Christmas Tree Candleholder, 1860-1870

Summary

Inventors designed early Christmas tree candleholders to stabilize tilting candles -- perennial holiday annoyances that dripped wax and were potential fire hazards. Turned-up metal tabs held candles upright while a tack or some wire secured the mechanism to a bough. A bobeche, or wax-catching dish, was patented for Christmas tree candleholders after the Civil War and soon became a popular feature.

Inventors designed early Christmas tree candleholders to stabilize tilting candles -- perennial holiday annoyances that dripped wax and were potential fire hazards. Turned-up metal tabs held candles upright while a tack or some wire secured the mechanism to a bough. A bobeche, or wax-catching dish, was patented for Christmas tree candleholders after the Civil War and soon became a popular feature.

Artifact

Candleholder

Date Made

1860-1870

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

70.45.79.7

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Tin (Metal)

Dimensions

Height: 1 in

Diameter: 1.375 in

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