Beautiful “Pigeon” kerosene lamp, produced in France, dating back to the late 19th century. Patented in 1884 by inventor Charles Pigeon (1838-1915) as Lampe à essence de sécurité inexplosible, the lantern, presented with great fanfare at the 1900 Paris Exposition, took pride in being the safest model of its time, non-flammable and absolutely inexplosive: a feature of which Monsieur Pigeon had to be particularly sure, since he ended up offering 10,000 French francs to the man who managed to blow up one of them! Entirely made in brass, except for the bottom, in soft iron, the lamp consisted of a tank, able to hold about 70-90 grams of mineral oil, a back handle, fitted with a buttonhole for possible wall mounting, and a burner, screw-on for refueling, originally equipped with a cotton wick: by adjusting the wick's height through the knurled wheel, you increased or dimmed the intensity of light, that could last up to 15 hours. Manufactured in more than 8 million units in 1902 alone, the lampe Pigeon, a real cult object in France, inspired, over the years, many imitations, against which the long, embossed wording on the container surface warned, inviting customers to trust specimens with double marking only. Lacking of wick and burner cap, dented at some points, this old lantern preserves, however, a wonderful brass and all of its original inscriptions, details that make it an iconic piece of furniture for bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms in rustic, Provençal or shabby chic style!