For your consideration is this 19th century, French cast iron whale oil lamp used in sailing and mining. This is unmarked but is identical to Clozet S. Etienne's design. These lamps used oil collected from whale blubber, particularly sperm whale oil, which produced a brilliant, clean-burning light. Whale oil lamps were widely used in homes, lighthouses, and on ships earlier in the century. However, by the 1860s and 1870s, the increasing availability of cheaper and more efficient fuels such as kerosene, combined with the widespread use of gas lighting and early electric systems, rendered whale oil obsolete. The demise of the whaling business and the rising expense of whale oil hastened their extinction. This lamp includes the original rooster that unscrews, allowing access to the oil compartment. A pair of tweezers is also present attached by a chain, used for moving or adjusting the wick when it was too hot for hands. It shows good condition overall with slight wear present from its age and use over the years, but no major signs of damage is noted. It measures 4 3/4" L x 4 3/4" W x 8 1/4" H and weighs 1 pound and 8 ounces.