Historical information

The stove was the property of John Biggart, who lived in Avonsleigh. He travelled Victoria from 1920 to the 1940s. The stove was used at a work camp site.
The Primus stove was the first pressurized-burner kerosene (paraffin) stove, developed in 1892 by Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist, a factory mechanic in Stockholm. Because it did not use a wick and did not produce soot, the Primus stove was advertised as the first "sootless" and "wickless" stove. Apart from camping, a primus stove is also useful in homes subject to frequent blackouts. Electricity reached Emerald in 1934 although many households would have remained without it for a long time after.

Significance

This Primus stove is indicative of a community which needed to function with unreliable or no electricity.

Physical description

Brass 'Primus No 1' stove with removable hot plate and single gas head.

Inscriptions & markings

Made in Sweden - Trade Mark PRI-MUS
PATENT SV. No 48624
ENG.No171536
B.A.HJORTH & Co, Stockholm, Sweden