Graceful Light
Exhibition of Kerosene Lamps
PLACE
UL. DWORNA 22C
The collection of lamps, gathered by the museum since 1986, currently includes over 140 objects. One hundred of them have been selected for the permanent exhibition. They date from the 19th and 20th centuries and include hanging lamps — parlor, office, corridor, and wall-mounted (sconces) — as well as standing lamps — floor, parlor, table, office, and bedside.
They represent various styles, including eclecticism, Art Nouveau, and functionalism. The oldest exhibits are oil lamps produced 175 years ago, while the younger kerosene lamps are over 50 years old. One of the most remarkable pieces is a parlor kerosene lamp with a body made in China at the end of the 19th century, featuring its original, decorative lampshade.
ChatGPT powiedział:For various reasons, kerosene lighting represents a chapter that, although closed, remains an important one,
and at the same time a fascinating one. The direct predecessors of kerosene lamps were oil lamps, which were complex devices — therefore expensive and prone to malfunction. Only the upper classes of society could afford them.
The fractional distillation of crude oil carried out by Ignacy Łukasiewicz in 1852–1853 made it possible to obtain a fuel with properties unmatched by any other. Kerosene no longer had to be pumped toward the burner — it was naturally drawn up through the wick. This simplification in design made kerosene lighting so widespread that practically everyone could afford a lamp, whether simple or decorative.
In essence, it was egalitarian kerosene that illuminated the darkness after sunset. In its dim light, some sought the pleasures of the night, others plotted conspiracies, so that still others could read their revolutionary writings.
The kerosene lamp was not only a witness to the birth of revolutionary ideas but also served faithfully as the guardian of the traditional family hearth. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, family life revolved around the table, which was illuminated either from above by a hanging fixture or by placing a table lamp at its center. This is why it had to be an object of exceptional beauty — something that modern admirers of art can certainly still appreciate.
