How Candles Lit the Way Before Electricity Took Over the World

Imagine a world plunged into profound darkness the moment the sun dipped below the horizon. No streetlights piercing the gloom, no comforting glow from a television screen, no instant illumination at the flick of a switch. For millennia, this was the reality. Humanity’s battle against the night was waged primarily with fire, and for a vast stretch of history, the humble candle was a crucial weapon in that fight. Long before Edison’s bulb chased away the shadows, drippy, smoky, yet essential candles were the bedrock of evening life, work, and culture.

The Flickering Dawn: Early Illumination

Before candles became commonplace, people relied on even more rudimentary light sources. Open fires offered warmth and some light, but weren’t portable. Torches, often pitch-soaked bundles of wood or reeds, provided mobile light but were smoky, dangerous, and burned quickly. Oil lamps, using animal fats or vegetable oils with a wick, were a significant step up, offering a more controlled and longer-lasting flame. Evidence suggests lamps were used tens of thousands of years ago. However, lamps required suitable oil, which wasn’t always available or cheap, and could be messy.

The earliest true candles emerged perhaps as far back as 5,000 years ago, though pinpointing their exact origin is tricky. Ancient Egyptians may have used wicked candles, and evidence points to early candle use in China, potentially using whale fat, around 200 BC. The Romans are often credited with developing dipped tallow candles before 400 AD. These early candles were typically made from tallow, the rendered fat of animals like sheep or cattle. Simple, readily available, but far from perfect.

Centuries Under Candlelight

From the Middle Ages right through to the 19th century, candles were the dominant form of artificial lighting across much of the world. Their influence permeated every aspect of society, dictating rhythms of life and work.

Life After Sundown

In the home, the setting sun didn’t necessarily mean the end of all activity, thanks to candlelight. Families would gather around a flickering flame to share stories, mend clothes, or perhaps, if they were literate and could afford enough candles, to read. However, the light was weak. Reading by a single tallow candle was a strain on the eyes, casting dancing shadows and providing only a small pool of illumination. Several candles were needed for any significant task, representing a considerable expense for ordinary families. Tallow candles also had a distinct, often unpleasant, smell and produced a greasy smoke that coated walls and ceilings over time. The wicks, typically made from twisted plant fibers like cotton or flax, didn’t burn away cleanly and required constant trimming with special scissors called “snuffers” to prevent excessive smoking and guttering.

Despite these drawbacks, candles extended the usable day. They allowed for social gatherings after dark, meals taken in communal light, and essential chores to be completed. The quality and quantity of candles often signified wealth; a brightly lit home suggested prosperity.

Work and Worship

Candles were indispensable in many workplaces. Scribes in monasteries painstakingly copied manuscripts by candlelight, their work crucial for preserving knowledge. Craftsmen in workshops relied on candles to continue their trades into the evening, though the fire risk was ever-present, especially in environments with flammable materials like wood shavings or textiles. Early factories and counting houses operated under candlelight, the dim conditions contributing to long hours and difficult work environments. Miners sometimes used candles, a terrifyingly dangerous practice given the risk of explosive gases like methane (firedamp), leading to the later invention of safety lamps.

In churches and religious ceremonies, candles took on symbolic meaning, representing divine light, hope, and the presence of the sacred. Beeswax candles, which burned more cleanly, brightly, and smelled sweeter than tallow, were favoured for religious use and by the wealthy. They were significantly more expensive, as harvesting beeswax was labour-intensive. The purity and natural origin of beeswax were seen as fitting for sacred spaces.

The Craft of the Chandler

Candle making, or “chandlery,” was a vital trade for centuries. The methods evolved, but the basic principles remained the same: embedding a wick within a solid, combustible fuel source.

