Peg lamp

A lamp fitted with a small bottom knob that could fit into the top of a candlestick was called a peg lamp. The lamp gave better light because it stood at a greater height. This cranberry glass peg lamp was made to be used as a candlestick. The burner’s thumb wheel is marked HS. Photo: […]

Fairy lamp

A small, squatty candle in a paper covering with a plaster base was developed and patented by the Clarke Company of England. This one- or two-wick Fairy light was a great lighting improvement and was sold worldwide in the 1880s. Fairy lamps with glass-domed tops were made to hold these candles. The base of the […]

Sconce

A sconce is a candle or lamp holder with a reflector that is attached to the wall. Sconces were especially practical early lighting devices because the reflectors increased the amount of light cast.

Shoemaker’s lamp

The shoemaker’s or lacemaker’s lamp is an ingenious device that uses a candle and a globe of water. The light from a single candle was not very bright, so the worker who required more light placed a candle in the lamp where the light was magnified by the water. These lamps were often made with […]

Bouillotte lamp

Many eighteenth-century French gamblers played bouillotte, a card game similar to poker. A special lamp was used at the gaming table. It held two or three candles in a brass or bronze doré frame. The lamp was fitted with a metal shade usually painted dark green and topped with a metal finial. The height of […]