Tin Candle Mold
Front facing photo of the tin candle mold.
Standing at just over a foot tall, this tin candle mold is evocative of a time before one could simply press a button or flip a switch to turn on a light. Donated by Dewitt Chauncey LeFevre (1903-1987) of Beaver Falls, New York, this tool sheds light on an aspect of daily life in the 19th century.
Description:
This tin-plate tapered candle mold stands tall at a height of 12.5 inches. A total of twelve hollow cylindrical vessels for wax are lined up on a rectangular base measuring 8.5 inches in length by 3.75 inches in width, with significant negative space between each cylinder. The top of each mold hole is about three quarters of an inch in diameter with the intention of producing candles of nearly the identical size. The two rows of six are captured between the base and a congruent top, both of which have a half of an inch deep recessed lip. On either side, rounded handles are attached to short side edges of the top rectangle and the two outer cylinders of the candle mold. The length including the handles is 10.5 inches long, making each handle about an inch across at its widest point. The mold is silver-gray in appearance, although it is discolored by rust in many places. This tawny orange buildup is most noticeable on the outer edges of the handles and the recessed rims of the top and base, but it can also be seen speckling each of the individual cylinders, with a particular buildup near the seams and towards the lower half of each candle mold.
Side view of the tin candle mold.
Top facing view of the tin candle mold.
Bottom view of the tin candle mold.
Provenance:
Dating from the 19th century, the candle mold currently resides in the Historic Huguenot Street collection in New Paltz. It was donated by Dewitt Chauncey LeFevre in the mid-to-late 20th century, although it is unclear where exactly he procured the item. LeFevre lived in Beaver Falls, New York, where he wrote a book in 1979 titled Grand-Pere’s Legacy detailing LeFevre family history in America. There is no indication if the mold was passed down to him as a part of his direct family history, although LeFevre had a clear interest in history, suggesting that he may have been a collector of antiques.
Narrative:
Before the invention of electrical lights, people relied on a combination of natural sunlight and candlelight to illuminate their homes and daily lives. With the help of candle molds, people could reliably shape nearly identical hand-poured candles, a method of candle making that was, in some ways, easier and more efficient than the previously used hand-dipping method. Homes in the 18th and 19th centuries were lit using candles or lamps that burned oil or grease. Thus, candle molds with one to 72 narrow tin tubes grew in fashion and were used regularly in the household, marking candle making as both a practical necessity and, perhaps less so, as an artform.
To use a candle mold, a person—usually the mother or a housemaid of the family—would thread a wax-dipped string through each tube, tie it off at the end, seal up the bottom with a small ball of wax to stop leaking, and then pour the melted wax of their choice into the mold to harden. Once poured into place and tied off with a stick to help keep everything lined up and in place, the wax could take up to a full day or more to harden completely. After the wax has settled, the candlemaker would sometimes need to pour in another layer so that the candles did not have hollow centers (which would both weaken their structural integrity, as well as shorten the lifespan of how long the wick would burn). To remove the candles from the mold easier, the candlemaker would soak the entire mold in hot water, as it was possible for candles to get stuck in the mold or for wicks to snap off during the removal process.
These figures of a “Ryder and Leonard’s” style candle mold were featured in Volume VI. No. 9 of the “Scientific American. A Weekly Journal of Practical Information in Art, Science, Mechanics, Chemistry, and Manufactures” in New York on March 1st, 1862. This particular design includes a manufactured feature that held wicks in place while the wax cooled.
Early candles were made from animal fat, beeswax, or bayberries; however, with the growth of the whaling industry in the late 18th century, spermaceti wax made by the crystallization of sperm whale oil became readily available. Spermaceti did not smell unpleasant but produced a brighter light than past options. It was also harder than tallow (made from rendered animal fat) and beeswax, meaning it wouldn’t soften or bend in the heat of summer. It was also less likely to blacken or disform in extreme temperatures and therefore maintained uniformity better than tallow. Eventually in 1834, Joseph Morgan, a pewterer from Manchester, England, invented a mechanized candle mold machine that allowed for the continuous production of molded candles, meaning that candles were a more readily available product overseas. Paraffin wax became popular in the 1850s, as it burned cleanly, consistently, and was more economical to produce than any earlier candle forms. However, paraffin wax has a low melting point. This led to the rise of stearin wax (developed in the 1820s) which had a higher melting point and burned cleanly for a long period of time. It would overtake paraffin in everyday use when it became more widely available in the 1860s.
Although there were some tedious and meddlesome aspects of candle making, many families still chose to utilize candle molds to create straight and uniform candles for their aesthetic appeal and consistent dimensions. This was particularly important so that a family could display their candles in votives, sconces, and candelabras – all made to fit standard-sized candles. These candle holders were practical but could also act as a status symbol if a family or organization, such as a church, had many that were adorned with ornate decorations.
With no clear date of creation or maker’s mark, it is difficult to connect this specific candle mold to its production. However, with fairly standard dimensions and uniformity in its creation, it was likely produced at a small-scale manufacturer in the Northeastern United States in the early-mid 1800s based on others of similar design and structure.
Unlike their European counterparts, individualistic Americans were more likely to own and use smaller-scale tin candle molds. This allowed residents to make their own candles rather than rely on someone else to create and supply them. Families would often have a stock of candles, although they were not burned unnecessarily, as everyone in the family knew that making more candles was a time-consuming process, because they had let the wax fully harden before they could be used.
The invention of the light bulb in 1879 led to a decline in candle making, as people now had electricity to light their homes and daily activities, though they weren’t completely discarded. Candles once again rose in popularity during the early and mid-20th century due to an increase in the production of paraffin and stearic acid as byproducts of the U.S. oil and meatpacking industries. Although people had electric lighting as an option, candles were seen as a traditional novelty item and used for special occasions, such as decorating birthday cakes or adorning Christmas trees during the holiday season, demonstrating their resilience throughout history.
~Sky Rolnick
Works Cited
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“Candle Mold Stake.” The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, https://emuseum.history.org/objects/96014/candle-mold-stake.
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“History.” Candles.org, National Candle Association, 23 July 2020, https://candles.org/history/
“Improved Candle Molds.” Scientific American, Vol. 6, No. 9, 1862, pp. 129–129. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24960288.
LeFevre, Dewitt C. Grand-Pere’s Legacy. Appleknockers, 1979.
McGoldrick, Louise. Collections Manager, Historic Huguenot Street, Historic Huguenot Street, New Paltz, NY 2023.
“Memorial Page for DeWitt Chauncey LeFevre (1903-1987) .” Find a Grave, Riverside Cemetery, 12 Oct. 2013, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118566065/dewitt-chauncey-lefevre.
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Riley, Glenda. “‘Not Gainfully Employed’: Women on the Iowa Frontier, 1833-1870.” Pacific Historical Review, vol. 49, no. 2, 1980, pp. 237–64. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3638901.
Walton, Geri. “Housemaids and Their Duties in the 1800s.” Geriwalton.com, Unique Histories from the 18th and 19th Centuries, 9 Feb. 2015, https://www.geriwalton.com/housemaids-and-her-duties/