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Description:
Pair of brass candlesticks with shaped shafts over rectangular stepped bases, with two candlestick lamps fit into the candle sockets. This lamp form, which was very popular in the first half of the 19th century, was made to fit into any candlestick, thus adapting old candlesticks to a more up to date type of lighting, made possible with the availablity of animal and vegetable oils and a mixture turpentine and alcohol common from the 1820s-1850s. These peg lamps have a colorless, faceted glass reserve to contain the burning fuel. Whale oil was the most popular for lamps of this type because of its cleanliness, efficiency, affordability and availability.

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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+67.239%2FA

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