Some gas lamps had a glass chimney, like that of an Argand lamp, to help control the flickering. In the late 1800's, a device called a mantle solved the problem. A mantle is a loosely woven cloth bag that is soaked with a chemical substance. The cloth quickly burns away in the lamp, and the chemical glows steadily as the gas burns around it. Most modern gas lamps, including the portable gas and liquid fuel lamps used by campers, have mantles.
Electric lamps produce light by means of electric energy.
The American inventor Thomas A. Edison developed the first practical electric lamp in 1879. Electric lamps came into widespread use in the early 1900's and have replaced other types of lamps for almost every purpose. Electric lamps produce more and better light than the earlier lamps. They are also less expensive and easier to use. For more information on electric lamps, see the articles on Electric light and Lighting .