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19th Century LightingPage 1

Candles remained an important form of domestic lighting throughout the nineteenth century. Improvements included the mechanisation of the production process, which made them more affordable, and the introduction of clean, odourless paraffin candles.

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'Girl Writing by Lamplight', William Henry Hunt, c. 1850; oil on canvas.

© Private Collection, © The Maas Gallery, London, UK / The Bridgeman Art Library