Antique Oil Lamp for the Cabin Guest Room

I've been in the mountains during this latest phase of the cabin renovation and since there is so much of the cabin I haven't shared with you, I wanted to start with this antique lamp.  In the cabin there are two bedrooms; one with three twin beds and one with a queen bed.  When this phase of the renovation is complete there will also be a master bedroom.

While searching for cabin furnishings I wanted to find things that were rustic and with character, so I was happy to find this antique kerosene oil tank turned into a lamp.

Normally I would have gone straight for the brass cleaner to give this lamp some shine, but I decided to leave her as is.  I washed the hurricane, shade and base...but left the aged brass.

What spoke to me most about this old kerosene tank were all the original details, like the on and off switch. 

The cap.

I wonder how many times this cap has been removed to add more fuel.

I especially like the fuel gauge ... how neat is that!

The turn handle for the wick.

And last of all the handle.  Prior to this being turned in to a lamp, this handle would have cleared the top of the tank for carrying.

It's the perfect lamp for the bedside table in the queen bedroom. 

It would be wonderful to know the history.

How many folks owned this old kerosene oil tank?  Who turned her into a lamp?  What kind of homes did she give light.  The circumstance of how she became available to me.  That's part of the joy of collecting the old and well-worn and sometimes we are lucky enough to have the history of a piece shared with us.  Though I don't know her past, her new history has begun.