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Little Beauty Night Lamp

Decorative Arts and Design

MEDIUM Metal, paper, pigment
  • Place Manufactured: Brooklyn, New York, United States
  • DATES last quarter 19th century
    DIMENSIONS 5 1/8 x 3 3/4 x 6 in. (13 x 9.5 x 15.2 cm)  (show scale)
    MARKINGS Printed in black on paper label applied to back of sconce: "THE LITTLE BEAUTY/REGISTERED TRADE MARK/U.S. PAT. OFFICE/NIGHT LAMP,/WILL STAND OR HANG/The only Perfect Lamp for Halls, Bathrooms, Basements, Bedrooms &C/BURNS ORDINARY KEROSENE OIL WITHOUT ODOR OR SMOKE/To rewick the Lamp--Use only the specially prepared wicks that are/made for this lamp. They are sold only in sealed envelopes, on which/full instructions for re-wicking are printed. Price by mail 10 cents/each. To light the wick--Turn the globe-holder down on the tube,/then light and adjust the flame by raising or lowering the globe-holder./To extinguish--___the globe-holder up around the wick until lamp/is extinguished. Do not blow out. To raise the wick--After it has/burned to the edge of the inner tube take a pin and draw the wick/up about one eight [1/8] of an inch above the top of globe-holder/tube when said tube is turned down as far as it will go. One/[?] of oil will burn 40 hours or several nights. The/wick, if properly used, will last a year or more./[?] each by mail. Send stamps/MADE & GUARANTEED BY/SILVER & CO./SOLE MANUFACTURERS/304-314 HEWES ST. BROOKLYN N.Y.
    ACCESSION NUMBER 2007.42
    CREDIT LINE Gift of M. Christmann Zulli in honor of Donald Wisser
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Oil lamp sconce with domed back plate and small loop hanger at top, with centrally attached thin curved arm terminated by spherical oil reserve, short vertical tube, and petal-shaped collar. Two small legs attached to bottom of back plate to adapt for standing. (Missing beehive-shaped glass shade).
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Silver & Company (1885–1920). Little Beauty Night Lamp, last quarter 19th century. Metal, paper, pigment, 5 1/8 x 3 3/4 x 6 in. (13 x 9.5 x 15.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of M. Christmann Zulli in honor of Donald Wisser, 2007.42. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.2007.42_back.jpg)
    IMAGE back, CUR.2007.42_back.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2012
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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    Silver & Company (1885–1920). <em>Little Beauty Night Lamp</em>, last quarter 19th century. Metal, paper, pigment, 5 1/8 x 3 3/4 x 6 in. (13 x 9.5 x 15.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of M. Christmann Zulli in honor of Donald Wisser, 2007.42. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.2007.42_back.jpg)