Last week, my wife surprised me with an amazing old bicycle lamp. She knows how much I enjoy cleverly engineered items of the past. I must say that this is the best gift she has ever given me. The lamp was made around the turn of the century, approximately 1898 by the Twentieth Century Manufacturing Company. A simple clamping system secures it to the head tube of your bicycle. Interesting to me, are the red and green windows on the left and right (respectively) sides of the lamp. These navigation lights are consistent with today's regulations for boats and airplanes. Red on the left and Green on the right. Rather than describe the fascinating details of this lamp, I've posted a few detail shots below.I think the next step, is to fasten this to my fixed gear, throw on my woolly knickers and take a retro-ride around the city at night. (Side note: In the background is a great oil lamp, a gift from my father, which we use quite often.)
Above: Right side of lamp; note the small green window. Both of these side windows open so that they may be cleaned. I imagine soot builds up on the lenses over time.
Above: Front view. Original wavy glass with very small entrapped air bubbles.
Above: The front glass is hinged to allow cleaning and aid in replacing the wick.
Above: Top view. The "chimney" you could say, bears the name of the company "Twentieth Century" (ahead of it's time!). That's some clever marketing if you ask me.
Above: Bottom of the lamp, listing where this model was patented.
Above: Detail view of the oil tank. The leather 0-ring under the fill cap is still intact!
Above: Back of the lamp with the clamp system removed. "Made in US of America".