Let There Be Light
This Reddit user came across their find as a family item that had been around for a while. Apparently, most of the family didn’t remember what it was either. Actually, while it might not look like one, this is a lantern!
However, it doesn’t look like one we’re used to because it’s a carbide lamp model. These lamps didn’t use oil as fuel. Instead, they relied on a reaction between water and calcium carbide to create acetylene that would burn as fuel.