18th Century Chambersticks
In the 18th century, chambersticks lit the way from the main living quarters to the bedchamber, whether at home or at an inn. During the day, the chamberstick could be stored in a main part of the house – often the kitchen, on a wall or on the mantel.
“Chamberstick” seems to be a modern word; I haven’t found this word in typical use in the 18th century. I suspect that this would have been just considered to be a candlestick, though that term could be used broadly to describe several types of candle-holding light sources. Examples where the word “candlestick” is used for this sort of lighting appear in trials from the Proceedings of the Old Bailey in 1707, 1737, 1754, 1763, 1768, etc. A few descriptions in The Caledonian Mercury and The Newcastle Weekly Courant call them “hand candlesticks,” though I’m unsure whether this is a regional term.
Looking for more types of historic lighting? Another page on this site examines 18th century lanterns. (You can sometimes see candles stored hanging up on the wall, as in Cobler’s Hall and High Life Below Stairs.)
Additional Resources
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18th century chambersticks at ChamberSticks.com
Search eBay for 18th century silver chambersticks and other 18th century chamber sticks
Extant 18th century chambersticks
Met 68.141.264, a silver chamberstick made in London in 1699-1700
V&A 2177A-1855, a silver chamberstick made in France c. 1700
Bonhams 22 Oct 2020, Lot 212, an English brass chamberstick, c. 1700-1720
Met 2006.470.2, a silver chamberstick made in London in 1714-1715
Met 2006.470.3, a silver chamberstick made in London in 1715-1716
Bonhams 19 Apr 2021, a cast brass chamberstick made in France c. 1720
Winterthur 1958.2995, a brass chamberstick with a wooden handle, England, c. 1725-1750
MFA 1993.373, a silver hand candlestick made in Paris in 1726-1727
Winterthur 1958.1747, a brass chamberstick made in England, 1730-1750
V&A LOAN:GILBERT.670-2008, an engraved silver chamberstick made in London in 1731-1732
Colonial Williamsburg 1954-572, a silver chamberstick, originally gilt, made in London in 1734-1735
Winterthur 1958.2727 A-C, an iron candlestick, douter, and snuffer, made in England c. 1740-1764
Met 2005.364.26, a silver chamberstick made in Augsburg in 1743-1745
Met M.2-1980, a silver chamberstick made in London in 1744-1745
Met 48.187.52, a mid-18th century chamber candlestick, possibly French
Met 1977.227, a French petit bougeoir chamber candlestick, third quarter of the 18th century
MFA 1988.865, a porcelain chamberstick in the form of a grape leaf, made in England, c. 1755
Fitzwilliam Museum C.90-1932, a soft-paste porcelain chamber candlestick with applied flowers and leaves, made by the Derby Porcelain Factory c. 1760
Met 1974.356.747, a silver chamberstick made in London in 1773-1775
Winterthur 1959.3040, a glass candlestick made in New Jersey c. 1775-1800
V&A M.173-1912, M.124-1920, and M.125-1920, Sheffield plate chambersticks, c. 1780-1790
Winterthur 1959.1382.001 A-C and 1959.1382.002 A-C, silverplate candlesticks with blown-glass shades, c. 1780-1800
Winterthur 1959.3420, a brass candlestick made in England, c. 1780-1810
Winterthur 1959.0605 A-C, a silver chamberstick, c. 1780-1830
Winterthur 1959.0679, brass candlestick made in Skultuna, Sweden, c. 1785-1820
Winterthur 1964.1204 A-C, a silver (or silverplate?) candlestick made in England c. 1790-1820
Pair of silver-gilt chambersticks with snuffers (Met 2019.283.116a-d and 2019.283.117a-d) made in London in 1792
V&A M.322:4-1962, a pair of silver-gilt chambersticks with snuffers and extinguishers, made in London in 1792-1793
V&A M.1044-1926, a Sheffield plate chamberstick with snuffer, late 18th century
V&A M.241A-1920, a pair of Sheffield plate chambersticks made in Birmingham in the late 18th century
Winterthur 1955.0048.075, a brass chamberstick made in England c. 1790-1810
Historic Deerfield P.002, an American or English chamberstick in tinned sheet iron, with a cone-shaped snuffer attached to the handle with a brass chain, c. 1800
18th century illustrations & artwork with chambersticks
At Sandpit Gate by Paul Sandby, c. 1752
The Kitchen by Willem Joseph Laquy, c. 1760-1771
David Garrick and Mary Bradshaw in David Garrick’s The Farmer’s Return by Johan Joseph Zoffany, c. 1762
The Methodist Tailor Caught in Adultery, 1768
The Great Luminary of the Law, 1771
Bedroom scene, 1788
The pancake-baker by Adriaan de Lelie, c. 1790-1810
The False Alarm, 1792
Diligence and Dissipation: The modest girl in her bedchamber, 1796
Morning Visit by Adriaan de Lelie, 1796
Diligence and Dissipation: The Wanton in her Bed Chamber and The Modest Girl in her Bed Chamber, 1797
The Ghost, or Second Warning, 1799
Love in a Blaze, c. 1800