Original Item. Only One Available. The Betty lamp is a lamp thought to be of German, Austrian, or Hungarian origin. It came into use in the 18th century. They were commonly made of iron or brass and were most often used in the home or workshop. These lamps burned fish oil or fat trimmings and had wicks of twisted cloth.

The Betty lamp differs from earlier oil/grease lamps in that it uses an internal wick holder to eliminate fuel drip common with older lamp designs. This internal wick holder feature made the Betty lamp design very popular.

The Betty lamp is likely a natural evolution of the Crusie lamp concept. The Crusie lamp consists of two lamp pans, one above the other. Fuel drip from the upper lamp pan fell into the lower pan minimizing oil/grease mess below the lamp. In the evolution to the Betty lamp, replacing the upper lamp pan with a metal wick holder inside the lower pan reduces the amount of metal needed for the lamp. Adding a top cover provides protection of the lamp's oil from insects, minimized spills and increased burning efficiency.

This example still retains its hanger and is in fantastic condition for its age. It is stamped several times with 8-pointed stars and is very crudely constructed, which confirms its age & period.

It measures roughly 7¼” tall without its hanger extended with a base diameter of 3½”. The small slide is still intact but it appears to be missing the lid if there ever was one. The nails holding the shaft to the base are very crudely made as shown. This is a fantastic piece of Colonial history, ready for further research and display. This could still be hung by its hanger but we don’t recommend it!