Lighting: Portable Lighting
A half decade ago, there was a subway catastrophe in Daegu, Korea caused by an insane incendiary. The desperate arsonist poured a gallon of kerosene in the car and threw burning matches to the floor. Just after he escaped from the chaos, electricity was cut off, sprinklers spouted out, toxic gases asphyxiated 340 people, and nothing left in the total blackness.
Now there are gas masks, oxygen tanks and lots of flashlights at every corner of subway stations. However, getting instruction costed the society enormous sacrifices and losses.
Darkness arouses instinctive horror in us so our ancient ancestors utilized fire to expel the black atmosphere from their surroundings and the tradition from time immemorial is still here as a form of bonfire. By the way, it was necessary to carry the fire with them because humankind is an animal spicies. Necessity is the mother of invention; The desire enabled the creation of portable lighting.
However, fire’s intrinsic amphibious character did not change at all. Where there is light, there is heat. It did not allow humankind to separate light from heat until the invention of electric bulbs.
In this post, I focused on the evolution of portable lighting in terms of design, materials, light sources and values which the lighting objects delivered to the users. The background which urged the inventions was also elucidated for thorough research.
BC 30
Red pottery oil lamp, Herodian period
An oil lamp is a simple vessel used to produce light continuously for a period of time from a fuel source. The use of oil lamps extends from prehistory to even the present day. Various materials like pottery, metal and stone have been used to make the oil lamps and a typical oil lamp consists of pouring hole, wick hole and discus. In the Bible, lamps appear as “lighting” the way for the righteous, the wise, and for love.
AD 350
Reading under fireflies in silk bag, China
Pursuit of self-powered lighting has a long history. A poor Chinese scholar collected fireflies and put them in a silk bag to get light for reading. He used the bag for study even at a cemetery to pass a civil service exam. Recently there is another approach for the spontaneous lighting using photoluminescent or radioactive materials. One of the examples is sealed gaseous tritium now being used for permanently illuminating key chains or watch faces.
1800
Kerosene/Candle Lanterns, US
In the aspect of design of the lamps, there have been made little changes for 2,000 years. The fuel for the lamps were diverse regionally. Olive oil continued in wide use in countries around the Mediterranean Sea while whale oil and paraffin candles were more popular in Europe and US. Vegetable oils extracted from rapeseed or flaxseed were used in limited areas with abundant crops. Oil lamps today are popular for mood lighting.
1903
Patented first Eveready flashlight, US
The invention of electricity revolutionized lighting. Although a flashlight is a relatively simple device, its invention did not occur until the late 19th century because it depended upon the earlier invention of the electric battery and electric light. Conrad Hubert, who founded Ever-ready Battery Company later, received a US patent in 1903 for a flashlight with an on/off switch in a cylindrical casing holding lamp and batteries in. The original cylindrical design and its basic structure are still prevalent among most flashlights.
2007
Gatlight Titanium LED light, US
High end flashlights, equipped with super long-lasting batteries, adjustable brightness knobs, special materials such as titanum or silver and waterproof ratings, are very advanced and bright. With significantly unique designs using cylindrical frames for Gatlight flashlights, Lumencraft became one of the most renowned manufacturers creating designs that cater more toward users seeking for super-rare items adequate for their elegant tasts in technology and aesthetic.