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Origin: United States (likely New England / Massachusetts or New York)
Date / Age: Circa 1835–1850 (Antebellum / Early Victorian Period)
Material: Unweighted cast pewter body with brass wick tubes
Dimensions: Approximately 4.5″ H overall (to top of burner tubes); 3.25″ Base Diameter; 1.5″ Burner Collar Diameter
Construction Details: Three-piece assembly consisting of a cast flared bell foot rim, a cylindrical-to-conical upper font chamber, and an applied cast pewter ring handle with visible hand-soldered joint lines. The top collar features crisp machine-cut threads that accommodate the brass double-tube screw burner.
Condition Report: Excellent as-found historical condition with untouched, original charcoal-gray oxide patina. The body exhibits minor authentic period operational indentations and shallow surface dings around the font wall. The base rim remains flat and stable. Threads on the collar and burner engage smoothly and securely. No post-factory modifications, modern buffing, or solder repairs.
Literature Reference
Book Title: Guide to American Pewter
Author: Carl Jacobs
Page / Plate Reference: See pages 180–188 (Section: Lamps, Lighting Devices and Burners: 1830–1850), illustrating mid-19th-century American pewter fluid lamps, bell-shaped fonts, and divergent camphene burner styles.
Authenticity Assessment
Tooling & Construction: Concentric lathe turning rings are visible on the underside of the base rim, consistent with spun and lathe-finished 19th-century American pewter production.
Burner Threads & Vents: Burner cap with a tiny drilled pressure-relief vent hole adjacent to the tube bases.
Solder & Jointing: Hand-soldered attachment points on the oval ring handle show appropriate historical oxidation and slight flow variations around the joint seam rather than modern epoxy or lead-free re-solder.
Patina & Metal Quality: Natural, soft charcoal oxidation with micro-pitting and minor handling dings across the soft pewter alloy.
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