The globe with the embossed rooster is the glass most closely associated with Dresco. Several lanterns in the collection carry it, though it is not historically correct for all of them.

The design was filed as a trademark in 1914, which places its first appearance on the updated L'Indispensable at around 1913–1914.

The bird is the Gallic rooster, the national emblem of France.

Believed to be the oldest lantern in the collection to carry the Dresco name. It was most likely made by Kästner & Töbelmann: several features point to that maker, among them the ventilation layout, which directs airflow from the air chamber down towards the base.

The chimney cover sets it apart. This is the only complete lantern in the collection without a screw-type cap.

Brass identification plate:

Lanterne Tempête Française
A Double Courant d'Air
L'Indispensable
Déposée
LD Paris

The plate in exactly this form was registered as a trademark design in 1903.

The glass is not original; it has been replaced with the rooster globe. The paint is not original either, but it is attractive and well preserved, so it has been left in place.

Height: 41 cm

The worst-preserved lantern in the collection, bought mainly for its identification plate and its parts. Otherwise it is identical to the one above.

The difference is the brass plate. Instead of the Dresco logo it carries two capital letter Gs with two horses in the middle, and between them an emblem containing a star. It is quite possible this lantern was not produced for Dresco but for another company.

Same fuel tank, same brass wick cap with plus-shaped cut-outs, same overall height as the two above. The difference is the chimney cover: a threaded brass cap, which made the air tubes easy to reach and clean.

The brass wick cap carries the Dresco logo. The text on the identification plate matches the two previous models, except where the brand name would normally stand. There it reads:

Coopérative Agricole du Sud-Est
Lyon

That points to a lantern made specifically for an agricultural cooperative. Worth noting: one of Dresco's main competitors, Valentini, was based in Lyon.

Overall condition is very good. The glass globe is broken, but it is believed to be the original, so it has been left in place. The air-vent opening in the base is gone, replaced by a bolt — most likely an old repair of a leaking fuel tank.

Height: 43 cm

Unrestored, and hard to place. It combines the fuel tank of the later models with the triangular chimney cover of the earlier ones, and the fuel cap is not standard for either.

The brass identification plate is unusual as well. It does not carry the name L'Indispensable but "La Parisienne", a name used by the company SIAE (La Société Industrielle d'Articles d'Éclairage).

The second model of the L'Indispensable. The fuel tank changed shape and the filling opening moved to the front; the series is also slightly smaller in height and width than the earlier one.

The collection holds three examples, each with a different wick cap and wick holder. That suggests variation in production, components from different suppliers, or later replacements.

Brass identification plate:

L’Indispensable
Breveté SGDG
Image (?) Force
LD Paris
Height: 40 cm

The wick cap now fitted is not original to this model, and the glass globe is from a later period.

Height: 40 cm

Unrestored, in very good condition, and still carrying its original glass globe. The brass chimney cap has the Dresco logo, as on the earlier examples.

The difference is on the brass identification plate:

L'Indispensable
Blindée
Paris Déposée

"Blindée" means armoured. Terms like that were common at the time to mark a new or improved model, suggesting extra durability. That the globe is original is supported by a catalogue from 1905, where the Blindée is described as the new model.

A version of this model also exists with a large reflector.

Almost identical to the one above. It lacks the ventilation openings below the wick holder, uses a different wick holder, and carries a different brass identification plate:

Lanterne
CF
Bonhomme

Bonhomme may have been a wholesaler or reseller of Dresco hurricane lanterns, but nothing has been found to confirm it.

A major design change. The fuel tank has a completely different shape, the wick holder and its housing were redesigned, and the ventilation cap is steel instead of brass. The name L'Indispensable stayed in use.

Brass identification plates were dropped; the identifying text was stamped straight into the top of the fuel tank.

This model was probably produced by Dresco itself from start to finish. The First World War may have pushed that along, through its effect on supply, materials and manufacturing. Several variants exist within this design; this example appears to be the first version.

Front of the tank:
L'Indispensable "E.Q.L.A."

Back of the tank:
Bté L.D. – S.G.D.G.

Height: 42,5 cm

Shown below is the warranty card for this model. It warns against hurricane lanterns with ventilation openings at the bottom of the fuel tank: those could go out when set down on the ground and, in extreme cases, explode.

Only minor differences from the example above, and datable after 1922. The dating rests on a patent filed in 1922 for the reinforced, folded metal plate beneath the chimney cap and for the offset in the rod of the glass lifter.

Other identifying features are a double ridge along the upper edge of the fuel tank and a differently shaped bail handle. The text stamped on the tank is identical to the preceding model.

From the same period as the one above, and likewise unrestored. This is the Le Coq model, recognisable by the rooster on the fuel tank and by a glass carrier that differs from those on the L'Indispensable models. Both features appear in a catalogue from this period; the only difference is that the catalogue spells out the name Le Coq on the tank, where this example carries the image instead. The burner chamber is completely different from the L'Indispensable series.

The bail handle is probably not original: its shape deviates from known examples, the clamps securing the air tubes differ, and the soldering is relatively crude, which points to a later replacement or repair.

Front of the tank:
L D

Back of the tank:
Brevetée S.G.D.G.

Height: 41,5 cm

Probably the youngest Dresco hurricane lantern in the collection. The name Dresco does not appear in full on the fuel tank, but the abbreviation and the model characteristics point clearly to this manufacturer. What the letter "S" stands for is unclear.

The year 1926 is taken as the latest possible date: a newspaper article from that year reports that Dresco ceased operations. Another company may have acquired the machinery and continued production, but no reference to Dresco after 1926 has been found.

It shares many features with the L'Indispensable models — the shape of the fuel tank, the overall height, the chimney cap and the bail handle. The clamps securing the carrying handle to the air tubes differ, and those match the catalogue illustrations of the period. The burner chamber and fuel cap correspond closely to the Le Coq, as does the text on the back of the tank. The glass carrier is of a different design than on the earlier models.

Front of the tank:
S. L. D

Back of the tank:
Brevetée S.G.D.G.

Height: 41,5 cm

Below is an illustration from a catalogue in the collection. The catalogue is undated; its content and design place it somewhere between 1924 and 1926.

It shows the La 300, which appears to be unmarked. This model has not been encountered in person and is not represented in the collection.

Reproduction or use of this image without permission is not allowed.

With thanks to Jörg Wekemann for sharing his knowledge and information, and to Simeon Denbaes and Henk Kloosterman for sharing their passion for French hurricane lanterns and their insights.

Numerous sources were consulted. Questions or comments about the information above are welcome via the contact page.

• Delcampe.net – historical invoices
• gallica.bnf.fr – historical newspaper articles
• retronews.fr – historical newspaper articles
• Inpi.fr – patent records
• Geneanet – genealogical information