Ads like this abounded -- then vanished from our newspapers. I'd heard of the tussle between gas and electricity for the hearts, minds and wallets of consumers in New Zealand -- but Luxene? There's a scarcity of info on it online. It seems that it was an 1890s thing, some derivative of petroleum that tried to not only trump kerosene (the ads claimed it was less flammable, which is odd, because I thought you needed to burn it to have light ...) but also one-up the still infant electrical industry. By around 1898, however, its flame seems to have been well and truly snuffed out.
I was going to suggest it was paraffin but it seems that is just another word for kerosene.
ReplyDeleteIt's a weird one. I tried looking all ways through Google -- nothing, except that "luxene" is a plastic these days used in dentistry. All most odd.
ReplyDeleteIts American and must have been quite common as it was often but not always spelt with a lower case l. There are lots of Australian newspaper ads for it, the latest I can see is 1895. Now I have find out what Paraphengos lanterns are. I'll guess that Luxene was kerosene that had undergone a higher level of refinement.
ReplyDeleteI reckon you're right about luxene being connected with kerosene, Andrew. Still a pity they didn't wax lyrical about it in more than just the ads.
ReplyDeleteAn American farm equipment company linked to it apparently had a disastrous fire in the States in the early 20th century. Can't have been using their luxene lamps ...