On 25 June 1900, the company officially registered its trademark: an intertwined S and I, resembling a dollar sign. This emblem appears on wick knobs and the glass of many hurricane lanterns and is the main reason the manufacturer is sometimes referred to simply as “SI.”

The following companies were absorbed into La Société Industrielle d'Articles d'Éclairage in 1900:

• Boisson & Neven & A. Lasnet
• Thibault frères
• Marnat frères
• P. & E. Ferrary
• Vve Boirre
• M. Dreyfus
• E. Rollin
• A. Lechevret
• Rageau, Dureuil & Cie

SIAE’s headquarters were located at 15 Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, Paris.

The company participated in exhibitions immediately after its formation and earned a silver medal in 1900.

On 3 July 1902, a fire broke out in the SIAE factory, completely destroying both the drafting department and the polishing department. At the time of the incident, the company employed approximately 300 workers.

Between 1907 and 1929, SIAE filed multiple patents.
Only one known patent relates specifically to hurricane lanterns: a 1912 patent for a wick knob mechanism used to lift the glass chimney.

This glass lift can be found on the La Rafale lantern.

A 1914 newspaper article references two SIAE hurricane lantern models:

• La Rafale
• La Parisienne

A particularly interesting 1916 newspaper article highlights SIAE’s achievements at the Lyon Fair (La Foire de Lyon) during World War I.

Despite shortages in labor and materials, the company completed thousands of transactions during the fair.

The article emphasizes:

• SIAE was considered one of the most important industries in its field.
• The company had long competed with German manufacturers (“les Moffens”).
• Thanks to strong production methods and modern tooling, SIAE managed to counter the large influx of German-made paraffin wick holders that had long dominated the market.

Brands of Wick Holders Mentioned

According to the article, SIAE produced wick holders under the following brand names:

• S.I.
• Lutèce
• Gaulois
• Gladiator

The article also claims these brands could completely replace imported competitors such as:

• Matador Polaire
• H.S.
• Hugo
• Olga
• Odin
• Stella
• Augusta

Prominent figures—including the Minister of Commerce and the Mayor—visited the SIAE exhibition stand to congratulate the company for maintaining production despite wartime hardships.

In 1930, SIAE moved from Boulevard Richard-Lenoir to 66 Rue Amelot, Paris.

By 1933, the number of shareholders had decreased to three:

• Jean Ferrary
• André Ferrary
• Jean Baptiste Giraud

From 1946 onward, SIAE modified its name to include heating products:

Société Industrielle d'Articles d'Éclairage et de Chauffage

Around the same time, the company contributed assets to Etablissements Pigeon.

A 1948 newspaper report confirms SIAE became a shareholder in Etablissements Pigeon. After this date, the name SIAE largely disappears from public record, suggesting the company was absorbed into Pigeon.

Some sources claim SIAE’s factories suffered extensive damage during World War II, although no definitive documentation has been found to confirm this.

My sincere thanks go to Jörg Wekemann for generously sharing his knowledge and information. My gratitude also goes to Simeon Denbaes and Henk Kloosterman for sharing their passion for French hurricane lanterns and their valuable insights.

Sources

Numerous references were consulted. If you have any questions or comments regarding the information above, please feel free to get in touch.

• Delcampe.net – Historical invoices
• gallica.bnf.fr – Historical newspaper articles
• retronews.fr – Historical newspaper articles
• Inpi.fr – Patent records
• Geneanet – Genealogical information