Aladdin Lamp Contents
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Contents
There is lots of
good stuff being placed into these Aladdin lamp web pages. Check back often as
I add more lamp data. I have a minimal budget to pursue my hobby
so I can not afford to go out and buy pristine condition lamps.
Since much of this site is illustrated by lamps from my personal
collection expect to see a lot of dents and finish flaws. These
are the best I can find and afford. Since I have started this site
others have helped out by sending me jpeg pictures of lamps I
do not have for use in this site. I appreciate
your help in adding to this web site. Thank you.
Further reference sources:
Kerosene mantle lamps represent the peak of kerosene lighting technology. The lamps themselves reflect American society, manufacturing technology, and the American entrepreneurial spirit in the beginning of the 1900's. The startup costs were minimal when it comes to purchasing burners imported from Germany and placing them on brass lamp bodies manufactured in the US. Much of America was rural and without electricity at the turn of the century. Marketing and sales into rural America were largely through independent sales representatives going door to door with salesman cases demonstrating their wares. These lamps don't just stand alone, They are a part of the American fabric. If you look closely, you will see the fabric of the first half of the 1900's reflected in their their design, the entrepreneurs who sold and marketed the lamps, and the homes that were lit by them. Lamp collecting can be a much richer hobby than just collecting each one and placing them on display. The hobby of collecting these lamps can be as rich as you want it to be. You might collect lamps for the hunt and display of the lamps or you might use them to better understand the evolution of kerosene lighting and lamp manufacturing technology. Whatever your interest in these lamps I hope you find something of use in this web site.
Most of this web site is dedicated to documenting the Aladdin brand of lamps. Aladdin was and is still the most successful brand of non-pressurized kerosene mantle lamp. They did not achieve this success because they had the best lamp design but because they had a good product and leading edge marketing. It was a combination of ongoing innovation in both their products and marketing that allowed them to dominate the mantle lamp market.
Much of the information in this web site is based upon the
research and contributions of others as well as those of
my own. I intend this site to to be an illustrated
supplement reference that fills in some gaps not well covered
in other published works. It is not intended to parrot
previously published works nor to replace them. In
appreciation.
If you have an interest in Aladdin kerosene lamps THE essential
book to own is "Aladdin The Magic Name in Lamps" by
J. W. Courter, ISBN 0-9618879-2-3. This is a MUST
HAVE book on Aladdin lamps that is well researched and well written. Bill's book is primarily focused on Aladdin lamps marketed within the United States and Canada. A copy of this book can be purchased through the Aladdin Knight's web site.
J. W. Courter also wrote the definitive guide to center draft kerosene lamp identification which includes a value guide. Center draft kerosene lamps were very popular in the United states and many were very ornate. Dozens of companies manufactured a wide verity of these lamps, some of whom also manufactured kerosene mantle lamps. If you have an interest in these lamps, Bill's book is a must have. It also contains hard to find information about the various companies who manufactured these lamps "center-draft Kerosene Lamps 1884-1940 identification and value guide" by J. W. Courter, ISBN: 978-1-57432-566-9, profusely illustrated, 448 pages. Copies can be purchased from the author.
If your interests leads you to Aladdin lamps sold in Australia the essential reference book is Allin Hodson's "Aladdin Kerosene Lamps in Australia" , ISBN 0646377558. Printed by Hyde Park Press in Australia. Lamps produced by Aladdin Australia are unique in their design and shows the practical Australian approaches to meeting the needs of the people who used the lamps. Sadly this great book is out of print so may be hard to find a used copy.
"Aladdin to Ziu: The Early Kerosene Mantle Lamp in America" by Thomas W. Small and James R. Christner, ISBN 978-0-692-90920-1, does an excellent job of documenting pre-1930 non-pressurized kerosene mantle lamps both made and imported into America. What makes this book unique and important is that it tells the stories of the people and companies behind the lamps and adds a perspective you will not find elsewhere. While Bill Courter's book does an excellent job of telling the story of Aladdin, this book puts that story into perspective with the rest of the early American mantle lamp industry. It is a well researched chronicle that pulls together hard to find information. If your interests go beyond just collecting lamps and you want to have a deeper understanding of the early American mantle lamp industry, you want to purchase a copy of this book.
If your collecting interests leads you to the early evolution of kerosene mantle burners, the place to look is Germany where mantle lamps were invented and the book to purchase is called "The Evolution of the Kerosene Mantle Burner" by Anton Kaim. This is a self published book sold directly by the author and does a very good job of covering the inception and comparative evolution of the mantle burner, most of which took place in Europe. This book an excellent reference for burner and parts identification. This book covers the Burners developed in Europe, German burners imported to North America and Aladdin brand burners.
Like every good collectible, there is a club for Aladdin
lamp enthusiasts called the "Aladdin
Knights". They have a newsletter that can contain
research results not published in Courter's book. They also
have gatherings which provides opportunities to actually
see rare models.
