Patent Model of Vapor Lamp Burner, 1858

01

Artifact Overview

From 1790 to 1880, the U.S. Patent Office required applicants to submit a miniature model along with diagrams and written descriptions detailing the operation of their invention. Patent models could be no larger than 12" by 12" by 12". Though they were usually not operational, these models helped explain an inventor's idea and protect it from competitors.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Model (Patent)

Date Made

1858

Subject Date

28 December 1858

Creator Notes

Burner is patented design by Sigourney Wales of Boston, Massachusetts.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

26.160.40

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of the Smithsonian Institution

Material

Pewter (Tin alloy)

Dimensions

Height: 7 in

Inscriptions

Font engraved in script: Sigourney Wales Boston Mass. Bottom marked: MOREY & OBER in an arc/3 in a serrated square/BOSTON in an arc.