The History of Candles
Candles have been lighting up the darkness for centuries. Without this practical and efficient source of light mankind would have been without a valuable aid to his progress. The exact time when candles were developed is not know but their first verified appearance was ushered in by the Ancient Egyptians who perfected a primitive candle like source of illumination. They made torches by soaking reeds in animal fat and lighting the ends. These things were called “rushlights” and did not have wicks but they were the first known iteration to the modern candle. The “know-it-all” Romans are recognized as the inventors of the first candles with wicks.
In the beginning tallow was the primary material used to make candles. Both the Egyptians and Romans utilized tallow exclusively to produce their candles. Tallow is a polite term used to refer to suet which was obtained from sheep and cattle. Suet is the gentle reference to animal fat. Tallow was a readily available commodity that was an essential component of candle making for centuries but it had its drawbacks. When animal fat burns it emits a pungent aroma and a smoky flame so the candles of the day not only produced light but they were smoky and they did not smell good. In the middle ages it was discovered that beeswax was suitable for use in candles. This was a tremendous step forward because it was found that beeswax burns clean so when used in candle making it eliminated the unpleasant odors and smoke. The one disadvantage of using beeswax to make candles is that it was more expensive than tallow and therefore the candles cost more and could not be enjoyed by the masses.
Candle makers continually sought out ways to deal with the smoke and odor problems. In colonial America candle makers found that bayberry bushes produced grayish green berries that when boiled would produce a sweet-smelling wax that could be used to make candles and eliminate the smoke and odor problems with their clean burn. The downside was quickly discovered. It was an extremely dreary and laborious process to obtain bayberry wax. For this reason the use of this wax did not become widespread but a new solution was not far away.
The next big step in the evolution of candles occurred in the 18th century with the rise of the whaling industry. It was found that a wax called “spermaceti” (from Greek sperma for seed, and latin cetus for whale) could be derived from the oil found in the head cavities of whales. This wax was special in that it was very hard, oily and had no taste or smell. It had many industrial applications. One of which is that it enabled the production of standard sized candles with the desirable characteristics of no odor or smoke at reasonable prices. This development ushered in an era when candles of good quality at affordable prices were available to the masses. This market lasted up until whales began to be over harvested and petroleum became available as a lighting source.
The industrialization period of the 19th century witnessed development of modern industry and candle making moved along with this trend. Many innovations in the manufacturing of candles occurred during the period. They included the development of parafin wax that was high quality and affordable and machines to mass produce candles. The candle industry went into a steep decline with the invention of the electric light bulb in 1879 but experienced a renaissance at the turn of the century. Today it is a widely popular craft enjoyed by millions.
