I know this is a stupid question, but I am usually really good at imagining things in my mind - and I can never picture this one.  What does a mirrored stand lamp look like?  Can someone help with a description?

You know what a lamp is right? Flame and such that provides light?

 

Well imagine an ordinary flame lamp with mirrors positioned behind it to catch the light and brighten the surrounding areas better. That's how I picture it.

^^^ That's how I imagine it myself. I even tried to replicate it, using a candle, but I saw no significant difference. Maaybe the mirror was too small.

Yeah, I've not had much luck with that either. During a blackout I tried a big candle and a mirror behind it, and all it accomplished was making it so that no light was shed behind the mirror.

To be effective, it requires special, highly polished mirrors (such as the ones used in lighthouses), and often multiple mirrors set at angles to one another.

Mirrors also need to be curved, I cant remember if convex or concave, but one of those.

Actually, the mirrors are curved in a lighthouse to focus the light into a beam, however, unless the mirrored lamp is a "burgler's lantern", then the mirrors are most likely not curved, but flat, with multiple panes at different angles on one side (the side away from the room) of the lamp.

You do realise that you know way too much... right?

Thanks!  I now have a good mental picture of one.....whether it is right or not...who knows.

 

RAW - thanks for the great detailed description.

This is actually an oil lamp, some here on the Gulf Coast call it mistakenly a "hurricane lamp". The ones in WoT would be on a stand like a torchere with an open flame and a larger mirror. The mirror would be larger and close to the flame, depending on the size of the flame. Thats the image i get.

 

 

You see stand lamps or torches in many movies set in Roman, Greek times. Others as well but those two come to mind.