A BRASS AND COPPER HANGING OIL LAMP

An oil lamp of this model hung in Benson's own dining room rather than gas or electric light, which he considered unflattering to the complexion. Peter Rose observed that, as technological advances yielded increasingly intense light sources, Benson recognized the need to develop two forms of lamps, noted by Benson himself in Notes on Electric Wiring and Fittings (1897) as "one for the general lighting of the room and the other sort to throw a strong light upon particular surfaces or objects without exposing the glare of the actual flame to view" (Hamerton, loc. cit., p. 108). This model is illustrated in the W.A.S. Benson & Co. Catalogue 1899/1900, no. 92.