What Were Candles Made Of In 1830?

In the early 19th century, candles were an essential part of daily life. Before the widespread use of electricity, candles provided illumination and light to homes, businesses, and public spaces after dark. The candlemaking trade was an important industry that supplied candles made from various substances like tallow, beeswax, and spermaceti oil.

High-quality candles were expensive and many seen as luxurious goods only affordable to the upper classes. The average person relied on cheaper tallow candles made from beef or mutton fat. Yet candles remained an indispensable item for all social classes in the 1800s. They allowed productive activity to continue after sunset and provided decorative lighting for special occasions. The open flame of candles also carried risks, and candle fires were a regular urban danger prior to gas lighting and electricity.

In summary, candles were vitally important in the early 1800s, providing light and extending productive waking hours. Candlemaking was a significant trade that relied on various animal fats, beeswax, and whale oil to produce an everyday household necessity for all social classes.

Candlemaking Before 1830

Before the 1830s, candles were primarily made from tallow, beeswax, and spermaceti. Tallow candles were made from the fat of cattle or sheep and were the most common type of candle. Beeswax candles were more expensive but burned brighter and cleaner. Spermaceti candles were made from the oil harvested from sperm whales and were considered the best quality candles before paraffin. However, they were very expensive and only accessible to the wealthy.

Tallow candles were inexpensive and widely available but also smoky and smelly as they burned. Beeswax candles were cleaner burning and brighter but far more costly to produce since wax had to be collected from beehives. Spermaceti candles from whale oil were the highest quality but came at a terrible environmental cost of hunting whales to near extinction. The limitations of these natural waxes meant candles remained expensive and many people relied on rushlights or oil lamps for lighting before the 1830s.

Sources:

https://www.herownstore.com/blog/abriefhistory

https://www.mtncitycandles.com/history-of-candle-making

Tallow Candles

Tallow candles were the cheapest and most common candle material used in the early 19th century. Tallow is made from rendered beef or mutton fat and was readily available as a byproduct from butcher shops. According to historical records, over 245 tons of tallow candles were charged excise duty in England in 1830-1831 (source). The popularity of tallow candles came from their low cost, making them accessible to all economic classes at the time. However, they gave off an unpleasant odor and often left stains on furniture and walls.

Beeswax Candles

Beeswax candles were a higher quality candle than those made from tallow but were also more expensive. Beeswax is secreted by honey bees and has a pleasant, honey-like scent when burned. The natural wax also produces less smoke and dripping than animal-derived tallow.

Beeswax candles burned brighter and cleaner, without producing the unpleasant smells and copious smoke of tallow candles. The wax was also harder, meaning beeswax could be formed into taller taper candles. Tapered candles burned slowly due to their shape, making them preferred for steady illumination.

The downside of beeswax candles was their cost. Beekeeping was labor intensive, and wax required processing to clean and whiten it. This made beeswax much more expensive than tallow, restricting its use to wealthier households, churches, and special occasions.

Spermaceti Candles

Spermaceti candles were made from the oil derived from the head cavity of sperm whales. Spermaceti oil was very expensive and prized for its clean-burning properties. The oil solidified after being extracted from whales, making it ideal for molding into candles. Spermaceti candles were the most expensive type of candle in the early 19th century. In 1830, over 10,000 pounds sterling worth of spermaceti candles were imported into Great Britain alone.¹ The high cost meant spermaceti candles were a luxury item, used mainly by the upper classes who could afford them.

Wicks

Candle wicks in 1830 were usually made of cotton. Cotton was commonly used for wicks because it didn’t burn as fast as other materials like hemp or straw. This helped control the flame and rate of burning. Braided cotton wicks became popular in the 1820s and 1830s, as they seemed to improve the burning of many candle types.

The braiding process allowed multiple strands of cotton to be tightly twisted together, resulting in a firm but flexible wick. Braided wicks helped draw melted wax up the wick through capillary action. This provided an even supply of fuel to the flame.

