Family Scene

Description While Argand lamps provided a brighter light than candles, they still did not turn night into day the way that electric lights do today. The single light source was placed in the middle of a table and the family gathered around it. This tended to draw families together in the evening. Those who needed more light sat closer while those who did not could sit farther away from the light. One might read aloud to the others as a form of entertainment.Women might knit (which did not require as much light as  sewing), men might mend tools, or someone might write a letter to a distant relative.