Historical information

This lantern was made about 1930 by the Nier Feuerhand Company of Germany. Hermann Nier began making miners' lamps and household lanterns in the 1870s in East Germany and in 1893 he and his brother Ernst founded the Nier Feuerhand Company. By 1930 this company was the world's largest producer of household lanterns and after an interruption in World War Two it was re-established in West Germany and continued until the 1990s with the trade name still in use today. Feuerhand lanterns were used extensively in countries such as Australia because of his strong lighting qualities and its ability to stay alight in external conditions.

Significance

This lantern has no known local provenance but is retained because it is a fine example of the type of household lighting used in Australian homes, farms and businesses in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Physical description

This is a kerosene lantern with a metal base and frame holding a plain glass mantle open at the top. A metal handle is attached to loops at the top of the frame. There is a wooden handle at the top to assist in the removal of the glass mantle. The base has an opening with a screw top for the filling with kerosene or other heating liquid and also a rotating wheel on the side for controlling the size of the flame. The glass has printing and a logo etched on to it and the base has printing and a logo. The item is very rusted but appears to have been painted brown.

Inscriptions & markings

Feuerhand Made in Germany No. 327