1850s-1860s BRASS BLACKOUT LANTERN at South Coast Antiques & Gallery, Ocean Springs, MS-SOLD

This is a fully functional and complete 1850s-1860s pre-kerosene camphene or burning fluid, dark lantern with all the features intact.  This dark lamp has a triple curtain closure that allows a single or double (reverse) spot or a complete blackout while lit.  Unlike later dark lamps, the curtain cannot be fully dropped.  The thick glass chimney has a ground upper edge and the reservoir is large-capacity made of glass with a polished pontil.  The construction of the lamp indicates it's age, as the burner sets on top of the glass reservoir and is an early pre-kerosene, non-adjustable dead flame wick type used for burning camphene. Before kerosene and coal oil, camphene was very popular from the 1840s through the Civil War, being cheaper than whale oil. 

The top of the lamp opens with a twist, revealing the chimney. The bottom of the lamp has a quick removal feature allowing for quick wick lighting and trimming.  Lamps of this nature have the function of illuminating a specific area in front and behind simultaneously or keep a single beam before the holder.  The blackout function was popular with people who did not want to be seen at night such as smugglers, grave robbers, police and thugs.  Less colorfully, they were also used in taverns, aboard ships and in stables. 

This is the finest blackout lantern I have ever had for sale and the condition is absolutely superb and complete as most of these lamps were converted to cheaper kerosene in the mid 1860s