Tallow: The People’s Candle

Making tallow candles was often a domestic chore or the work of local artisans. The process typically involved repeatedly dipping a length of wick into a vat of molten animal fat. Each dip added a layer, gradually building the candle to the desired thickness. It was a slow, smelly process. Alternatively, molds could be used, particularly later on, where wicks were suspended in metal or pewter tubes into which the hot tallow was poured. Once cooled and solidified, the candles were removed. Tallow candles softened easily in warm weather and often bent or drooped.

Beeswax: The Luxury Light

Beeswax candle production required careful rendering of honeycomb to extract the pure wax. This wax was naturally harder, less greasy, and had a higher melting point than tallow. While dipping could be used, beeswax was more commonly rolled or poured into molds. Their superior quality made them the candle of choice for nobility, the church, and anyone who could afford them.

Did you know that the cost of lighting a home significantly impacted daily life before electricity? Tallow candles, while common, were still an expense, and providing enough light for reading or detailed work required multiple candles. Beeswax candles offered better light but were prohibitively expensive for most. This economic reality meant that for many, darkness truly dictated the end of the active day for centuries.

Whale Oil and Chemical Advances

A major improvement arrived in the mid-18th century with spermaceti candles. Derived from a waxy substance found in the head cavities of sperm whales, spermaceti produced a bright, hard, clean-burning candle that didn’t soften in summer. These became highly desirable and even formed the basis for the first photometric unit, “candlepower,” attempting to standardize brightness. Of course, this relied heavily on the whaling industry.

The 19th century brought chemical innovations. French chemists discovered how to extract stearin (stearic acid) from animal fats. Stearin produced hard, durable, clean-burning candles, a vast improvement over basic tallow and more affordable than beeswax or spermaceti. Shortly after, paraffin wax, derived from petroleum, was developed. Paraffin was inexpensive, burned cleanly, produced good light, and could be easily molded into various shapes and sizes. These advancements led to mass production of high-quality, affordable candles just as a new rival was emerging.

Keeping the Flame Alive: Accessories and Challenges

Using candles effectively involved more than just lighting them. A whole host of accessories developed around candle use. Candlesticks, ranging from simple wooden or pottery holders to elaborate silver or brass Candelabra, were essential for holding candles upright and catching drips. Wall-mounted sconces, sometimes with reflective backplates, helped project light further into a room. Chandeliers, adorned with dozens or even hundreds of candles, illuminated grand halls and ballrooms, requiring significant effort to light and maintain.

Snuffers were needed to trim wicks and extinguish flames without excessive smoke or scattering sparks. Extinguishers, often small cones on handles, neatly put out the flame. Despite these tools, candles remained inherently messy and dangerous. Dripping wax could ruin surfaces, and the open flame was a constant fire hazard, responsible for countless devastating fires throughout history.

The Dimming of the Candle Era

The first real challenger to the candle’s dominance was gas lighting, which began appearing in cities in the early 19th century. Gas provided brighter, more consistent light but required extensive infrastructure (pipes) and was initially expensive and still carried risks of leaks and explosions. It primarily lit streets and wealthy homes or businesses.

The true revolution, however, was electricity. Thomas Edison’s successful development of a practical incandescent light bulb in 1879, followed by the creation of power generation and distribution systems, fundamentally changed the world. Electric light was brighter, cleaner, safer, and vastly more convenient than anything that had come before. Over the late 19th and early 20th centuries, electricity gradually spread, pushing candles from their position as the primary light source into a secondary role.

The Enduring Glow

While no longer essential for basic illumination in most parts of the world, candles haven’t disappeared. They transitioned from utilitarian necessity to items of ambiance, decoration, religious observance, and emergency backup. We light birthday candles, enjoy romantic candlelit dinners, use scented candles for relaxation, and keep a few handy for power outages. Their soft, flickering light still holds a certain charm, a connection to the countless generations who navigated their lives by the simple, yet vital, glow of a candle flame. They remind us of a time before the instant, overwhelming brightness of the modern age, a time when humanity worked, celebrated, and lived by the rhythm of the sun and the persistent, watchful eye of the candle.