Argand Oil Lamps - Patented 1784

I inherited a pair of these hurricane lamps.  Each one is 16 inches tall and 12 inches wide.  They are labeled HN Hooper. I don’t have shades for them.

I’m wondering if I can find shades for them, if they are safe to use and – if not – can they be electrified?

Congratulations!  It looks as if you’ve inherited a pair of 2-light Argand lamps from the mid 19th century.  These lamps were a huge improvement in interior lighting when they were patented in 1784.  Thomas Jefferson was a huge fan and had several at Monticello.

 Prior to this invention, options for interior lighting were limited to rush lights, tallow candles or beeswax candles, and oil lamps for wealthier homeowners.  Tallow candles were made from animal fat:  they gave poor and inconsistent light and smelled terrible.  Beeswax candles produced cleaner and brighter light but were very expensive.  Oil lamps were expensive and messy. Inefficient burning of the oil created sooty buildup on the glass chimneys, lessening the brightness of the lamp as an evening wore on. 

 Aime Argand was a Swiss chemist, physicist and inveterate tinkerer.  After working with his brother developing an improved method for making brandy (and building a successful distillery), Argand combined his knowledge of physics and chemistry and invented a way to improve the basic oil lamp.  

 Argand developed a hollow cylindrical wick that allowed more oxygen to get to the flame creating a brighter light.  He further increased the upward draft of oxygen by placing a chimney over the burner.  Argand lamps burned fuel more efficiently, created less smoke, gave off vastly improved illumination and burned less oil. 

 Argand lamps used gravity rather than wicking to feed the flame.  The central urn in your lamp would have been filled with thick, viscous oil that flowed down the arms to the burner.   The downside of this central reserve was a top-heavy lamp prone to tipping over.  Argand lamps were the height of lighting technology for half a century until lamps burning abundant and inexpensive kerosene replaced them. 

 Argand’s patent on the lamp was never respected and he never profited greatly on his invention.  Companies on the continent, in England and in the US all made lamps using his technology. HN Hooper, a lightning manufacturer and retailer in Boston, was one of the biggest producers of Argand lamps in New England. 

 Is your lamp safe to use? To answer that you’d need to have someone familiar with the technology to thoroughly examine the reservoir and burners.  You’d have to be comfortable with top-heavy lamps filled with oil burning flames. 

 You can certainly have them electrified, though doing so will horrify purists. In today’s market, a pair of electrified Argand lamps bring $400-700 at auction; a working and never messed with pair would sell closer to the $1000 range.   If you love the idea of them perhaps you could offer to trade your pair with an electrified pair.  A collector will be happy and you’ll have a pair of safe lamps.  

Victorian Pin and a Family History - Part 2 of 2

In my most recent column I wrote about a Victorian tassel pin.   The 95 year old owner of the pin generously shared images of her grandmother wearing it.

We are so happy you are interested in the pin. The woman wearing it at the neck is her grandmother. The woman wearing it on the chain may be her great aunt.
Thank you so much; this will be a great gift to my mother-in-law.

 I’m so excited about the photographs!  Period images give us so much information about the material culture of the age:  what type of furniture is she seated on?  What items are in the background?  Is she holding a book? needlework?  A pet?  Period photographic portraits are a treasure trove of information about the time and even social or educational status of the sitter.

Joan Severa’s 1995 book “Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900” is an exceptionally well researched and documented collections of portraits of men, women and children.  Mot only does Ms. Severa address the fabric choices, sleeve styles and skirts sitters; she analyzes hairstyles, hats and crinolines. 

By comparing the facial features and details of hairstyles, my guess is that the portrait is of the same woman separated by years.  The seated woman wearing the brooch as a necklace styles her hair low on the nape of her neck with marcel waves framing her face.  Her dress is snug fitting with naturally fitted shoulders, buttoned sleeves, a dropped waist and a fringed peplum.  All of these elements point to the portrait being from the early 1870s.  And notice how the tassel on the necklace is mirrored on the arm of the fashionable upholstered chair she sits in!

