Antique Crystal WIDE AWAKE Finger Miniature Oil Lamp, Similar to S2-68, Ca. 1878

Antique Crystal WIDE AWAKE Finger Miniature Oil Lamp, Similar to S2-68, Ca. 1878 (image 3/[null, null, null, null])

Antique Crystal WIDE AWAKE Finger Miniature Oil Lamp, Similar to S2-68, Ca. 1878 (image 4/[null, null, null, null])

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Crystal "WIDE AWAKE" Finger Lamp, S2-68Crystal "Wide Awake" Finger LampAbout 2 1/2" to top of collarAbout 3" wide at widest point not including handle and about 4" including handleCrystal "Wide Awake" Finger Lamp~S2-68Manufactured by F. H. Lovell & Co., Ca. 1878Dated Taplin-Brown collarNutmeg-style GEM burner with flower petal thumb wheelExcellent conditionM anufactured by F. H. Lovell & Co., Ca. 1878Background & History: This simple little clear glass finger lamp, which was made in a two-part mold and has an applied handle, is embossed with five stars and the words "Wide Awake" on the side of the font. A lamp similar to this one is shown in Figure 68 of Ruth Smith's book "Miniature Lamps II;" Hulsebus ("The Price Guide for Miniature Lamps") notes that the Wide Awake lamp is found in white milk glass and in a transparent cobalt glass. She makes no mention of the lamp being found in clear glass. While neither Smith nor Hulsebus provide any insight into the lamp's manufacturer or date of manufacture, a clue, perhaps, is found in Ann McDonald's book "Evolution of the Night Lamp". She mentions (but does not picture) a clear glass finger lamp embossed with the name "Wide Awake" which was advertised around 1878 by F. H. Lovell & Company. (A copy of that 1878 advertisement is reproduced below). We believe that this crystal "Wide Awake" is just another, but undocumented, variation of the lamp shown in the Smith book. There is also a clear glass finger lamp marked "Little Wide Awake" mentioned (but not shown) in Figure 16 of Frank & Ruth Smith's book "Miniature Lamps." While there's no guarantee that multiple manufacturers didn't emboss the name "Wide Awake" on their finger lamps, it seems reasonable to guess that all of these variations were manufactured by Lovell and that they all date to the late 1870s and into the 1880s. This was the period in which most small finger lamps with their names embossed on the side of the fonts were made; competition among night lamp manufacturers around this time period was intense and since most of these little lamps were pretty similar (almost commodity-like), it appears that the manufacturers used the embossed names to differentiate their products and to attempt to gain a competitive edge. (We think its a little odd that a manufacturer would call a night lamp "Wide Awake"; a more market-oriented name might be "Sleep Tight". But perhaps insomnia was not the problem in the late 1800s that it is today!}Note that this lamp glows, or fluoresces, when viewed under "black" light. This phenomenon and why it indicates that the glass was made sometime prior to World War I is explained in a note below.We've seen old finger lamps like this referred to as "go-to-bed" lamps. Certainly their little finger handles made them convenient for using to light one's way to bed. We understand that it was once common practice to provide little "go-to-bed" lamps in homes, boarding houses and old inns and hotels, for family members, boarders or guests to light their way as they went upstairs to bed.Condition of this lamp: This little crystal clear lamp is in very good shape with no discernible chips, cracks or other damage. There is a long arcing mold, or "straw" mark on the side of the font (see the second photo)--an obvious artifact of the lamp's manufacture.The brass parts of this lamp, which have been polished are also in fine condition. The lamp has a dated brass "Taplin-Brown" collar which is embossed "PATD APR 13 1875 MCH 21 1876". These dates refer to two patents issued on those dates (one to George Brown and one to Alvin Taplin) relating to the process used to stamp the collars from sheet brass. Both of these patents can be found at /patents by searching for patent numbers 161192 and 175022. According to Thuro ("Oil Lamps: The Kerosene Era in North America") these patents were assigned to the Bristol Brass & Clock Co. (with whom F. H. Lovell Co. worked closely); Thuro notes that the compa... read more

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Antique Crystal WIDE AWAKE Finger Miniature Oil Lamp, Similar to S2-68, Ca. 1878

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