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Model B No. B-121 |
Aladdin Started in business in 1908 selling the German made Practicus
burner on a Plume & Atwood manufactured lamp base. In 1909
they started selling their own brand metal lamps starting with
the Aladdin model 1 lamp.
Aladdin glass models:
Aladdin started manufacturing glass lamps concurrently with metal
lamps starting in 1932. The first year glass lamps (Venetian, and
early Colonial lamps) used a Model A burner. Glass lamps produced
through 1954 used the model B burner. There was a glass lamp made
in Brazil that used a model C burner. Glass lamps produced between
1974 to the present date use variations of the model 23 burner. Glass lamps manufactured after 2016 use the MaxBrite burners.
IMPORTANT: Bill Courter's book on Aladdin lamps ( "Aladdin The Magic Name in Lamps" by
J. W. Courter, ISBN 0-9618879-2-3) does an excellent job of covering the Aladdin model A and model B glass lamps. I have no intention of trying to duplicate his fine work. My intention is to supplement his work by adding newer glass lamps and limited edition glass lamps. The model A and model B glass lamps described in this site are of lamps I own or have owned. As such the descriptions may not cover all the variations of these models. If you need more information about different model A or B glass lamps I strongly suggest that you purchase a copy of Bill's excellent book.
Aladdin was an international company with offices in several countries.
This is a new section. I will populate it with additional lamps as I find time
Burner manufacture was done in The United States, United Kingdom, and Brazil. The founts for the lamp were made in the country or sales area that the lamps were sold into minimize export costs. Starting in 1974 all manufacturing was moved to China. |
Aladdin Australia
NOTE: Aladdin lamps were introduced in Australia in 1923 with model 11 imported lamps marked Sydney on the wick adjuster knobs. Starting around 1926, more parts of the lamps started being made in Australia. By the early 1930s the lamp bodies & accessories were being made in Australia and only the burners were imported. In Australia, both the UK model 14 burner and the US Model B burner were used. In Australia the UK model 14 was referred to as the Model 16A burner and the US model B burner was referred to as the model 16B. Model 12 lamps were sold through WWII. Their use of a lamp tank that could be moved to any of several different lamp bases and hangers depending upon need is unique and produced a large number of possible lamp combinations. Aladdin Australia also sold lamps in New Zealand.
Introduction to Aladdin Australia and their unique famlies of lamps
1653 plastic table lamp (1953 to 1956)
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Aladdin Australia Bakelite lamps
Banquet - Personal - shelf
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Aladdin Austria
NOTE: The short lived Austrian Aladdin office was started just as Hitler was coming to power and ceased when Germany annexed Austria. They manufactured their own lamp bodies and used Aladdin UK made burners.
Model 14 made in Austria
Aladdin Argentina
Aladdin lamps from Argentina (1928 or 29 through 1945) |
Aladdin Austria table lamp
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Aladdin Brazil
Model C Brazil (burner page)
Model C Brazil brass table lamp
Model C Brazil quilt pattern lamps |
Aladdin Brazil glass lamp
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Aladdin Paris
French Model 12
shelf lamp based upon the # 12 oil pot |
Aladdin Paris shelf lamp
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Aladdin South Africa
South African sales region model 23 aluminum table lamp (1976 to 1977?) |
Aladdin South Africa model 23 lamp
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Aladdin UK
NOTE: Aladdin industries UK fas formally constituted in 1919. Initially Aladdin UK sold American made lamps with "England" added to the wick adjustment knob (Models 8, 9, 10, 11 and very early 12). Changes in import duty fees caused Aladdin to open a manufacturing site in England. Starting in 1933 both burners and lamp bodies were made in England. Aladdin UK also made burners for Aladdin Paris, Austria, and Australia. The burners for the model 21C lamps were made in England and exported to North America. The model 23 burners marked made in England work well and are by far the best of the model 23 burners. If were not for the burners being produced in the UK Aladdin USA would have likely gone out of business in the mid 1950s when a flood destroyed all the tooling or soon thereafter. Aladdin UK stopped manufacturing lamps during the back half of the 1970s and stopped manufacturing mantles during the first half of the 1980s when production was transfered to Brazil.
Model B UK (1931)
Model 14 Cottage lamp from the UK (First half of the 1930s, sold in UK only)
English model 23 aluminum lamps (1969 to 1977) |
Aladdin UK model 14 cottage lamp
unknown Cat. number.
There are 2 versions of this lamp
Model 14 Bakelite lamps from the UK
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IMPORTANT NOTE: Throughout this web
site I make conjectures based upon my empirical observations and
literature research. Please consider these conjectures to be working
hypotheses and not fact. Only the people who were there and made
or carried out the decisions can know the facts for sure. For the
rest of us it is just guesses based upon what we can observe.
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