Historical information

Before electricity was common in households throughout Victoria, kerosene lamps were used to illuminate our homes. The oil lamp manufacturer, Aladdin, arrived in Australia in 1916 after remaining primarily a United States-run company. Their lamps became incredibly popular in Australia following the company's official incoporation in 1924 where, even as the following decades saw a rapid increase in urbanisation and electricity, the demand for kerosene lamps remained high.

A unique feature of the Australian-made models was that which allowed them to be transferred to different holders and stems. This meant that one lamp could function in multiple different ways, saving a family from needing to buy multiple lamps to sit in floor stems, on tables, or hang from ceiling brackets. From 1939, adapters could also be purchased to convert a kerosene lamp into an electric one.

The lamp featured is likely a Model 16B, with an Australian-made bowl and American-made burner, as these were cheaper to import from the Chicago warehouse than to make locally. Significant wear around the underside of the lamp's lip may indicate that it was often used with a hanging frame.

Significance

This lamp demonstrates the lasting necessity of kerosene and oil-powered lighting in more outlying regions like Emerald, even in an age where electricity was beginning to become nationally available.

Physical description

An oil lamp composed of two pieces: a metal base and a tall glass chimney. The base of the lamp is circular with a flat bottom and a small lip running around the highest outside edge. Underneath the base is a small hole. A circular cap rests on the top of the base, and protruding vertically from the base is a cylindrical metallic burner. The burner is perforated with many small ventilation holes, and an inscribed knob sticks out from its side. A glass chimney rests over the top of the burner.

Inscriptions & markings

Glass chimney, printed: "Aladdin"
Wick raiser knob, engraved: ".MANTLE LAMP CO. / NU-TYPE / Model B / Aladdin / PATENTS PENDING / MADE IN / U.S.A / CHICAGO, ILL."