Headlight for a Pierce-Arrow Automobile, 1901-1938

Automotive headlamps evolved alongside the automobile. Kerosene-fueled lamps were replaced by acetylene units in the first decade of the 20th century. Acetylene-fueled lamps were, in turn, replaced by electric units in the 1910s. Headlamp lenses improved as well. Optical lenses, also introduced in the 1910s, focused the headlamp's beam and increased its intensity.