Lamps And Lanterns

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Here's a nice primer on oil lamps and lanterns from Merchantville Antiques. A favorite lamp of ours is the hurricane lamp or oil lamp. Indoor lighting devices are generally referred to as lamps while portable outdoor
ones are called lanterns. Generally lanterns have a handle of some form to make them easy to carry and are weather proof to some extent as compared to indoor lamps. The chimney is a clear or frosted glass globe designed for safeguarding the flame or lightbulb if electrified. A shade is a glass piece translucent or opaque to diffuse a light source. The tripod: Holds the glass shade in place. The burner is the apparatus of a lamp that "produces" the flame usually consists of a metal enclosure and wick to supply the (liquid) fuel. The wick raiser knob raises and lowers the wick. The burner collar is the neck piece that raises burner away from flame source. The oil font or bowl is the reservoir or tank that holds the fuel in a lamp. And, the boot or pedestal is the base of lamp. After electric lighting became standard people no longer prioritized the use of oil lamps, so they would convert them to electricity by removing some of the inside pieces of the burner to allow for a lightbulb socket to be installed.