Below is an overview of the oil lamps and hurricane lanterns produced by Société Industrielle d'Articles d'Éclairage (S.I.A.E.). No official catalogues or factory documentation have survived, which makes precise dating impossible. The company operated from 1900 to 1940, and hurricane lantern production probably began around 1910.

Many oil lamps are fitted with SIAE-made wick holders, but only a small number of those lamps were built by SIAE. The company sold wick holders separately to other lamp producers, so an SIAE mark on the wick holder says nothing about who made the lamp. The overview below therefore includes only lamps that are marked on the body itself.

For the historical background of the company, see the SIAE History page.

With thanks to Simeon Denbaes for providing the photographs of the PAON, a model that is not yet represented in the collection.

PAON is French for peacock, and the model takes its name from the decorated globe. In its construction it shows strong similarities to the La Parisienne.

This model is not yet part of the collection. The lantern and the photographs were provided by Simeon Denbaes.

The La Rafale is a remarkable hurricane lantern, fitted with a small turning knob that lifts the glass upward, exactly as described in the 1912 patent. The entire top section can also be unscrewed from the tank, which made cleaning and maintenance considerably easier.

The glass carries the name La Rafale together with the overlapping letters S and I, characteristic of SIAE.

Three versions are shown here. The difference between the first two is small: only the fuel tank varies slightly. The third has not been restored and raises a number of questions.

The first has a glass marked with the overlapping letters SI. A cap at the top of the chimney gives easy access to the internal tubes for cleaning, and the wick holder is stamped SI Paris, which confirms its origin. Condition is fairly good, though the lantern leans slightly to one side.

The second is almost identical, but the tank has a slightly different shape and carries rivets. Its glass is not original: this type of globe belongs to a La Rafale.

The third is unrestored. The tank is marked La Parisienne and it shares several characteristics with the other two, but the glass lifter is missing and the handle is attached to the frame in an unusual way.

Stamped on the top is a German patent number: No. 194290. That patent turned out to have been filed by Hermann Nier in 1906. Which leaves two possibilities: a "Frankenstein lantern" put together from parts of different makes, or an early sign of collaboration between SIAE and Nier. The lantern looks too clean for the first — no visible soldering marks — but that is not proof.

The Lampe l'Essence made by SIAE, marked La Parisienne. It is closely related to the type made famous by its inventor, Pigeon.

Lamps of this kind were built to reduce the household fires caused by overturned oil lamps. The tank is packed with felt, so the fuel cannot easily spill even when the lamp goes over.

With thanks to Simeon Denbaes for the photographs of the PAON, a model not yet represented in the collection, and to Jörg Wekemann for reviewing the Nier patent.