In 1783, the same year the Treaty of Paris brought to a close the American Revolution, the Swiss inventor Aimé Argand developed a lamp, which introduced the first improvement in lighting since antiquity. In the years that followed, refinements on the Argand lamp, including the solar lamp, would have a profound impact on people’s lives and lifestyles. 

In 1843, Robert Cornelius of Philadelphia was granted a United States patent for a lard lamp with an Argand burner. The mechanism he designed for raising and lowering the wick resulted in a device which consumed inexpensive fuel brightly and efficiently. Cornelius’s commercial success and artistic recognition garnered the firm international attention when the company exhibited at the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in London in 1851.

Among the thirty-three objects displayed there were “24 damask solar lamps selected for their graceful shape, tasteful ornament and rich color.” The lamp in the Bayou Bend Collection is distinguished by its beautifully executed damask work. The metallic blue background was created by immersing the column in a chemical bath. Next, the fanciful gold ornament was added by hand using tinted lacquers. The end result was not only decorative but practicable as well, since the surface did not require polishing. In addition to its complex design, this solar lamp survives in remarkable condition—in fact it is one of only a handful of examples which retain their decoration.