L.100

A brass lamp by the American lamp manufacturer The Rochester Lamp Co. with an innovative wick drive and easy to operate gallery lifting function. Built ca. 1895-1900.

I found this well-preserved American lamp on eBay USA, but the seller was based in France. I was able to save considerable shipping and customs costs as a result. The lamp was not electrified. The burner and wick drive worked perfectly. I only needed to complete the lamp with shade and shade holder and a glass chimney.

The gallery lifting function is very simple: you have to turn the slanted outer wall of the burner up at an angle and lock it at the top with a short turn. The system is simple; needs no gears, levers, turning keys and the like, and still works very well.

The wick drive also works completely differently from the systems I know: The gear wheel on the obliquely mounted axle engages special holes in the wick tube and raises or lowers it rotating on a vertical axis. This burner was made by Bridgeport Brass Company for Rochester (see Courter: Center-draft Kerosene Lamps, pages 97-100, dated 1897). The wick consists of two flat wicks finely sewn together.

The heavy Vesta shade from the USA has a 9-cornered design and is hand-painted all around. It is probably from 1950-1960's.

The chimney supplied was a standard 20’’’ Matador chimney, which I replaced with a new #2 glass chimney from USA. I also bought the matching 10 inch shade holder (3 arms without the hoop) from USA.

Lamp Data

Added by me:
Glass chimney, Vesta shade and shade holder.

Cleaning and repairs:
Not necessary.

Lamp body:
Entire lamp body made of sheet brass. Base ornamentally embossed and pierced several times for the air supply, Ø 163 mm.
Vase ornamentally embossed on the upper part, Ø 159 mm. 3 small dents on the smooth wall. Vase marked on the upper rim: The New Rochester Made in U.S.A.
Vase is also a font. Extra oil filler with ornamentally embossed cap.

Burner:
USA #2 center-draft burner of Bridgeport Brass Co., USA, with gallery lifting function, for Rochester Lamp Co., USA.
The wick knob is not marked, only ornamentally embossed.
Original flame disc, marked on the wall: Pat'd Jun. 7.87 Oct. 1.89 Jul. 12.92 Aug. 30.92 Sep. 27.93.
Round wick Ø 40 mm.

Glass chimney:
USA #2 Vienna type chimney. Height 255 mm, Ø fitter 68 mm.
New production without brand.

Shade and shade holder:
Vesta shade, 9-cornered, cream-coloured opaque glass, painted flowers, flat upper rim. Probably from the middle of the 20th century.
Height 178 mm, Ø fitter 250 and bulge 305 mm.
250 mm shade holder without outer hoop for USA #2 center-draft burners.

Lamp dimensions:
Height up to collar 27.0 cm, total height with chimney 56.3 cm.
Total weight 2830 g.