Smithsonian Press--Legacies--3Palace of Progress--Kerosene lamp, 1876

Legacies: Collecting America's History at the Smithsonian, by Steven Lubar and Kathleen M. Kendrick

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Kerosene lamp, 1876

This table lamp, featuring a metal base shaped like the Liberty Bell, was made by the Benedict and Burnham Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut. Displayed at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia to showcase American brassware, the lamp was included in the large collection of industrial and cultural artifacts shipped to the Smithsonian after the exhibition closed.