Antique of the Month - A Whale Oil Ship’s Lantern from a Nantucket Sea Captain’s House (c. 19th Century)

This month’s Antique of the Month from the Historic Johanna Brotch House returns to the maritime genre. It’s a ship’s lantern that once belonged to and was in the house of a Nantucket, Massachusetts,sea captain. It’s from the 19th Century, though the exact date of its production is unknown. The sea captain’s name is also unknown, though there is no doubt of its provenance. It would have most certainly been taken from a ship, probably his. Due to its small size it likely came from inside a state room cabin (maybe the captain’s cabin) or perhaps from the ship’s bridge. Larger lanterns would have been used in the larger public spaces aboard.The most important part of its design is how the lantern is always able to remain upright as the ship rolls in the sea. This is accomplished via a gimble. The lantern itself fits in side the gimble, giving it the ability to stay upright due to gravity as the gimble turns around it as the ship rolls.Initially, this lamp would have been fueled by whale oil which, besides coal, was the main source of fuel throughout the world before kerosene and then electricity. Nantucket sea captains were mostly whalers, and the oil from the whales was big international business for many decades. Whale oil was in abundance on Nantucket, so this light most certainly used it. Later, still before electricity, kerosene was invented and the world converted over to that, as this light would also have done, though this would have been done probably around 1900 and later.It’s made of solid brass which is in need of polishing which I hope to accomplish this summer, along with many of my other brass nautical antiques in my collection.It’s all original except for the glass“chimney” that covers the flame from the wick.For now, though, I hope you enjoy this extremely unique (and rare!) significant maritime antique from a real sea captain’s home in the mecca of American maritime history known as Nantucket, Massachusetts. It’s a real gem(it still works!)and I hope you enjoy the photos!