Making Fire and Light in the Home, Pre-1820

This pioneering study of a long neglected and little understood subject breaks new ground for the collector, antique dealer and student of early lighting and fire making equipment. The author has traced the developments in this field with meticulous care beginning with the advent of fire, tinder boxes, flints and steels and related fire making appliances, through to the early nineteenth century when inventions such as the chemical match relegated such everyday items to history. The paraphernalia associated with the surprisingly difficult business of striking a spark and then keeping the resultant flame alight, took many different and inventive forms. From fire for warmth and the cooking of food came the need for adequate lighting in the homes of both the peasantry and the affluent, and various modes of lighting evolved, based upon whatever fuel was available. Fashion as well as practicality also played their parts in the design and execution of such items as candlesticks, wall sconces, cand