Sinumbra Lamp
Manufacturer New England Glass Company American
Not on view
This type of lamp—called a sinumbra (without shadow)—represents an important innovation in lighting, an advancement on the Argand oil lamp, in its design that allowed the light to fall directly onto the surface without shadows. Usually crafted with metal shafts, some of the most effective and beautiful are those utilizing solid glass shafts like this one with its striking black-amethyst color. The New England Glass Company is the only American firm known to have made them. Although this lamp is not marked, its attribution is based on three nearly identical lamps that bear a small metal label with the New England Glass Company name. It is of note that these lamps were fueled by whale oil, gathered by hunting sperm whales, an important global trade based largely in New England.
