my great grandfather. He was often seen studying by the light of these lamps until midnight or later.
Can anyone help me to find another straight glass chimney or fill in with some identifying info?
Really cool lamp. Is that a "tank" on the opposite side of the lamp pole? I had a lamp very similar to this one, but it did not have the "tank thing" and it was a chair lamp rather than a table lamp. (Mine had the much longer lamp pole & the base sat on the floor.) Also my shade was made of metal and yours appears to be a "glass shade". Is this true? Thanks for sharing it.
Your lamp is called a student lamp.
Thank you for your comment, bahamaboy. Yes, the tank holds the kerosene. It would be nice if you have any pictures of your standing lamp--sounds interesting.
Thank you, officialfuel. Now, I know what to call it!
Sad to say it now sits in my two sons moms home. One of those I pick this and you pick that things from a few years ago.
Many chimneys availiable on ebay,Also found at local antique lamp shop..not expensive or very hard to find.
Hey Jackie, we miss you! Come back soon.
Marcobabe
This is quite possibly an Argand Lamp (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argand_lamp?) which predated the kerosene lamps eventually developed in the 1850s. The oil reservoir had to be above the wick because the oil was heavier than kerosene and thus gravity was required to get it to feed the fuel to the wick. Lighter kerosene lamps avoided this problem. When those kerosene lamps came along, mid 19th century, this would have been considered out-date technology, like a horse-drawn carriage to a person who had just sold it to buy a car. WONDERFUL find!