Argand lamp

An Argand lamp in use in A Portrait of James Peale, done in 1822 by Charles Willson Peale
Argand lamp with circular wick and glass chimney. Illustration from Les Merveilles de la science (1867–1869) by Louis Figuier.

The Argand lamp is a type of oil lamp invented in 1780 by Aimé Argand. Its output is 6 to 10 candelas, brighter than that of earlier lamps. Its more complete combustion of the candle wick and oil than in other lamps required much less frequent trimming of the wick.

In France, the lamp is called "Quinquet", after Antoine-Arnoult Quinquet, a pharmacist in Paris, who used the idea originated by Argand and popularized it in France. Quinquet sometimes is credited with the addition of the glass chimney to the lamp.[1]

  1. ^ "Lamp." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2011): 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 December 2011.