~~In the mid 1850s, lamps had progressed to a point that the commercial establishments were now becoming lighted. They used a center draught wick, and were manufactured by companies like Edward Miller of Meriden, Connecticut, The Rochester of Rochester, NY, Pittsburgh and others.
~~The lamp shown is a "Juno" Center Draught Fount with 20" tin reflector, a #3 Juno Fount, #3 Miller wick & chimney. Many were brass, although for 75 cents more you could buy the nickel plated lamp. Some had the pull-down mechanism, others had to be lit by standing on a ladder or stool.
~~I have one in my camp and frequently burn it. It is smoky, difficult to control and gives off minimum light. They were advertised as 60 CPH but I haven't been able to get them to burn that well.
~~The bottom of the shade was frequently painted white and the top another color. This lamp, as are others, has ornately decorated brass work on the font.
~~If you look at old pictures of mercantile stores, factories, etc. you will see a string of them down the center of the room. It must have been a real job cleaning those chimneys, trimming the wicks and filling them with kerosene daily. I have electrified some of these lamps and they electrify very easily and without any damage to the lamp.