The Davy Lamp (also referred to as a “safety lamp”) was first invented in 1815 by Sir Humphry Davy, an English chemist and inventor. It was designed to provide a safe light in coal mines, where methane and other flammable gases could pose serious dangers for the miners working in them. When the lamp was lit, miners could estimate the amount of dangerous gases, if there were any, based on the flame's intensity. If the flame burned brightly, the environment was safe; if it flickered or was extinguished, it indicated the presence of dangerous gases and workers would have to evacuate immediately.

Throughout the course of the 19th century, the Davy lamp became a regular part of a miner’s tools and instruments intended to make mining safe. It was often a requirement for mines to have these lamps on site and to conduct safety checks before miners commenced their work. Although they were also used for lighting the interiors of mines, the illumination from Davy lamps was generally poor, and it was only with the advent of electric lamps that the problem of improving light levels in mines was finally solved.