Keeping wicks trimmed to about 1⁄4 inch was important for a bright, steady flame. Long wicks caused excessive smoking and drips.

New wick technologies continued to be developed, but basic cotton wicks remained the most common type used in 1830.

Candle Molding

In the early 1800s, most candles were handmade either at home or in small workshops. Candle molds were needed to form the wax into the desired shape. Candle molds were typically made of metal, but could also be carved from wood, plaster, clay, or stone. The simplest molds were just cylinders that candles could be rolled in or vertical tubes that the melted wax could be poured into. More complex molds had designs carved into them to create decorative candles. The molds were dipped into melted wax, filled with melted wax, or had wax poured over them. Once the wax cooled and hardened, the finished candle could be removed from the mold. The molded candles were then finished by hand – the bottoms were trimmed flat, and the wicks were straightened. In commercial candle making operations, many molds were assembled on racks or frames, allowing multiple candles to be produced at one time.

Home Candle Making

In the early 19th century, candlemaking was still largely a domestic skill practiced in homes, before the rise of large commercial candlemaking operations. Women were usually in charge of making candles for the household as it was considered part of their domestic duties.¹ Candles provided light and were an essential commodity before the widespread adoption of gas lighting and electricity.

Most households relied on tallow candles, made from rendered animal fat, as they were cheap and easy to produce at home. The candlemaking process started with melting down the fat over a fire and then pouring the liquid fat into molds, either metal or carved from wood or stone. Wicks were made from cotton or linen threads and had to be carefully centered before the fat hardened. Higher quality beeswax candles were more expensive and usually purchased, while the very wealthy could afford spermaceti wax from whales.

Candlemaking was a labor-intensive process that had to be repeated frequently as candles burned quickly. The average household needed many candles for lighting. Women had to devote significant time and effort to making candles, which could take days per batch. It was messy and smelly work, with many steps for preparing wicks, melting tallow, and dealing with hot wax. Home candlemaking declined as commercial operations made candles more widely available and affordable.

Commercial Candle Making

Before the early 1800s, most candles were made at home or by small local chandlers. However, larger manufacturers began to emerge in major cities to meet growing demand. The first major candlemaking factory opened in 1750 in London. By 1830, commercial candlemaking had grown substantially with factories operating in many urban areas. These factories employed teams of chandlers working on candle production around the clock.

The emergence of professional, commercial candlemakers brought improvements in candle quality, consistency, scale of production, and price efficiency. Chandlers at factories developed expertise in their specialized roles, such as wick preparation or molding. They also had access to larger supplies of raw materials like tallow, beeswax, and dyes. The increased scale allowed costs to be spread over higher volumes of candle production.

Urbanization and population growth fueled the demand for commercially-made candles in the early 1800s. Home candlemaking declined as city dwellers opted for the affordability and reliability of factory candles. The concentration of skilled chandlers and candlemaking activity in urban factories paved the way for major innovations in candlemaking in the mid-1800s.

Conclusion

By 1830, most candles were made from a few main materials like tallow, beeswax, and spermaceti. Tallow candles, made from rendered animal fat, were the most widely used until the early 1800s and were cheap and accessible. Beeswax candles were of higher quality and brightness but more expensive. Spermaceti candles, made from the oil of sperm whales, were considered the best quality candles in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Paraffin wax, derived from petroleum, started being used for candlemaking in the 1830s and allowed for higher quality and consistent candles to be mass produced. Candle wicks before electricity were commonly made of cotton or flax fibers. Candles were hand dipped or poured into molds, with some commercial candle making operations emerging in the late 1700s and early 1800s with improvements in manufacturing processes. Home candlemaking was also common, especially in rural areas without access to stores. Overall, tallow, beeswax, and spermaceti remained the primary candlemaking materials until the emergence of paraffin wax in the 1830s allowed for dramatically improved commercial candle manufacturing.