Hello everyone, does anyone have any information about the WILD & WESSEL 1373 kerosene lamp? I purchased such a lamp, but it has been converted to an electric one, and I would like to restore its authentic appearance and operate on kerosene. Thank you.
Hi @Valteris and congrats´to a nice wick kersosene lamp. Please post an image of your lamp. It always helps to evaluate what you need to do. The Wild &Wessel/Berlin "1373" lamp, is also called the "Vesta" lamp. The patent for this lamp came in 1879 and the manufacturing started in the last years of 1870,s. This is probably the most well known lamp in the category of heavy cast brass/bronze kerosene reading lamps and was popular also in the library reading rooms at universities (Harvard student lamp). In spite of the high price for the abundantly ornamented lamp in shape of an antique oil lamp (design by the architect Alexander Schütz), 10,000 lamps were sold in Europe and US the first fifteen years. Today many, if not most, of the Vesta lamps found are electrified as your lamp, upgraded by that time novelty, the electric bulb. The Vesta lamp is equipped with an unique central draught Kosmos burner, using a tube connected to the burner housing. Often the "electrifier" removed that burner and replaced it with an electric unit. Sometimes they even drilled holes in the reservoir and other places for the electric cord. With no photo I can't tell you how you should proceed. Attached you find some images of my unmarked Vesta lamp; a lamp most likely sold by the retaliler A. Robert/ Paris, a company that had a deal with W&W about unmarked Vesta lamps. /Conny
Thank you very much for the information provided. It helps me to get a real picture. I am attaching a few photos of my lamp.
As I suspected is the special made central draught Kosmor burner gone. Probably impossible to find a spare or recreate that burner. I think maybe you can use a regular 14 line side draught Kosmos burner and in some way attache it to the rod going through the front and is secured with the bottom finial nut. I have sent you a PM. I´m not sure if it works with a non subscriber. /Conny
