• 7"x 10" image size (9"x 12" paper size) / 400 prints / 11"x 14" matting size

The Industrial Revolution brought about a search for new fuels and social changes produced a need for good, cheap oil for lamps; people wished to be able to work and read after dark. Whale oil was available only to the rich, tallow candles had an unpleasant odor, and gas jets were available only in houses and apartments in metropolitan areas. The search for a better lamp fuel led to a demand for "rock oil" and scientists in the 19th century were developing processes to make commercial use of it.

In the U.S., after the Civil War, more than 100 "still" refineries were in operation. The first material to be distilled from crude oil is the gasoline fraction, followed in turn by naphtha and then kerosine. The residue in the kettle, in the old still refineries, was treated with caustic and sulfuric acid, and steam distilled thereafter. Lubricants and distillate fuel oils were obtained from the upper regions and waxes and asphalt from the lower regions of the distillation apparatus. In the late 19th century, gasoline and naphtha were considered a nuisance because little need for them existed, and the demand for kerosine began to decline because of the growing production of electricity and the use of electric lights. With the introduction of the automobile, however, the demand for gasoline suddenly burgeoned, and the need for supplies of crude oil increased greatly.

Crude oil is the most useful and versatile raw material that has become available for exploitation. In 1920, a U.S. barrel of crude oil (containing 42 gallons) yielded 11 gallons of gasoline, 5.3 gallons of kerosine, 20.4 gallons of gas oil and distillates, and 5.3 gallons of heavier distillates. In recent years, by contrast, the yield of crude oil has increased to almost 21 gallons of gasoline, 3 gallons of jet fuel, 9 gallons of gas oil and distillates, and somewhat less than 4 gallons of lubricants and 3 gallons of heavier residues.