This is a Civil War era nurses warming lamp. This is 1860's era lamp is made of tin and seam sealed with lead. It is made up of the main housing, a kerosene burner and a cup with lid for soup or broth. The lamp housing measures 7" tall and 4 1/2" wide without the handle. The broth or soup cup measures 3" tall, 3 1/4" across the bottom and 4" across the top. The original burner is present also, but is missing the wick. The small door on the front of the housing is also missing. The tin is in fantastic condition, having no dents at all. The tin retains it's original finish with some surface rust on the lid, bottom of the cup and a couple of small scattered areas of the lamp housing. These warming lamps served two purposes. The most obvious was to enable the nurses to navigate their way through the crowded hospital wards. The heat from the burner also heated the broth or soup. Sometimes they placed bandages inside to warm before they were applied. This is a rare piece of medical equipment used during the Civil War. If you have a Civil War medical collection I bet your missing this piece!

Item # AA819

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