Name/Title
Oil-wick HeadlampEntry/Object ID
MW.0159Description
Small metal oil-wick, or "teapot", headlamp with wick extending from spout.Context
This kind of headlamp was the first lighting innovation to supplant candles in underground mining. The lamp hooked onto the front of a miner's canvas cap, and was filled with cheap oil, like kerosene, and/or sometimes household fats like lard. A fabric wick extending from the teapot spout was then lit. This was the primary head-worn miner's light until the advent of carbide lamps in the early 1900s.Collection
Coal Mining Tools, Fred Barkey CollectionInscription/Signature/Marks
Type
LabelLocation
one side of lampTranscription
Copper
LinedParts
Count
2Parts
metal lamp, fabric wickMaterials
Material
Copper, Metal, CottonMaterial Notes
wick may be another material
