Coleman Lamps
Now, when camping out, you can snap on a high-powered headtorch and a bright beam of light will shine out in any direction you look. But back in the early 20th century things were very different. Most portable lamps used readily available kerosene, which burnt with a warm and flickering glow. Cosy, yes, but not as useful as it could be.
William Coffin (WC) Coleman designed a lamp that would change this and be adopted almost the whole world over. The travelling typewriter salesman was taking a walk one evening after work when he noticed a bright lantern in a storefront, its light powerful and white. He started to sell it, then bought the patent and redesigned it. In 1914 he launched the Coleman gasoline lantern, a 300 candlepower lamp that provided a 100 yard circle of light, and which could illluminate rooms and barns brightly enough to read and work by.
This was a game-changer for rural America first, which was largely without electricity. Farmers and shopkeepers were able to work longer hours, with the aid of brighter light. It became ‘an essential item’ to the US government in World War One, with funding and materials provided for nearly one million lamps.
After World War Two, camping took off as a favoured pastime and the lamp, already widely used, became an important bit of camping kit. Since then, Coleman has developed many camping products, from tents to tables. Most recently, the new BatteryLock technology in its battery lighting prevents batteries draining when not in use. Now, there is even an International Coleman Collectors Club. But it all started with one very bright light.