|
Post by spence on Nov 9, 2019 23:19:59 GMT -7
Here's an 18th-century oil lamp commonly called a phoebe. In use oil was placed in the upper bowl and a wick of some kind laid in it protruding over the extended 'nose'. The wicks tended to wick oil overboard as well as burn, so the lower bowl was there to catch the drips. They don't provide much light, are smoky and smelly, but better than the dark. By a little. Spence
|
|
|
Post by brokennock on Nov 10, 2019 18:02:55 GMT -7
That just looks and sounds like a mess waiting to happen.
|
|
|
Post by straekat on Nov 11, 2019 8:00:08 GMT -7
Here's an 18th-century oil lamp commonly called a phoebe. In use oil was placed in the upper bowl and a wick of some kind laid in it protruding over the extended 'nose'. The wicks tended to wick oil overboard as well as burn, so the lower bowl was there to catch the drips. They don't provide much light, are smoky and smelly, but better than the dark. By a little. Spence
Oil/soot/fat lamps have been around for two or more millennia, in various forms, and as you've pointed out, they don't provide very much light.
I have a hypothesis (not a theory!), these were probably used as a cheaper alternative to candles, and may have been left burning inside or very close to a fireplace. Fires were generally not allowed to burn unattended overnight in a fireplace because of threat of house fires which were common during the era. Women were typically expected to get up early and start a fire each day.
Although Keith has shown flint and steel fire-making is not difficult, and a skill that can be mastered with practice, making one in a very dark house in the pre-dawn hours without light is going to slow the process down. (Hand with chunk of rock, meet thumb holding steel in the other hand would be me in the pre-dawn hours of a very dark night.) A "betty lamp" left to burn overnight would give someone a very quick way of starting a fire using hot liquid fat and a flaming wick that could be poured on tinder and set aflame faster than relying on flint and steel. I wouldn't call this an 18th-century "Zippo" fire-starter although it would be easy to start a fire using one of these if it was already burning.
Was this done from time to time? I haven't checked period sources to determine if that was done, although human behavior often resorts to what is quick, easy and expedient. All of us have been told not to use gasoline or other highly flammable liquid for starting fires, and despite that warning, I've "cheated" a time or two (usually in the wood shop stove-burner, or the fireplace in the house).
I'll admit it's entirely hypothetical...
|
|
|
Post by spence on Nov 11, 2019 8:06:25 GMT -7
I've never burned one of this type, but I have burned a betty lamp which uses a different way of limiting drips, and that one worked very well. This one is adjustable, and the old boys were very clever, so it might not be as messy as we would think.
They are all smoky, smelly, depending on the type of oil used. I doubt any of us would be happy with the poor light they make.
Many of us have wondered what it would be like if we could be transported back to the day, what big differences we would notice. I'll bet one thing which would jump out at us would be the light. Your entire routine would be pretty radically changed, in ways hard to imagine.
Spence
|
|
|
oil lamp
Nov 11, 2019 9:12:31 GMT -7
via mobile
Post by brokennock on Nov 11, 2019 9:12:31 GMT -7
straekat your idea seems totally plausible. It would serve as an 18th century "nightlight" and provide some sense of orientation in a pitch black cabin at night. Not sure if they ever lit the morning cooking fire off the lamp, but, it would almost seem to be idiotic to squat there clicking flint and steel together when one already has a flame burning.
|
|
|
Post by spence on Nov 12, 2019 12:40:40 GMT -7
Another oil lamp, called a betty. It is 18" tall, the oil reservoir is 4" long. You can see the spring which holds it in place, squeeze it a bit and the bowl can be slid up and down the stem. There is a wick pick on a chain attached for tending the wick. As I mentioned above, they have a different design to limit dripping. It works well. Just in case, though, notice the cup at the bottom of the stem to catch any spilled oil which runs down. A single bowl instead of two, made so a wick holder welded in the bottom of the reservoir lets drips fall back into the same bowl. In another thread I posted a bird roaster. It uses this same general design, which was apparently popular at the time, spring tension holds the works in place so they can be moved up and down on a vertical stem. Here's a picture of an original betty lamp of the style my reproduction is patterned after, said to be from 17th century. Let there be light. Spence
|
|
|
Post by artificer on Nov 13, 2019 10:43:00 GMT -7
Here's an 18th-century oil lamp commonly called a phoebe. In use oil was placed in the upper bowl and a wick of some kind laid in it protruding over the extended 'nose'. The wicks tended to wick oil overboard as well as burn, so the lower bowl was there to catch the drips. They don't provide much light, are smoky and smelly, but better than the dark. By a little. Spence Spence, I'm wondering about the hook on the top that is concealed by the top of the furniture the lamp is hung from. Does it look like it was meant just to catch the edge of something to suspend it or does it look like the hook was meant to be driven into a cabin wall? Gus
|
|
|
Post by spence on Nov 17, 2019 15:18:35 GMT -7
It's the type that just hangs on an edge.
Spence
|
|
|
Post by artificer on Nov 18, 2019 10:09:36 GMT -7
Thank you. Very interesting series of pictures!
Gus
|
|