Object Record
Images
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Metadata
Catalog Number |
(TR)1965.165 |
Object Name |
Lamp |
Description |
John Dunlap Monongahela Valley miner's oil-wick cap lamp or face lamp. The oil-wick cap lamp for miners was invented in Scotland around 1850. Until the invention of the carbide lamp in 1910, oil-wick cap lamps like this one were the primary source of cap lights for miners. The small handle or hook on this lamp was attached to a miner's cap and used to provide light in the mines. The small font contained oil fueled with the wick that is placed in the spout. Oil-wick cap lamps issue a bare flame that gives off enough light for miners to see what is in front of their face, but not much farther. The oil-fueled flames are exceedingly smoky and can easily ignite flammable glasses (like methane) in coal mines. |
Date |
c. mid to late 1800s |
Dimensions |
H-3 Dia-1.5 inches |
Collection |
Tennessee Frontier Exhibit |
Place of Origin |
USA/Pennsylvania/Pittsburgh |
Material |
metal, tin, fiber |
Subjects |
early ethnographic tools and technology |
Made |
John Dunlap Co. |