Winter Lamp Traveling
Item number E2071-0 from the National Museum of Natural History.
Public
RRN ID
Item Records
This page shows all the information we have about this item. Both the institution that physically holds this item, and RRN members have contributed the knowledge on this page. You’re looking at the item record provided by the holding institution. If you scroll further down the page, you’ll see the information from RRN members, and can share your own knowledge too.
The RRN processes the information it receives from each institution to make it more readable and easier to search. If you’re doing in-depth research on this item, be sure to take a look at the Data Source tab to see the information exactly as it was provided by the institution.
These records are easy to share because each has a unique web address. You can copy and paste the location from your browser’s address bar into an email, word document, or chat message to share this item with others.
- Data
- Data Source
This information was automatically generated from data provided by National Museum of Natural History. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.
Notes
FROM CARD: "OF SOAPSTONE, CRESCENTIC IN SHAPE, BOTTOM NEARLY FLAT, SIDES VERTICAL. THE RESERVOIR IS SHALLOW AND IS DIVIDED INTO TWO PORTIONS BY A CANAL CUT ACROSS THE MIDDLE, AND THE WALL OF THE RESERVOIR IS CONTINUED AROUND THE ENDS, FORMING A NARROW CANAL AT THE END OF THE BRIDGE. THE WICK EDGE IS SLIGHTLY CURVED, AS IS THE RULE IN ALL ESKIMO LAMPS. THIS SMALL LAMP, WHICH IS CALLED A "WINTER TRAVELING LAMP," WAS USEFUL ONLY FOR GIVING A TEMPORARY LIGHT, AND WAS CARRIED IN THE INTEREST OF THE SMOKERS. LENGTH, 5 INCHES, WIDTH, 2 1/8 INCHES; HEIGHT AT FRONT, 1/2 INCH; AT BACK, 3/4 INCH. ILLUS. IN USNM REPT, 1896; PL. 10, FIG. 1; P. 1048."Source of the information below: Inuvialuit Pitqusiit Inuuniarutait: Inuvialuit Living History, The MacFarlane Collection website, by the Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre (ICRC), Inuvik, N.W.T., Canada (website credits here http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/posts/12 ), entry on this artifact http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/items/254 , retrieved 12-30-2019: Small lamp carved from soapstone. It is crescent shaped in outline, and there is a raised wick ledge with a central division in the bowl of the lamp. On the sides are two incised lines that encircle the lamp. The Smithsonian Institution's catalogue card identifies this as a travelling lamp, includes a comment that this lamp was 'useful only for temporary light, and was carried in the interest of the smokers.' More information here: http://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/item_types/37: Lamps carved from soapstone were used for lighting and heating dwellings. Oil placed in the shallow basin was soaked up by a moss wick and set alight. Lamps used in sod houses ranged up to a metre in length. Smaller lamps around 20 cm in length were commonly used to illuminate and warm up snow houses when travelling in winter.
Item History
- Made in Northwest Territories, Canada
- Collected in Northwest Territories, Canada
- Received from Roderick R. MacFarlane on December 21, 1866
What
- Name
- Winter Lamp Traveling
- Identification Number
- E2071-0
- Type of Item
- lamp
Where
- Holding Institution
- National Museum of Natural History
- Made in
- Northwest Territories, Canada
- Collected in
- Northwest Territories, Canada
Who
- Culture
- Eskimo, Inuit and Inuvialuk
- Received from
- Roderick R. MacFarlane
When
- Acquisition Date
- on December 21, 1866
Other
- Accession Number
- 66A00090
Ask a question
Let the RRN community answer your questions
Public
With an account, you can ask other users a question about this item. Request an Account
Shared Knowledge
Share your knowlege of this item with the RRN community
Public
With an account, you can submit information about this item and have it visible to all users and institutions on the RRN. Request an Account
Similar Items
