Lard Lamp

This item at Smith’s Tavern is a lard lamp, made of various metals welded together.  There is a note that this lamp was made in 1851 but there are no maker’s marks on it to verify this information.  It has a saucer-like base, a tube-like shaft with a tin “C” shaped handle attached to the shaft and fuel reservoir (a “V” shaped fount) with a large wick.  A sliding metal piece exposes a hole into the reservoir for adding the fuel.

 

Lard lamps were in wide use from the 1830s to the 1850s.  They have a unique design in that the burners were made to heat up and liquefy the lard, so typically the fuel reservoir is no larger than the area in which the burner can reach the fuel.

 

Reference:  https://collectlamps.com/lard%20lamps.html

Catalog Items:

Item T175

Location:	Left Shelf - 2nd
Width:	17 cm
Height:	17 cm
Weight:	208 g