Hand Lantern c. 1938

Lazar Rubinstein made this drawing of a hand lantern, but we don’t know when. The artist has rendered metal and glass with graphite to create a detailed study of its form and texture. Hand lanterns like this one were crucial tools in a time before electric lighting. They depended on readily available, inexpensive materials like tin, glass, and fuel, and simple manufacturing techniques, making them accessible to many. The design emphasizes functionality, with a robust structure to protect the flame from wind and weather. The lantern represents the labor needed to produce and use it: from the glassmakers and metalworkers who fabricated its components, to the individuals who relied on its light for work and safety. In this sense, it’s a humble yet essential artifact reflecting the daily lives and industrial landscape of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Considering the social context of everyday objects such as this is as valuable as the fine art.