1882. Attractive oval softwood box, with attractive printed label on lid, box containing ca. 100 small multicoloured coated discs threaded onto small wax wicks, with some spare wax; aside from some slight staining label and underside of box, and small nick in lid a fine example. No doubt an extremely scarce ephemeral survivor. This appealing box, seemingly an almost full compliment, contains a number of small night lights, manufactured by the Nuremberg firm of Joh. Leonh. Backofen. The small and extremely decorative paper discs, have been coated, and possibly scented, and are each threaded onto a small strip of wax, and would be lit to provide comfort, and possibly to fill the air with soothing fragrances, to help sleep.
Johann Leonhard Backofen is listed in the 1870 Nürnberg-Fürther Industrie-Almanach as a nightlight manufacturer, with the 1905 Zeitscrift für angewandte Chemie referring to ‘Saturn für Nachtlichte’ made by Backofen.