At the left in this interesting collection is a 1850s whale oil lamp (about $200). Notice how small the well is. Whale oil was expensive, and in this rare example the double spout on top lets you save oil when you don’t need things so bright.

Popular double globe lamps like this are nicknamed “Gone With The Wind” lamps because they appeared in the 1939 movie that was set in the 1860s. Unfortunately this kind of lamp didn’t appear in the real world until about 1880.

This may be one of the largest pieces of cranberry glass you’ve ever seen, 17” high on this 21” fluid lamp (about $1,200). Made by the Venus Safety Lamp Co., it has a very wide wick which must have produced a very bright light.

This is a detail of a hand painted children’s lamp featuring a gnome and a faerie hobnobbing under a leaf. More importantly, this is a Bradley and Hubbard lamp (about $600), made in Meriden CT. in the 1880s

Prev Next Enlarge

Next Wednesday is the shortest day of the year. In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve been working toward that for some time now. Most of the day will be dark, and over the centuries that this has been happening, humans have not been just cursing that darkness, we’ve been finding new ways to shed some light.

There is evidence of lamps from 70,000 years ago, hollowed out rocks that held some dry moss and animal fat. The word lamp comes from the Greek, “lampa,” for torch, and that’s essentially what they were. Advances down through the ages have been all about making that formula safer and more effective.

Instead of animal fat there was olive nut or sesame oil, beeswax and whale or fish oil. Until the 18th Century most lamps were open wicks, however and dangerous. By the mid-19th Century, kerosene, a petroleum derivative, was discovered, and the first controlled wick lamp powered with that fuel was produced in 1953 in Germany.

The 1859 discovery of oil in Pennsylvania, was a boon to this country, and the celebration included more and more beautiful kerosene lamps (also called fluid lamps.)

The shape of these lamps made them easy to convert to electric when the tike came. There’s still a debate about the wisdom of doing that. Collectors usually prefer there lamps not be tampered with. But there are ways of converting to electric without destroying the integrity of the original.

A typical kerosene lamp is mounted on a base and a column that may be constructed of any of a variety of materials: glass, marble, ceramic brass of even wood. The column might also be figural, representing a variety of shapes and figures.
A connector, usually brass, attaches the column to the font or well where the kerosene is stored. A brass collar connects the font to the burner and the thumbscrew that raises and lowers the wick.

Many oil lamps simply had a hurricane chimney, but others had decorative shades or globes held by a shade holder or flange. If the lamp were a bit fancier, the well and the shade were the most decorative elements on the lamp.

Some websites you might look into include www.lanternnet.com and www.aladdincollector.net, and for values, www. rubylane.com. Just type vintage oil lamps in the search bar.

Enjoy the photos and captions here. Most old kerosene lamps are valued between $25 and $250. I have featured some more special ones in the photographs here. Enjoy them, and consider including in your décor some lighting that does more than just light.

Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is the author of “The Antiques Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments, questions and appraisal requests to aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.