Whale oil lamp
United States
1830-1860
Measurements
7-1/2 in x 4 in (dia)
Materials
Painted tinned sheet iron, brass burner
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of H. Rodney Sharp
Accession Number
1959.3871
Condition Notes
The lamp has lost almost all of its paint.
Provenance
Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp
Comments
The lamp has an ovoid oil reservoir atop a cylindrical shaft with two double rings. It stands on a domed base, the edges of which are folded over a metal disk bottom. The outside bottom retains a copper-toned finish that may have covered the black paint on the rest of the lamp. A single-wick burner for whale oil screws into the top of the reservoir.
The lamp was originally painted black, often referred to as japanning.