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Oil-Wick Miner’s Lamp Patent Model
From the collection of National Museum of American History. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This oil-wick cap lamp is a patent model constructed by William Pratt of Baltimore, Maryland that received patent number 18704 on November 24, 1857. The oil-wick cap lamp was first invented in Scotland in 1850 and in use until the 1920’s. The font contained a mix of fat and oil for fuel, and a wick was inserted into the spout. The resulting flame was much brighter and more efficient than the candles it replaced. This lamp has a handle rather than a hook, indicating it was meant to be held rather than worn on a cap.
National Museum of American History’s own descriptionCredit lineOil-Wick Miner’s Lamp Patent Model. National Museum of American History. CC0.
