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selected examples of oil light fixtures for dollhouses, 1890-1990 by Jennifer McKendry photography by Jennifer McKendry© home page go directly to gas & electricity fixtures Although the fuel for oil lamps originated from coal ("coal oil") in the 1850s, by the time of the dollhouses under study the source was petroleum and the name usually applied was "kerosene". As earlier as the 1860s, this product became widespread due to its relatively inexpensive cost and reputation for providing a clean and safe burning fuel. There had been earlier liquid or semi-liquid fuels such as lard (animal fat), whale oil and camphene (alcohol and turpentine) but each had individual disadvantages regarding quality of light or cost or safety. Throughout the time when all of these -- including kerosene -- were in use, candles continued to be used but they became secondary to kerosene. The latter remained the primary source of lighting well into the era of electricity, which could be unreliable due to power failures, and for folks living in areas not serviced by electricity. Oil lamps were a stock product of mail order catalogues into the 1940s. It can be difficult to distinguish whether a miniature light fixture represents one made to burn oil or gas, as both may incorporate large shades to diffuse the light. Gas fixtures, however, need to be attached to a fuel line positioned in the ceiling for hanging lamps or in the walls for scounces, whereas oil lamps can be free standing (or hung as a chandelier anywhere on a ceiling). Gas fixtures do not need a reservoir to store fuel, whereas oil lamps need such a font, resulting in the characteristic bulging area between the base and burner. Unlike oil lamps, gas ones do not need chimneys to protect the flame but may have shades to diffuse the light. Gas and oil fixtures direct the flame upwards (unlike electrical fixtures, which can aim the light downwards). Oil lamps have wicks and metal burners but these are often not included in miniature versions. At the most, there may be a cork or brass connecting device between the chimney and reservoir. (note: "real" in the following means actual, functioning, "real life" items, not miniatures) below 1899 ad in the Eaton's catalogue, Toronto, Canada, showing the wide range of real oil lamps available by the end of the century; there are:
hanging (with a broader shade for suspending in rooms, also known as a library lamp), vase (the large font is vase-shaped, decorated shade, sometimes called "gone-with-the-wind" by collectors, sits on a table), banquet (on a tall stem, sits on a table or sideboard), piano (a floor lamp with adjustable height, may be an integral part of a table), bracket (often with a reflector, hangs on the wall) and glass (or metal, chimney shows, sits on a table) In addition, there were student lamps (not shown here but included in the 1901 Eaton's catalogue) (font is on one arm and burner on another, height adjustable)
In this 1913 ad from a Kingston, Ontario, Canada, newspaper, readers were assured that they could keep their eyes young by using real kerosene lamps when reading and sewing -- "far better for the eyes than gas or electricity" (note the combined gas and electrical hanging fixture at the top); one suspects the oil companies were posturing in the face of evermore successful competition from electricity
Eaton's ad of 1929 still offering a wide selection of real oil lamps despite the -- by now -- widespread use of electricity (second from the left is an electrical lamp)
The basic oil lamp in miniature: chimney, brass ring representing a burner and font with handle; blown clear glass with a cork positioning the extended base of the chimney in the mouth of the reservoir; it is difficult to find oil lamps this small -- just under 1½ inches high; late 19th century
The exaggerated flare of the chimney top is unusual; 2½ inches high; likely German, late 19th - early 20th centuries
Red glass "flame" above the "burner" (cork); early 20th century
Pronounced brass ring representing a burner; the blue glass font is decorated by tiny shells; clear glass applied handle; nicely shaped chimney; early 20th century; see next illustration for a different colour of font
above Plastic and glass oil lamps in a Federal Smallwares catalogue of the 1970s (undated) right Polychrome glass oil lamp, shown in a Federal Smallwares catalogue of 1975
1946 ad, Chicago, for an oil lamp, the plastic chimney of which unscrewed from the glass font, in which perfume could be stored, a brass handle and bracket represented the burner; the chimney came in various colours; 2½ inches high
above Lanterns and kitchen lamps, Bing, Germany, 1908
left "Hurricane" lamp and porcelain bracket lamp from the 1978 Concord catalogue, an American import company
right above Bracket lamp in plastic, marked "Made in Hong King", 1980s
Hanging oil lamp, glass with metal bracket and reflector, c1900
Metal street lights with glass panes; can actually function as oil lamps, stamped as patented in 1897, 7¾ inches high
Dollhouse metal and glass piano floor lamp, German, late 19th - early 20th centuries
