Irwin's Oil Lamp Patent Model
date: label: patent date
content: 1876-07-25
name: label: inventor
content: Irwin, John H.
notes: label: Description
content: John H. Irwin received patent number 35,158 on May 6, 1862, of this design of a coil oil lamp. Irwin’s lamp was designed for coal oils and other similar hydrocarbons (such as kerosene) which volatilized at low temperatures and required an excess of oxygen to support illumination. The excess of oxygen was provided by the lamp’s large draft passage, which was divided into compartments to prevent stiff currents of air from blowing out the flame.
label: Description
content: Coal oil originally emitted a smoky flame until it was refined into kerosene. This refinement allowed lamps to be used indoors. The bright and economical flame changed concepts of time, work, leisure activities, and consumption. Lighting systems shifted from candles, to whale and other oils, to coal gas—often all were used simultaneously. Improved lighting increased productivity as factory workers labored far into the night. Lit public spaces extended the hours spent in oyster houses, theatres, and museums, and provided shoppers better views of consumer goods.
place: label: associated place
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
label: See more items in
content: American Enterprise
label: See more items in
content: Domestic Furnishings
label: Exhibition
content: American Enterprise
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.251752
label: catalog number
content: 251752
label: patent number
content: 180,134
label: accession number
content: 48890
objectType: label: Object Name
content: lamp
label: Object Type
content: Lighting Devices
label: Object Type
content: Patent Model
label: Object Type
content: Lighting Devices
label: Other Terms
content: lamp; Lighting Devices; Kerosene
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: glass (chimney material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (air tube material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (base material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (burner material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (font material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (tube wheel material)
label: Physical Description
content: tin (air tube material)