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Description:
One of a pair of brass candlesticks with ring-turned and faceted shafts over rectangular stepped bases and push ejectors under the 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 oval peg lamps are made of cast brass with a mid-band around the oval reserves, which would contain the oil, and two copper wick tubes. 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+67.240.1

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