Lanterns

A lantern is a portable lighting device used to illuminate broad areas. Lanterns may be used for signaling, or as general light sources for camping. Dim varieties are often used for decoration. more...

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Traditional and decorative lanterns

The simplest technology used is the candle lantern. Candles give only a weak light, and must be protected from wind to prevent from flickering or complete extinguishment. A typical candle lantern is a metal box or cylinder with glass side panels and an opening or ventilated cover on the top.

Decorative lanterns exist in a wide range of designs. Some hang from buildings, while others are placed on or just above the ground. Paper lanterns occur in societies around the world. Modern varieties often place an electric light in a decorative glass case.

The ancient Chinese sometimes captured fireflies in transparent or semi-transparent containers and used them as (short-term) lanterns. Raise the Red Lantern, a Chinese film, prominently features lanterns as a motif.

Use of fireflies in transparent containers was also a widespread practice in ancient India. But since these were short term solutions, the use of fire torches was more prevalent.

Kerosene lantern

The kerosene lantern, also popularly referred to as a \"hurricane lantern\" was commonly used from the late 1800s through the middle of the 20th century. A kerosene lantern is a rugged version of a kerosene lamp and is designed for portability. The metal chimney and side tubes, which securely supports the glass globe to prevent breakage, typically contains a ducting system to stabilize and enhance the draft of air reaching the flame resulting in a stable, brighter, wind resistant flame. Lanterns with enhanced drafting are referred \"hot blast\" or a \"cold blast\" tubular lanterns, depending on their design, with the latter being more common. Large kerosene lanterns produce 12-14 candela of light and approximately 1500 Btu of heat.

Common residential/agricultural applications for kerosene lamps were lighting unelectrified rural homes, barns and the path for nighttime visits to outhouse. Horse drawn carriages, railroad cars, ships, and early automobiles used kerosene lanterns for nighttime illumination, but the brighter carbide lamp was preferred for this use. The kerosene lantern was also heavily used as a method of signaling and navigational marking in railroad, nautical, firefighting, and public works applications. Lanterns used for signaling often had interchangeable globes of different colours. For example, lanterns with red and green globes were placed on the sides of ships to mark port and starboard, while lanterns with clear globes were used to indicate the ship was at anchor. Lanterns designed for marking purposes sometimes had extra large fuel tanks to permit 48 hours of continuous burning to permit workers to leave it unattended over the weekend.

Read more at Wikipedia.org