Hi all, Ever since I saw this type of alcohol fed "Alko" lamp in a catalogue page ten years ago, it has been high on my wish list. This "Alko" lamp is a rare and early French alcohol gravity table lamp from around 1905/10! The company of Romanet & Guilbert was a manufacturer of equipment for photography, projection and cinematography. In the very first years of the 1900,s (1903/04), they got a couple of patents for an alcohol lighting device, used as an illuminating source for a film projector. They also in 1904/05 got patents for similar alcohol gravity lamps used for domestic use. The inventor of these latter lamp patents was Alphonse Guenet. I have only one page of paper showing these type of lamps connected with the Romanet & Guilbert company! As Romanet & Guilbert (together with Alphonse Guenet) are the holder of the original "Alko" patents, it is logical that these lamps were first manufactured and sold by that company. As the Romanet & Guilbert company was mainly manufacturers of photography, projection and cinematography devices, they may have outsourced the production of the Alko lamps to any other French lamp making company. All the other Alko papers I have are vague about the manufacturer. A general problem in finding out the "real" manufacturer of these "Alko" lamps is lack of paperwork and also that all papers we find are undated and often without a manufacturers logo. There are certain connections though to other French lamp companies around the Alko lamp, and papers confirm that connection to the company of L.G. Leon Guilbert (later Juchat & Corre) and Guenet & Abbat. The Guenet & Abbat lamp company started in 1906 by the son and son in law to the Alko lamp patent holder, Alphonse Guenet. I found an ad from 1911 that show them selling the Alko lamps, "bec Alko" lamps. The address of Guenet & Abbat at that time is Rue de Malte 38, and that address is also present on the undated Alko catalogue I have under the headline of "Le Gas Pour Tous". Le Gas Pour Tous is a "brand" connected to the company of Leon Guilbert and after 1909 to Juchat & Corre. So there is a "Le Gas Pour Tous" (Leon Guilbert/Juchat & Corre) catalogue with Alko lamps (systeme Alko, Eclariage Alko etc) from the same address and the same telephone number as Guenet & Abbat in and around 1910. Kind of surprising and that fact may have to be researched further! A very nice lamp though, odd and unique as most French lamps are. It was said to give 70 CP, and you can find a short video clip of this lamp here ..... Also a big thanks to Ralf Schoeneborn for providing "Alko" lamp information! /Conny Alko 1904/05 patents ....... other Alko papers ..........
