Argand Lamp
The Argand burner, which was introduced in 1784 by the Swiss inventor Argand,
was a major improvement in brightness compared to traditional open-flame oil
lamps. Argand employed scientific knowledge on the role of the newly discovered
oxygen in combustion, and by adding a chimney managed to increase the flow of
air to the flame thus increasing its light output significantly.
The new lamp was as much as tenfold brighter than the most advanced oil lamps
of the time.
Argand lamps were first introduced in the French theatre in 1784, but due to their
high cost did not become a standard fixture in all theatres.
