Kerosene Lamps

Kerosene lamps can include a variety of lighting devices that use kerosene as a fuel. Kerosene lamps have a wick or mantle as light source, protected by a glass chimney or globe. They may be used on a table, or hand-held lanterns for a portable light source.

Kerosene lamps are useful for lighting without electricity, such as in regions without rural electrification, during power outages, at campsites, and on boats.

The most common of kerosene lamps is the flat-wick type which draws fuel up through the lamp burner attached to a fuel tank or fount. A glass chimney or globe is attached to the top of the burner to aid air flow facilitating a cleaner and brighter flame.

Most kerosene lamps are made of practical and plain clear glass. Lamps of colored or frosted glass, porcelain, and painted glass are considered a status symbol.

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Clocks

The clocks in the lobby exhibit for February are from the colection of Prairie Museum of Art & History.

Although clocks serve a single function of telling time, they take many shapes, sizes, and forms. Most mechanical clocks found in our homes are spring-driven. However larger clocks may also be weight-driven, such as grandfather clocks and cuckoo clocks.

More modern clocks are electric or battery powered. Some are even solar powered. Many modern clocks and watches are no longer analog using digital displays instead of hands.

Most clocks are purely function, while many are pieces of art.

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Trivia: What is the difference between a clock and a timepiece? Clocks have a striking mechanism to chime or ring a bell. Timepieces do not.  

Telephones ~ "Can You Hear Me Now?"

The lobby exhibit for October consists of telephones from the collection of Prairie Museum of Art & History. Marvin Bickner recently made a generous donation of eighteen telephones from his personal collection.

Some of the telephones are standard telephone company black desk or wall phones, while others are novelties and collector's items. Whatever the design, they were all functional

Newer technology has taken us away from the corded phones to include wireless, mobile 'bag' phones, and include modern personal cellular phones.

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