HEATING AND LIGHTING UTENSILS IN NATIONAL MUSEUM 15 



ure 5 is a bleached wax taper coiled on a wooden support sold 

 by stationers and known as " Pomeroy's coiled taper." (Cat. No. 

 150431, Washington, D. C; Walter Hough; 2.7 inches (7 cm.) high.) 

 Figure 6 is a wax taper coiled to fit" a holder, through the opening 

 of which it can be easily drawn up as needed. (Cat. No. 167062, 

 Burgos, Spain; Walter Hough; 1.5 inches (4 cm.) diameter.) The 

 taper is found still in use in the float lights or night lights, in wax 

 matches, and in the long cords used in the almost obsolete gas lighter. 

 Small candles called tapers will be discussed under candles. 



TAPER HOLDERS 



Such appliances as have survived depend on the use of the taper 

 for special purposes such as sealing letters or for a temporary small 

 light. In one specimen the familiar clip with spring is seen. (PI. 

 85, fig. 2, Cat. No. 289449; France; Anton HeitmuUer; 5.1 inches 

 (13 cm.) high.) In this specimen to install the taper coil the screw 

 top and clip were taken off, the taper slid over the upright, and the 

 clip replaced. The extinguisher attached to the clip by a chain is 

 missing. A very old Italian taper holder of fine ironwork has a 

 clip with spring. The clip is mounted on an upright rod arising 

 from a square table with ornately cut edge and four curved legs 

 with ball feet. Around the rod the taper is wound and brought up 

 to the clip. This taper holder appears to date late seventeenth cen- 

 tury. (PI. 8b, fig. 1, Cat. No. 168311, Italy; G. Brown Goode; 5.5 

 inches (14 cm.) high.) Another form has a receptacle for the taper^ 

 which is drawn up through a bell-shaped orifice. The extinguisher 

 has an arm fitting into a small tube somewhat as the candle extin- 

 guisher to be described. (PI. 86, fig. 3, Cat. No. 324719, Washington, 

 D. C; E. D. Tabler; 3.1 inches (8 cm.) diameter, 2.7 inches (7 cm.) 

 high.) Another is of openwork brass of elaborate decoration. It 

 has an extinguisher on a chain. (PI. 86, fig. 4, Cat. No. 167662, Italy ^ 

 G. Brown Goode; 2.3 inches (6 cm.) diameter, 3.5 inches (9 cm.) 

 high.) 



CANDLE MAKING 



In the remarks on the development of illumination the growth 

 of the candle was considered from the standpoint of invention. 

 There follow notes on the materials and processes of the industry. 



The materials for candles are not many. In nature vegetal sub- 

 stances preponderate over those available from animal sources, yet 

 only in a fevr places have vegetal fats and waxes been used for 

 candles, and most of these sporadic attempts belong to the modern 

 period. In China and Japan, however, is seen a replica of the 

 western candle industry based mainly on valuable illuminating sub- 

 stances derived from the tallow tree, StiUingia sehifera, of eastern 

 China, and the Rhus succedanea, of Japan. In both cases the wax. 



