Victorian Era Student Lamps
   


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Victorian Era Student Lamps

(See ALSO SEE Student Sans Rival Chimney Page)

Student lamps using a 3/4" diameter circular wick were in use by 1860. These lamps were of Argand style, a circular wick without a flame spreader. To obtain a bright light for reading, the flame had to be elongated, raised, to have the highest "flame front" possible. With only a slender fuel and wick holder extended on a tube, with the fuel reservoir providing balance on the other side of the lamp, there was little material beneath the burner to induce shade. The burner could also be adjusted for height. It was then possible to adjust the lamp so that a book could be read beneath the light source without an annoying shadow.

Student lamps were made in a great variety of styles and qualities. Many of them were saved from destruction when electric lighting became popular because they were literally works of art. Many survived because they were converted to use electric light bulbs: yes, people paid good money to destroy the value and utility of fabulous oil lamps.

There were dozens of manufacturers of student lamps, the most popular being Wild & Wessel, Plume & Atwood, E. Miller, Kleeman and of course Manhattan. One of the best resources on the subject is "Student Lamps of the Victorian Era," by Richard C. Miller and John F. Solverson, published in 1992. Copies may still be found on eBay and Amazon.

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WICKS AND CHIMNEYS FOR STUDENT LAMPS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE STUDENT SANS RIVAL PAGE .   Click here.

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Manhattan Student Lamp

Burning with the Student Sans Rival Chimney

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Disassembled burner of Manhattan Student lamp burner on the left, showing the short wick sleeve with stud that rides up the center of the slot in the wick  tube.

At right, when the burner is turned the stud slides in the spiral groove to raise or lower the wick as the burner is turned.

 

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 Heinrichs & Knopp Student Lamp, patented Dec 24.1872.

Heinrichs & Knopp wick sleeve

Heinrichs & Knopp original wick

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L&B Belgian, 1875

Wild & Wessel Harvard

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Cornucopia Design

Double Harvard Student Lamp

 

 

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Information on lamps:

Center Draft Kerosene Lamps
(Photos, information and history, etc)

Photos of restored center draft lamps 

Care, Feeding and Restoration of Center Draft Lamps (and wick installation for many)

Center Draft Lamp manufacturers and brand names

Lamp Chimneys - Dimension of nominal base diameter by make, model and "line".

Early American Metal Font & Specialty Lamps

Aladdin Lamp History

Aladdin Lamp Wicks & Chimneys,

Aladdin - Exploded burner views

Kosmos-Brenner lamps and wicks

Flame Spreaders and "Smoke Consumers" from Alex Marrack

  • Vulcan, Imperial, Veritas, Belgian, Hinks, Messenger's, Young's Court, etc.

    Articles by Alex Marrack:

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