candles or lamps

Upstart Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 7

So, I've been looking at furniture of the time and many pieces have built in candle holders, candelabras, sconces etc but I thought oil lamps were more common?

Does anyone know if people primarily used candles or lamps at night? Was it a matter of cost or convenience?

Any light you could throw on the subject would be appreciated. *winces at terrible pun, but doesn't erase it*

Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 3:03 pm Post subject:

Since no one has jumped in with an answer, I went to my library shelves to see what I could find. First I perused a bunch of books on domestic interiors, looking at paintings and prints of late 18th/early 19th century rooms. The funny thing is that there seems to be a pretty even mix of candles vs oil lamps. More formal rooms, like ballrooms or really big and fancy drawing rooms, show candles almost exclusively -- in chandeliers, sconces, candelabras, etc. Good wax candles were expensive, and I suspect that a room well-lit with dozens of candles was meant to show off the wealth of the owner. Less formal interiors show lamps or a mix of lamps and candles. Oil was cheaper than wax candles, but more expensive than common (tallow) candles. So perhaps oil lamps were more middle-class?

The invention of the argand oil lamp in the late 18th century had a significant impact on interior lighting. You can see tradesman cards offering all sorts of different lamp designs beginning around the 1790s, with lots of new designs in the Regency period. One of my research books suggests that oil lamps were not typically kept out during the day, but were brought into a room after dark, then taken away at the end of the night by servants who cleaned and refilled them for the next evening.

One book references Pine's Views of Royal Residences from 1819, which shows that "magnificent oil lamps were to be found at Buckingham House, Kensginton Palace, and Carlton House,but only in entrance halls and staircases. The formal rooms continued to be lit by candles until almost the end of the 19th century."

Hope this helps.
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 1:33 pm Post subject:

Fascinating!
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~~*Diana*~~

Spiders we've caught in the house as of 8/30/08: 121
QOTD: How come nobody mentions spiders in their romance books set in England?

Upstart Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 7

I can't thank you enough!

That's exactly what I was wondering!

Thanks again!

Upstart Joined: 13 Oct 2009 Posts: 15

Thank you very much too. Smile

I was wondering something like this myself just recently.