Police 'Bullseye' Lamp
Black police lamp with large lens and fluted top
Name/Title
Police 'Bullseye' LampEntry/Object ID
2025.1.834Description
Metal lamp with protruding lens and fluted top to release the fumes. The lamp has two handles and a hook at the rear to enable it to be attached to somebody or some apparatus or to be hand-held. There is an inner aluminium shutter which controls the amount of light that can be emitted from the lamp. In the base there are holes to allow air to enter to keep the flame alight. The fuel contianer and wick which fitted into the base of the body are missing in this item.Context
Beginning hundreds of years ago lanterns have been made with door openings and devices to show or block light. By the 1850s a standard design emerged that continued for nearly another century. These lamps were variously called Dark Lanterns, Police Lanterns and Bullseye Lanterns - because of the size of the protruding lens. Dark Lanterns were used by the Police force in Britain and the US. The British design being heavier in construction and having the three fluted vents on the top. Battery operated lamps were developed by the 1890s but oil-fired lamps were still made until the 1920s.Cataloged By
Felix LamCategory
Tools