For centuries, humans wanted to escape the dark of night or carry their sense of bright light over a distance. In contrast to the need for darkness, that is when night lamps make all the sense. Lamps were there to use as a center of light so people could make their way in darkness.
Lamps are also seen as a decorative item in many households today. If your desk happens to be decorated with items that are geometrically straight and square-like, 18th century still-lives will tell you why this is so.
STL (Stereolithography, filesize: 5.09 MB)