Object Record
Images
Additional Images [3]
Metadata
Object Name |
Lamp, Oil |
Donor |
Bedstemors, Inc. |
Description |
The top of the oil lamp hangs from a hook in the ceiling. Below that hook is a bowl-shaped piece of metal, the top edge of which is scalloped with repeating cutouts of crosses with rounded ends and triangles with rounded ends. The bottom of the bowl has a molded filigree design, then a row of raised dots, then a pattern of stylized leaves that extend from the bottom center of the bowl. An inverted bowl made of dark metal hangs from the bottom of the previously described bowl. The inverted bowl has a repeating pattern of ridges along the outside of the rim. Two metal chains hang down through two holes in either side of the first bowl described. These chains each attach to a small metal disc. The chain continues below each disc and attaches to a circular crown-shaped piece of metal. The top edge of the crown is scalloped with repeating cutouts of crosses with rounded ends and triangles with rounded ends. The exterior of the crown has a molded repeating design of oval shapes surrounded by raised lines. The bottom edge of the crown is scalloped with a cutout design of triangles with rounded corners. From the bottom of the crown, several clear glass pendants hang at regular intervals. The pendants have a faceted octagon on top and a teardrop shape with a pointed end on bottom. Hanging from either side of the bottom of the crown is a molded metal disc with a border of thin filigree that curves outward to either side at the top and has a raised petal-shape in the center. Two metal chains hang from the bottom of each disc. These chains attach to a circular piece of metal identical to the crown piece above, but larger. This piece supports a domed shaped glass shade that is green on the exterior and white on the interior. On top of the shade is a molded crown-shaped piece of metal with an exterior design of molded repeating oval shapes surrounded by raised lines. The top of that metal piece has a repeating pattern of a three-part petal with an oval cutout in the center and a row of circle cutouts below. From the bottom of the piece of metal around the circumference of the shade hangs several glass pendants (the same type as described above) at regular intervals. Two flat strips of metal with a hooked end are attached with metal knobs to either side of a metal piece that supports the shade. These strips curl downward and are attached with metal knobs to either side of the body of the lamp. The surface of those strips has an imprinted filigree design with a textured background. The top of the body of the lamp is made of metal with an exterior design of molded repeating oval shapes surrounded by raised lines, and a convex top. Below the metal part of the body, a green glass bowl bulges outward. Attached to the bottom of the bowl is a bowl-shaped piece of metal with a faceted top edge and a molded design of leaves on the bottom. There is a molded metal finial attached to the bottom of that metal bowl. Metal lamp mechanisms are attached to the top of the body of the lamp. A mesh-like wick is held within the metal frame inside a clear glass cylindrical shade. The shade is slightly wider at the bottom than the top. A maker's mark on the knob that adjusts the wick reads: "MANTLE LAMP CO / MODEL / 12 / ALADDIN / PATENTED / AND / PAT'S PENDING / CHICAGO. ILL. MADE IN U.S.A." "ALADDIN" is printed near the top of the cylindrical shade. |
Dimensions |
Dia-14.5 inches |
Made By |
Mantle Lamp Company |
Place Of Origin |
USA/Illinois/Chicago |
Owned By |
Nelson, Linda/Nelson, Dale E./Rasmussen, Doris/Mortensen, Meta |
Used By |
Mortensen, Meta |
Material |
metal/glass |
Associated People |
Nelson, Linda Nelson, Dale E. Rasmussen, Doris Mortensen, Meta |
Search Terms |
lamp oil lamp kerosene lamp Nelson, Linda Nelson, Dale E. Rasmussen, Doris Mortensen, Meta Mantle Lamp Company Aladdin Illinois Chicago |
Provenance |
The lamp was a wedding gift to Meta Mortensen and the first donation to Bedstemor's House. It was made in Chicago, Illinois, by the Mantle Lamp Company. A note in the file states that an antique dealer attended a farm sale and purchased the bottom part of the lamp. Later he attended a household sale and found the globe and top section of the lamp. When he returned home he found that they matched. He then learned that it had been the Mortensen farm sale and the Mortensen house sale. The dealer learned of plans to restore the house and donated the lamp to the project. The original 1990-1991 inventory of Bedstemor's House states that the "donor bought the bottom from Doris Rasmussen & the top from Meta in 1982". HOUSE HISTORY Bedstemors Hus, or Grandmother's House, was built in 1908 by Jens Otto Christiansen, a Danish immigrant and Elk Horn businessman. He was often referred to as "Prince Otto" because he wore a coat with tails and a tall hat when going to church, and he walked very straight. According to local stories, he built the house as an engagement gift for a young woman who sadly turned down his marriage proposal. It is unknown if Christiansen ever lived in the home himself, but he rented the home to several families until he sold it to the Salem Old People's Home in 1933 for "one dollar and other valuable contributions." In 1946, the house was sold to Meta Mortensen, also of Danish descent. She lived in the home for 36 years, making only a few notable changes. The roses that she planted along all four sides of the house still bloom. In 1982, Meta sold the house to the Elk Horn-Kimballton Arts and Recreation Council for $8800. The Council and many area volunteers spent a year restoring the home to reflect the turn of the century. They named it "Bedstemor's House", using the Danish word for "Grandmother", in honor of Meta Mortensen who was herself a Danish-American grandmother. The House opened to the public in July of 1983, and a formal dedication was held October 1. Meta Mortensen was the guest of honor. It was after 1983 that the front porch was reconstructed and the exterior of the home was repainted from the white that Meta had had to the original two-tone green. The only modern room was just off the kitchen. Formerly Meta's bedroom, the room became the office for staff and has remained as such. The Council operated the house for seven years until it was donated to the Museum in 1990. Minutes from the Board of Directors meeting in February that year show that the donation was accepted for the Museum. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 16, 1997. The Museum continues to operate Bedstemor's House as an historic house museum, interpreting the home in its first decade. The home is located at 2105 College Street in Elk Horn on its original foundation. On June 25, 2008, the Museum held a dedication for the new tombstone for Jens Otto Christiansen who had not had a formal stone until then. It marked the centennial of the house. The ceremony was held at the Elk Horn Cemetery and a reception at Bedstemors House followed. |
Date Received by Museum |
1990 |
Images |
162\1990060187.JPG |
Accession number |
1990.060 |
Object Identification Number |
1990.060.187a |