Kerosene lamp

Object NameKerosene lamp

Manufacturer Ripley & Co. (American (Pittsburgh, PA), 1866 - 1891)

Date1870

OriginUSA

MediumBrass fittings, Bristol blue glass fonts and stem, clear etched glass chimneys.

Dimensions15 1/4 × 9 1/2 in. (38.7 × 24.1 cm) Other: 1 × 5 1/4 in. diameter (2.5 × 13.3 cm)

ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Glass

Credit LineGift of Ann and Henry Brunnier. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object number76.30.105abc

Status

On view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: The history of illumination can be explored through objects found in the permanent collection, from Persian pottery tallow lamps and glass whale oil lamps to electriﬁed Tiffany table lamps and the contemporary Lobmeyr Met Chandeliers. The Farm House collection includes the Victorian Era glass kerosene lamp pictured in a radiant and unique opaque, bright blue color. Demand for inexpensive, mass-produced fuel sources increased by the Civil War Era. Enter Kerosene, an innovation of Abraham Gesner who began distilling coal in 1846 to produce a clear ﬂammable liquid. Kerosene produces a bright ﬂame when used in a traditional oil lamp. Within the decade, Kerosene was also extracted from petroleum, making its production more commercially viable. Kerosene lamps were used throughout the 19th century, when only the wealthy could afford gas lighting and electric lighting was still in its infancy. This Victorian Era Kerosene lamp, produced in the early 1870s by Ripley & Co. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has twin “Bristol” opaque blue glass (or starch blue) lamp bowls connected to one central pillar on a pressed glass base. The two hurricane globes are clear blown glass with etched bands, while other ﬁttings are brass. Between the two bowls is a basin for holding matches or “spills” to light the wick. This type of lamp is often referred to as a “Marriage Lamp” or “Wedding Lamp” because of the dual lamplight.

MarkingsPat. Feb. 1st,1870 Ripley & Co.

Locations