Object Details
- inventor
- Irwin, John H.
- Description
- John H. Irwin received patent number 35,158 on May 6, 1862, of this design of a coil oil lamp. Irwin’s lamp was designed for coal oils and other similar hydrocarbons (such as kerosene) which volatilized at low temperatures and required an excess of oxygen to support illumination. The excess of oxygen was provided by the lamp’s large draft passage, which was divided into compartments to prevent stiff currents of air from blowing out the flame.
- Coal oil originally emitted a smoky flame until it was refined into kerosene. This refinement allowed lamps to be used indoors. The bright and economical flame changed concepts of time, work, leisure activities, and consumption. Lighting systems shifted from candles, to whale and other oils, to coal gas—often all were used simultaneously. Improved lighting increased productivity as factory workers labored far into the night. Lit public spaces extended the hours spent in oyster houses, theatres, and museums, and provided shoppers better views of consumer goods.
- patent date
- 1876-07-25
- ID Number
- DL.251752
- catalog number
- 251752
- patent number
- 180,134
- accession number
- 48890
- Object Name
- lamp
- Object Type
- Lighting Devices
- Patent Model
- Lighting Devices
- Other Terms
- lamp; Lighting Devices; Kerosene
- Physical Description
- glass (chimney material)
- brass (air tube material)
- brass (base material)
- brass (burner material)
- brass (font material)
- brass (tube wheel material)
- tin (air tube material)
- associated place
- United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- See more items in
- Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
- American Enterprise
- Domestic Furnishings
- Exhibition
- American Enterprise
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- National Museum of American History
- Record ID
- nmah_304996
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a0-fd7a-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