The portrait of the woman with the pinned on brooch appears to be the same woman a couple of decades later.  Her hair is styled closer to her head with bun higher on the crown; her tailored collar and tightly buttoned top likely ended at the natural waist.  These elements are appropriate to a slightly older woman and date the portrait to the mid to late 1880s.

For more information about the brooch itself, I contacted a colleague.  Gemologist Maury Woulf is an accredited jewelry appraiser with decades of experience and strong understanding of jewelry in history.  He agreed with me that the brooch was made in the mid-Victorian era.  And although the tassels and filigree are consistent with the Moorish Revival style popular at the time, Maury feels that the tassels are out of proportion to the brooch and may have been replacements or add-ons.   He also pointed out that the pin likely held a watch on a chain in addition to the tassels.

Neither of us saw the jewelry in person so neither of us can determine the actual type or value of the metal.  The slight differences in the colors on the tassels lead us both to think that they are gold filled; the body of the pin and the applied filigree could be either gold or gold filled.

To view more period portraits or interior photographs visit the California Historical Society or the History Department at the Oakland Museum. 

Victorian Tassel Pin and a Family History - Part 1 of 2

This last weekend we celebrated my mother-in-law's 95th birthday. She showed everyone the brooch that is pictured in this email. We have all heard about this broach and there are pictures of her grandmother wearing it. One picture she is wearing it at the neck and another it is hanging from a chain. We are wondering if you can give any information about who maybe could have designed or made it by looking at the pictures. We see no noticeable marks on it. It is 1 1/2" across and hangs 3 1/2" long. Any information is greatly appreciated. It would make her day to know something about it.

Tassel brooch, front

 Congratulations to your mother-in-law on her milestone birthday!  And how wonderful to have a piece of jewelry that’s also a piece of family history.

I haven’t examined this brooch so I can’t test the metal nor can I feel the weight of the piece.  I can’t give you a monetary value without a personal inspection but I can tell you a little about some of the history and fashion happening when this was made. 

Tassel brooch verso

Victoria was only 18 when she ascended to the throne of England.  A few years later, at 21, she married her 20-year-old cousin Albert of Saxe-Coburg. The young queen loved fashion and jewelry and, although as queen she boasted an extensive collection of court jewelry of court jewelry, she was particularly fond of the jewelry Albert designed for her.  According to Charlotte Gere in Love and Art: Queen Victoria’s Personal Jewellery, she and Albert both kept informed of inventions, explorations and modernizations during the Industrial Revolution:  both were aware of new techniques and innovations in metalwork and jewelry making.

Until the Victorian era, most gold jewelry was 18 karat, putting it out of reach of all but the very wealthy.  By Victoria’s time, jewelry was being made with less expensive 9 and 10-karat gold and with composites.   Industrial methods and inexpensive materials made jewelry affordable to the growing middle class. “Filled” or “rolled gold” comprised a thin sheet of precious metal layered over copper or brass; electroplating gold onto a base metal was patented in 1840.  Jewelry making became industrialized, prices came down and nearly everyone owned and wore some pieces.  

Jewelry fashions reflected industrial innovations, European colonialization, and archaeological fascinations. 

Your brooch appears to have been stamped from thin metal and shaped.  The floral decoration also appears stamped and applied; the wirework filigree and fringe tassel give the piece a sense of importance while keeping the weight of the piece low enough not to damage or pull askew fragile silks and taffetas.   The tassel motif reflects the influence France’s occupation of Moorish Algeria.  Archaeologists excavations of Etruscan and Greek civilizations inspired the granulation design and the filigree twisted wire-work.  The hooks on the back of your brooch show how the piece could be worn as a pin or a pendant.  The eye soldered at the bottom edge could have held another tassel, a pendant or a watch. 

I believe this piece was made in the second or third quarter of the 19th century.   Whether it is made in hi-karat gold, rolled gold or electroplate, it is a lovely piece of history and a precious family heirloom.  I hope it enjoys many more birthdays!