Name/Title
Kahn: Black Painted Metal Railroad "Dark" Lantern. 19th centuryEntry/Object ID
1976.014.011Description
Black painted metal "dark" lantern with hinged door and magnifying lens on the door. Two crimped vents on top. Two folding handles on back. Inside cylinder turns from base.
"Most lanterns shed light from the time they are lit until they are extinguished, but “Dark” lanterns can show or hide the light from their wicks as the operator chooses. Beginning hundreds of years ago, some lanterns were made with doors and other devices to allow or block the light they could shed. By the 1850s, a basic design appeared that became standard for nearly another century. These were variously called Dark Lanterns, Police Lanterns, or Bullseye Lanterns. Typical dark lanterns were about the size and shape of a small modern thermos bottle, and had a fount for oil in the bottom. A cap with a wick (or wicks) was mounted directly to the top of this reservoir, and in most models the cap also served as a port to fill it. In the cylindrical body of the lantern, a shutter could be rotated to block light from coming through a large “Bull’s Eye” lens on the front. At the top of the lantern was a vent that allowed exhaust from the flame to exit but retain the light. These distinctive vents were usually made with two metal disks that were stamped into flutes that taper to the middle. The effect is sort of a ruffled top to the whole device. At the back of the lantern were wire handles to protect the user from the hot sides."
Lantern came from the Williamsburg Room at the Millburn Library, possibly a gift from Harvey Kahn.Collection
Kahn CollectionAcquisition
Accession
1976.014Source or Donor
Unknown