Lawson's patent saturator and jet combined Lanternist's lamp.
Category
Photographic technology
Date
1893 - 1900
Materials
Brass
Measurements
190 x 235 x 100 mm
Order this imageCollection
Fox Talbot Museum, Wiltshire
NT 1525189
Summary
Lawson's patent saturator and jet combined Lanternist's lamp. It comprises a heavy brass base through which a pipe appears to pass to the burner. The base is stamped " Lawson Patent No Eng 20628 - Amer 478135 Sole Licencees Riley Bros Bradford 1261 " There is a cylinder built in over the base which appears to be the container for the ether. Oxygen is introduced from a bag via a tap and this mixes with the ether in the saturator. There is a collar around the cylinder attached to which is the lime holder, a rack and pinion system and the adjustable nature of the collar allows infinite adjustment of the lime in relation to the burner nozzle. The Lawson saturator (patented in 1893) incorporated saturator generator and jet in one unit for use inside the lantern. The Oxy-ether saturator enjoyed a brief period of popularity though some contemporary sources said it was a very dangerous lamp. However most agreed that it was also convenient, because it required no fuel gas but only oxygen in a gasbag or cylinder. The purpose of the saturator was to mix the fumes of ether (benzoline) with oxygen to form a highly combustible mixture which was burnt at the nozzle of the limelight, thus producing a very powerful light suitable for small halls and homes.
Provenance
Part of the Fenton Collection. A gift from British Film Institute in 2017. From 1986-1999, part of BFI collection for the Museum of the Moving Image. BFI purchased collection in 1986 from James Fenton's Museum of Photography, Port Erin, Isle of Man 1976-1986