Early automobiles typically had two of these. The Dietz is tinned steel, this 1904 Premier auto has a couple of brass examples. More a case of being seen than lighting the way. Front ... ... and rear 7/16-inch cotton wick, fount with enough capacity for an evening’s motoring. The plating has mostly gone. But the nickel plated brass reflector is unblemished. Wick raiser ... ... is prevented from being turned by road jolts by a simple spring engaging with serrations on the wheel’s circumference. Spring clips hold the burner and fount securely in place in the lamp base. John
It was very dark at night in those early days. No street lights, most houses only had dim wick type lamps or candles. Motoring at night must have been something of an adventure. When one of the blackouts occurred here the neighbourhood was pitch dark and could barely see houses across the street. Very well preserved old lanterns.
@Walkop It’s true about the extent of darkness back then that we’re unaccustomed to these days. Over the best part of a week I’ve got used to the light output from the Dietz, learning to look more intently for illuminated detail and seeing better in the light it provides as a result. I reckon a pair of such lamps would provide sufficient light to steer an early motor car at very modest speed in otherwise pitch-black conditions. The low speed of those early vehicles would have assisted in getting about with such lighting, but the incentive was there as speeds rose to utilise the brighter light sources of acetylene and electric lights. Presumably pressure lamps were ruled out because of the susceptibility of mantles to road shocks but they had an easier life on relatively smooth railways and Jim Dick’s ‘’History of Tilley Lamps’ depicts an example of an FL6 in use as a locomotive headlamp in Tasmania.
Yes, we forget that folks got about perfectly well on horse transport well before the curse of the internal combustion engine struck...what was the hurry?.. Horses can see better in the dark ...Folks never travelled too far in those days anyway ; you knew every bend in the road like the back of your hand...
Nice to see "wickies" here. Sometimes the look to be easier to restore but beware. I like the lanterns with a special goal, Feuerhand had a bunch of those, wagon, bicycle, warning lights, "dark" lanterns etc.
Some hurricane lanterns which were used on horse drawn carts had a glass which was clear on one side and red on the other, so that it served as a front and rear light.
