
An oil lamp constructed so that air passes both inside and outside of a hollow tubular wick that is fed whale oil from an elevated reservoir; the cylindrical flame is surrounded by a glass chimney; invented by the Frenchman Francois Pierre Auir Argand ca. 1783 and first imported to North America by Thomas Jefferson ca. 1794; common in wealthy homes from the late 18th century to mid-19th century; types include annular lamp, Bude light. See also solar lamp. (Bucher, 1996) Photo from the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan, 2026.
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