Posted 10 years ago
Trjande
(1 item)
I picked this up at a junk sale. I'm not sure exactly what it is. It looks to be some sort of candle holder but the 2 pronged things on the top have me uncertain. I've looked but could find no identifiable markings of any kind on it. Would anyone have a clue of what this is and how it was/should be used?
I can point you in the direction to research this because I have a similar one my great grandmother owned. During the late 1800's and early 1900's quack medicine sold vaporizers. There was a small (3" tall) lamp that sat on the bottom. It looked like a miniature kerosene lamp. The medicine went in the upper part and the lamp heated it for you to breath better. Most common was a vapo cresolene vaporizer. Cresolene was finally declared a carcinogen that would kill you because of the tar base. These came in all different forms and this may not even be one. It certainly looks right.
The one in this link is one of many styles.
http://ancientpoint.com/inf/109346-vapo_cresolene_kerosene_lamp_medical_vaporizer_wbox__bottle.html
fhrjr2 - Thank you for your comments. This was very informative. I took your information and searched the internet and found several styles similar to the one in your link. The one I have looks like something should sit in-between the two upper prongs. I can't find another like it to make a comparison. This does look like another vaporizer though. I'll keep looking and maybe I can find the other parts that should be with it. -- Thanks again for your quick and kind response.