Candles: An Illuminating History

For centuries candles have provided light and beauty for practical and decorative purposes. Early Egyptians, Romans, Indians and Native Americans all used primitive forms of modern-day candles to provide illumination for living, working, worshipping and celebrating, and the wax candles we enjoy today evolved directly from the first dipped candles created in the Middle Ages. Originally made from spermaceti, or wax generated from the heads of whales, candles were eventually made by dipping thin, flammable wooden sticks in tallow, or animal fat.

By the 19th century, flax and cotton wicks had replaced wooden sticks, and the more durable braided wick was developed shortly thereafter. Around the same time, a chandler, or candle maker, in Paris began using molds to create his candles instead of dipping them – a time-consuming process that involves dipping the wick in melted wax, waiting for it to solidify and then dipping it again until the candle reaches the desired thickness.  The creation of molded candles made it fashionable for candles to be used as decorative accessories as well as practical sources of light.

Bayberry candles also became popular in the United States, when it was discovered that bayberries produced a clean-burning wax that could easily be used for candles. Bayberry candles are still available, but the time-consuming process of extracting wax from the bayberries makes it prohibitively expensive to mass produce them. Most contemporary candles are made from a combination of paraffin and stearic acid, while artisanal candles can be also be made from bayberry or beeswax and are often hand-molded or hand-dipped.