Whale Oil Lamp
date: label: date made
content: mid 1800s
label: whale oil lamps used
content: 18th cenutry
label: discovery of petroleum
content: 1859
notes: label: Description
content: From a simple hanging lantern suitable for use in a barn to an elegant blown glass table lamp, whale oil illuminated the homes and businesses of America from the 18th century well past the time of the discovery of petroleum in Pennsylvania in 1859.
label: Description
content: Kerosene and other petroleum products largely replaced whale oil for illumination by the end of the century. However, the use of other whale products for various purposes lasted well into the 20th century.
topic: label: related event
content: Colonization and Settlement
label: related event
content: Revolution and the New Nation
label: related event
content: Expansion and Reform
label: related event
content: Civil War and Reconstruction
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
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content: Cultures & Communities
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content: Work
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content: Industry & Manufacturing
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content: Natural Resources
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content: Transportation
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content: Domestic Furnishings
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: DL.316030
label: catalog number
content: 316030
label: accession number
content: 66046
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Lamp
label: Object Type
content: Lighting Devices
label: Object Type
content: Lighting Devices
label: Other Terms
content: Lamp; Lighting Devices; Burning Fluid
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cork (burner material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (lamp material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal, tin (burner material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 12 in x 3 1/2 in x 3 1/2 in; 30.48 cm x 8.89 cm x 8.89 cm