Whale oil lamp, c 1840.
- Made:
- 1835-1845
This image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseWhale oil pewter lamp, candlestick form, c.1840
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Whale oil pewter lamp, candlestick form, c.1840
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Whale oil pewter lamp, candlestick form, c.1840
Whale oil lamp made of pewter. The lamp has a single wick and is in candlestick form. The lamp was made in c.1840.
In the 19th century, one of the primary uses for whale oil was to provide oil for lamps. Whale oil was particularly prized in lamps because it burned brighter and cleaner than other fat-based fuels. Whale oil is processed from the blubber of whales. The blubber was cut off the whales and then boiled to extract the oil.
