Featured Pair Nickle Plated Oil Lamps

I have had these lamps for a couple of years and have not been able to find anything other than the wick adjuster knob was made by Plume & Atwood. The last patent date on the knob is Feb 27, 1877. The lamps are nickle plate over brass and measure approx. 28"h and 13 1/4" farthest depth from the wall. The top of the tubing differ in the square tubing topped with an urn finial and the round tubing having an acorn. The fount fits inside the decorative bowl which measures measures 5" x 7" including the drop finial. And is zinc lined. The chimney holder ring measures 4" diameter. There is a hidden release behind the square tubing facing the wall which allows the chimney holder to slide up and down so one can light or adjust the double wicks. The holder also fits snug aon top of the fount bowl holder. A friend suggested they might be railroad lamps from an upscale passenger car. I have not found any railroad lamps that look like these.
They were attached to the tongue and groove blue boards when I found them.
I have not been able to find the exact burner, I did find some similar but they had a round screen below the wicks. That burner has a knob which reads P & A Mfg. Co, Oxford.
I would like to know the maker if possible plus any other info which might be had. Would 1880 be about the right time frame?

 

Those are amazing - nickle plated brass, seems to be missing wicks and glass chimneys - Probably hallway lamps from a mansion thus the double wick set up! I would not think railway lamps as too much motion for the double wicks to pick up the oil and keep a flame!

 

To me it looks more like silver plate than nickel. Nickel plating tends to have a slightly softer, yellowish look.

 

Or a public building that needed more light. Those are quite nice. If you're going to use them for décor, do get rid of the shabby chic blue boards. Good grief. One wonders who imagined that combination.

 

Thank you, Rayo. They do have the wicks The glass is missing and I am sure they likely had some type of globe. That is one reason I would like to find something similar to get a good idea what type of chimney and globe to look for. That is is I decide to keep them. I also need to find someone who can restore plate (not a do it yourself kit). Thanks again.

Eddie

 

Thanks, afantiques. I will keep that in mind. I have quite a few pieces of silverplate and the lamps are not quite the same. However, I am no expert and will always take advise from those who are.

Eddie

 

lol Not into shabby chic? Kidding. I would not keep them on the boards if I decided to keep them. Need to figure out all the particulars first.. glass, globes, plating etc... and if I can find someone who can do the replating (if indeed nickle).

Eddie

 

With the dual wicks, the burners appear to be a type of duplex burner made by P&A (Plume & Atwood). Here is another.
http://www.bonanza.com/items/like/85804895/The-Plume-Atwood-Mfg-Company-Dual-Wick-Kerosene-Burner

Now I'm not personally familar with this particular type of duplex burner with only 1 wick turner (thumbwheel). I have only worked with duplex burners with 2 thumbwheels. Who made these lamps is still up for grabs. Just because they have P & A burners doesn't mean Plume & Atwood was the manufacturer. Their burners were and still are used on a great variety of lamps. P&A was probably the most prolific of burner manufacturers. Now P &A did make lamps of their own so their is a chance these may be their lamps, but at this moment I can't say for sure.
http://www.thelampworks.com/lw_companies_p&a.htm

Too bad there isn't a patent number on the lamp itself. I'm still looking through my oil lamp reference books for these lamps. I haven't stumbled on them yet.

--- Susan

Edit: Forgot to say that the description of P&A duplex burner that I linked to was wrong on age of their burner. The seller dated it "1832." P&A wasn't founded until around 1869.

 

Thank you, Susan,

I understand what you mean regarding P& might not be the maker. The burner you shared the link to is the first other than the ones on the lamps I have seen. The adjuster is marked differently but it is the same.
I took the lamps apart including the hidden release on the back of the square tube (pretty sure that is not the correct term). The release is a simple piece of brass which is curved and uses the pressure to both lock and release the bar holding the chimney ring. I wil have to look at the pics I took and see if there were any markings on those piece, but I am pretty sure there were no names or dates. I should have taken more pics of all the individual pieces in case I missed something which might have shown on the image. I continue to do research in the hopes of finding the maker. Thank you again for your help and input.

Eddie

 

These are likely made by Plume & Atwood, closer to 1900 give a take 10 years either way. Reason being, finding a pair of nickel plated P&A 'Dual' burners would be quite lucky, hence my feelings of them being original, also they appear to be rail car lamps, the Dual burner was designed to burn a type of heavy, more viscous fuel than kerosene, the two wicks exiting the burner through a single slot, chimney galleries missing on your lamps (rather than the usual two on Duplex lamps), specifically to allow the burner to heat internally, thinning the fuel at point of burn, viscous fuel used on trains as less tendency to slosh around.
I imagine slanted opal shades in the fittings, held at the tops. Great items!

 

good addition to a 4 year old thread.....too bad the OP...is MIA..

 

Thanks, I realised I was a little late to the party, but you never know if someone might be still waiting for info

 

P & A = Plume & Atwood. One of the major players in burner manufacturing. They are most definitely not the ones who made the lamps. My guess is around 1900, maybe a bit before on the lamps themselves.