The 18th century was a turbulent yet exciting period. Some of the most famous figures of history were born, but lighting was still behind the times. The lantern lamp was developed into the design that we know today. 

Little did the modern event organizers, Instagrammers and interior designers know, that the classic hurricane design of today was actually very basic, rudimentary at best. It served a very important purpose. Boxlike metallic frame, glass panels, holes on top with a loop and wick within an oil container: can you guess what they are for?

In 18th century America, lanterns were copied from the British. The fuel was very primitive: people have to extract oil from whales. Although whale hunting then became very popular, some towns still go totally black at night, the few streets that were lighted were in Boston. 

The lanterns were shaped as baskets made of iron hanging over busy street corners. Because the fuel often ran out or flames blew out, the lanterns had to be attended to at night. Some district laws mandated placement of street lights on every 6th house. 

Later on during the late 1700s, Benjamin Franklin had the great idea of having two wicks in one lantern. The wicks were some distance apart but made the light burn brighter. However, because the fuel was highly combustible turpentine and alcohol, it was like courting death to light them. 

So the more common sources of light for the streets come from houses: candles, fireplaces, or oil lamps. To make them appear brighter, mirrors were placed on the back of the flame. Candle stands and lamps were often made of polished metal in order to take advantage of the reflection even further. For the affluent, chandelier glass fixtures were very popular choices to achieve better lighting. 

Eventually, glass started to fill up lantern spaces as reflector as well as flame protection from draft and rain. These glass shades are what we call as hurricanes today. So the modern lantern lamp design we see today was not purely decorative. Cheaper metal versions were also made available. Only in this case, metals had holes to facilitate light and protection. 

At home, people relied on pure resourcefulness. They used candles with stands and handles to find their way to bed or chambers. This is where the term chambersticks come from. In addition, people began to be even more resourceful.  Candle stands were invented in such a way that the candle is pushed up as even as the wax runs out. 

During the late 1700s, another inventor William Murdoch tinkered with tanks and pipes in order to distribute coal gas. He succeeded and the street lights were never the same again. Almost every street, church, home, store and office had light coming from storage tanks facilitated by this pipe system he invented. 

So there you are, the romance of lantern lamps in the details. Makes you think what else not only looked good but also served such a great use for people today.