Kerosene Chandelier, 1876-1885

Stores, depots, theaters, churches, libraries and other public buildings in the late 19th century required areas of concentrated light. Large overhead chandeliers with multiple burners and mirrored reflectors illuminated a building's dark spaces. This chandelier's large ring of mirrors on the underside of the lower canopy reflected light from ten kerosene burners down onto the public space below.