History of Candles 101
• Before electricity, the world quite literally lived by candlelight. Entire evenings, conversations, meals, and celebrations unfolded by flame alone.
• Candle makers — known as chandlers — were once among the most essential tradespeople in town.
• Early candles were commonly made from tallow, a rendered animal fat. They were affordable and practical, but often smoky, greasy, and pungent.
• Beeswax candles were the luxury version. They burned brighter, cleaner, and carried a naturally sweet aroma. In other words: beeswax was for the well-to-do — tallow was for everyone else.
• In medieval Europe, beeswax candles were often reserved for churches, royalty, and wealthy households because of both their cost and quality.
• Long before clocks were common, some candles were marked with lines to measure the passing of time as they burned.
• Some households even placed nails into candles. As the wax melted, the nails would fall onto metal trays below — creating an audible signal that time had passed.
• Before streetlights existed, travelers carried candles and lanterns to find their way through darkness after sunset.
• In colonial America, many families made candles by hand in their own kitchens through a labor-intensive dipping process.
• Whale oil candles became popular in the 1700s because they burned far cleaner and brighter than traditional tallow candles.
• Candlelight once reflected social status. A clean-burning candle on the table quietly signaled refinement, wealth, and hospitality.
• Ancient Romans are believed to have created some of the earliest wicked candles using rolled papyrus and animal fat.
• The word “chandler” still survives today in modern language, though most people no longer realize it originally meant candle maker or candle seller.
• For centuries, candles illuminated everything from royal banquets and libraries to handwritten letters and late-night family dinners.
• Even now, during storms and power outages, people instinctively reach for candles first — a habit rooted deeply in human history.
• Modern lighting may be brighter, but few things soften a room — or change its atmosphere — quite like candlelight.