©AWMoore 1999
The history of European lamp manufacturers tends to be a little confusing, and not a great deal is known about A/B Aladdin, who were active in lamp design in the first years of the 20th century. They were based in Stockholm, Sweden, and produced a range of lighting devices mostly for industrial and commercial uses, indoors and outside.
The range för ytterbelysning (outside) included the pressurised "donut" lamps Minerva and Janus, which appear to be typical annular fount style lamps, with long central chimneys passing through the centre of the fount. The length of the chimney is much longer than is necessary to achieve good combustion and voiding of products, and is possibly a residual feature of earlier gravity designs. The lamps shown here were fitted with a connector for a separate pump, and a pressure gauge. Light output was 400cp for the Minerva, and a huge 1000 cp for the Janus, which was most probably a street lighting appliance (the A/B Jordbruksmaskiner catalogue shows a very similar lamp suspended from pulleys on a street lampost)
The Vesta was an ornamental harp lamp for indoor use (innerbelysning). A typical arrangement with pressurised fount supplying fuel to a burner housed within a globe shaped shade. A smoke bell hung at the top centre of the frame.
Regarding dates, Patent 17169 for a mantle pressure lamp was taken in 1907 by Aktiebolaget Aladin (Sweden) and is referred to by A.R.J. Ramsey in his paper Origin and development of the incandescent paraffin lamp presented to The Newcomen Society in 1968. Later spelling refers to Aladdin, not Aladin, but the significance of the missing "d" is not known. Either there was a name change, or two different companies were involved, or it is a preserved typographical error. The design of lamps shown above is relatively advanced, so it seems likely that they are descended from less efficient ancestors. The model names suggest that the lamps were exported to English speaking countries. It is also likely that these designs precede anything resembling the lantern style.
Later, kerosene pressure lanterns of a standardised design were produced in Sweden by Aladdin, Radius and Primus, probable up to and beyond the 1940s. There is currently little evidence to suggest independent progress in lantern development in Sweden. Other companies such as Lux were probably much more active in the early years of the century, but have "passed on" leaving only the rare lamp and the occasional catalogue as evidence of their existence.
A Swedish Aladdin model 12a lantern is pictured on the Mantle Lamp Co page.
Thanks to Bo Ryman for providing information for this page. If you know something we don't, please tell us.
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