“The introduction of gas lighting changed the way people saw; allowing for brighter and better lit homes, well into the evenings. Gas light had a strong, steady flame without the smell, smoke, and flicker of candles and oil lamps. Homes, streets, and factories gradually became illuminated by gas light in the mid-19th century, allowing work to be done well into the evenings. This change, capped by the subsequent shift to electric light, revolutionized American society. The Merchant’s House Museum’s gasoliers, installed in the mid-1850s by the Tredwell family, are thought to be among the oldest in-situ examples of gas lighting in the United States. Constructed out of cast bronze with six frosted glass globes, they can be seen hanging in the front and rear parlors of the Merchant’s House. The gasoliers blended functionality with aesthetics to illuminate the double parlor and impress the many guests the Tredwell family regularly entertained at social gatherings. These gasoliers were designed to overcome the primary disadvantage of gas lighting: its lack of portability. One could pull the fixture down to eye level thanks to a telescoping set of two pipes located within the decorative spiral rod. To raise the fixture, one could simply push it upward and the counterweights, which hang from the top of the fixture, pulled the fixture back up towards the ceiling. A brass gas extender also allows more flexibility: by removing one of the glass globes, the extender could be attached to one of the gas burners, thus bringing light closer to table level for task lighting.
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