Real piano lamps in the 1894-95 Montgomery Ward catalogue; surprisingly, the shades are silk with a chiffon border (top example) and linen umbrella (bottom two); the use of these materials does not seem safe with the heat generated by the flaming wick of the kerosene burner
Dollhouse brass student lamp with glass chimney, likely German, late 19th - early 20th centuries
left 1894-5, real lamps in the Montgomery Ward catalogue below 1975, brass and glass miniature in a Federal Smallwares catalogue
Dollhouse glass and metal vase lamp, likely German, late 19th - early 20th centuries, a bracket supports the white shade with its elegantly fluted lip, the thumb wheel for raising the wick is represented at the base of the "burner"
Banquet lamp, cast metal finished in blue and gold, intricate Rococo Revival ornament, 4 inches high, old glass globe but not original to this lamp; the thumb wheel suggests an oil lamp but there is no noticeable reservoir for the fuel
Pair of white and clear glass banquet lamps, likely German, late 19th - early 20th centuries; 3¼ inches high
Two of three tiny glass oil lamps, c1900, German, 2 inches high; they fit well on the matching small drawers of a Schneegass bureau; the globes can be removed
Tiny lamp, 2¼ inches high, cast metal with glass globe and tube; Victorians often incorporated medieval or Renaissance figures into accessories; c1900, German; there is no reservoir for fuel; it may be a gas lamp meant to be on the top of a staircase newel post drilled for a pipe supplying gas
Erhard & Söhne, Germany, ormolu lamp with original pink and white glass shade and clear glass chimney; 2¾ inches high; shown in the company's undated catalogue as #3367 and also in an advertisement of 1913 by the American toy sellers, F.A.O. Schwarz (their lamps were prices from 10 to 50 cents each); the same metal urn but without the ring holding the shade and lowest element of the base is also in the Erhard & Söhne catalogue as an open-mouth urn and as an urn holding dried flowers For readers interested in products made by the Erhard & Söhne Company, see Swantje Köhler, Ormolu Dollhouse Accessories, Metal Toys from the Erhard & Söhne Company, 2007.
Painted wood oil lamp with thumb wheel, German, late 19th - early 20th centuries; the details of the floral decoration, white and gold trim are compatible with wooden German tea sets (see below); the shade lifts off the chimney; 3¼ inches high
Metal oil lamp shown in the Der Universal-Spielwaren-Katalog of 1924-1926 (but likely made even earlier) with an embossed floral design and two handles. The metal portion is 2½ inches high. It may have actually produced light, as there is a wick that can be adjusted by turning the thumb-wheel. Did it light a doll house? The original glass globe with integral tube, shown in the catalogue, was held in place by prongs. The one shown on the right is old but a replacement.
left Oil can among the (real) kitchen metal accessories available for purchase in the Eaton's catalogue, Toronto, Canada, in 1895 to fill kerosene lamps; right toy can labelled "petroleum" with blue geometric decorations on white painted over metal
Bronze and glass real oil chandelier for the parlour, advertised in 1894-95 by Montgomery Ward of Chicago; note the large fonts, upward shades and chimneys
right Real oil chandelier in a Kingston house; it has been electrified with large bulbs replacing the original burners and chimneys
above Metal and glass oil chandelier hanging in an American dollhouse; note the presence of fonts indicating the use of oil as fuel, clear glass shades, chimneys missing, likely German, late 19 - early 20 centuries
Real metal and glass hanging oil lamp, known as a library lamp, in an ad of 1879 and a real example hanging in a Kingston house (the chimney is missing and the lamp has been electrified)
Metal and glass library lamp with a font, shade and chimney held in place by an elegantly curved, metal frame; German; late 19th - early 20th centuries; 3¼ inches high
Library lamp recently manufactured by Chrsybon, known for high quality plastic miniatures
The "Old-Time Charm" found in these 1967 Miniature Mart lamps can lead to misidentifications of the original models; popular enthusiasm in North America for the colonial past was quickening in the 1960s
N.B. - to continue the story of lighting fixtures, please click here (gas & electricity) top of page home page t return to beginning of lights for dollhouses history of dollhouses GALLERY of IMAGES of dollhouses & furnishings dolls for dollhouses 1 dollhouse references on dollhouses & miniatures
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hall (a narrow hanging lamp with the shade hiding the font,
burner and chimney),
Bracket oil lamp with reflector in painted metal with a glass chimney; a red
flame tops a white wick; the depth of the base represents a reservoir for oil, 1¾ inches
high, likely German, late 19th - early 20th centuries
Students lamps: oil reservoirs are separated from the burner and chimneys,
the height is adjustable
Dollhouse glass and
metal vase lamp, likely German, late 19th - early 20th centuries, with nude bust of a
woman in high relief
