Object Details
- Description
- This oil-wick cap lamp was made by John Dunlap of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the second half of the 19th century. 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. The hook enabled the lamp to be worn on a cap. This lamp has a double-spout, indicating that it could have burned "Sunshine" fuel, a mixture of paraffin wax and 3% mineral oil produced by the Standard Oil Company. Often called a "Sunshine Lamp," the outer spout served to insulate the wick in the inner spout, thereby conducting enough heat to melt the wax.
- Credit Line
- Mary R. Wheat
- ID Number
- AG.MHI-MN-8148D
- accession number
- 239148
- catalog number
- MHI-MN-8148D
- Object Name
- lamp, oil, cap, mining
- Measurements
- overall: 3 3/8 in x 1 5/8 in x 4 in; 8.636 cm x 4.064 cm x 10.16 cm
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Mining
- Mining Lamps
- Work
- Industry & Manufacturing
- Grant Wheat Collection
- National Museum of American History
- Record ID
- nmah_872643
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a6-da88-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
