University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Lamp, whale oil

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https://digital.library.illinois.edu/items/c05e05c0-0d92-0135-23f6-0050569601ca-4
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Descriptive Information

Title
Lamp, whale oil
Description
Whale oil lamp. It has a hand blown glass lamp reservoir pegged into a crude piece of wood.
Interpretation
Whale oil was highly prized from 1750 to 1850 as the best lamp oil fuel. It burned at a very steady rate, very brightly and with little smoke. Oil from the skull cavity of the spermaceti whale was the finest quality and was a major reason the whaling industry was so profitable. This lamp was hand blown to fit into a crude piece of wood. A cork, or metal fixture would hold the wick into the opening at the top. This lamp is probably an early whale oil lamp from the 1750s to 1770s.
Lesson Plans / Themes
  • Settling in the Midwest  
  • What's That Relic?  
  • Introduction of Artifacts as a Primary Source  
  • School Museum  
  • Inventions Multimedia Time Line  
  • Whaling Slide Show  
  • How We Learn About Communities  
  • Communities and Geography  
  • American Communities in History  
Learning Standards
  • 13 Science, Technology and Society  
  • 18 Social Systems  
  • 16 History  
Subject / Keywords
  • Glassware  
  • Hand-blown glass  
  • Lighting device  
  • Light  
  • United States  
  • Whale oil  
  • Oil lamp  
  • Whales  
Temporal Coverage
1775/1850
Collection Publisher
Early American Museum
Rights
Copyright Not Evaluated
Resource Identifier
1968.001.1194
Date Created
2-24-2003
Collection Title
Teaching with Digital Content (Cultural Heritage Community)
Collection
Teaching with Digital Content (Cultural Heritage Community)
TitleLamp, whale oil
DescriptionWhale oil lamp. It has a hand blown glass lamp reservoir pegged into a crude piece of wood.
InterpretationWhale oil was highly prized from 1750 to 1850 as the best lamp oil fuel. It burned at a very steady rate, very brightly and with little smoke. Oil from the skull cavity of the spermaceti whale was the finest quality and was a major reason the whaling industry was so profitable. This lamp was hand blown to fit into a crude piece of wood. A cork, or metal fixture would hold the wick into the opening at the top. This lamp is probably an early whale oil lamp from the 1750s to 1770s.
Lesson Plans / Themes
  • Settling in the Midwest  
  • What's That Relic?  
  • Introduction of Artifacts as a Primary Source  
  • School Museum  
  • Inventions Multimedia Time Line  
  • Whaling Slide Show  
  • How We Learn About Communities  
  • Communities and Geography  
  • American Communities in History  
Learning Standards
  • 13 Science, Technology and Society  
  • 18 Social Systems  
  • 16 History  
Subject / Keywords
  • Glassware  
  • Hand-blown glass  
  • Lighting device  
  • Light  
  • United States  
  • Whale oil  
  • Oil lamp  
  • Whales  
Temporal Coverage1775/1850
Collection PublisherEarly American Museum
RightsCopyright Not Evaluated
Resource Identifier1968.001.1194
Date Created2-24-2003
Collection TitleTeaching with Digital Content (Cultural Heritage Community)
CollectionTeaching with Digital Content (Cultural Heritage Community)

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Lamp, whale oil
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