"Sinumbra" lamps, so named because they were designed to reduce the shadow cast by traditional Argand lamps, enjoyed great popularity in fashionable American interiors during the 1820s and 1830s. This elegant example is distinguished by a rare label of J. and I. Cox (for John and Joseph), leading New York City purveyors of lighting fixtures. By touting the firm's role as "maker," when many of the lamps Cox marked are known to have been produced in England, the label suggests a different role: Cox may have assembled the lamp entirely from imported parts or made some of the elements itself.

The painted glass shade is a rare survival and would have been used on lamps of this type; however, it is not known whether this one is original to the lamp. The scenes resemble British aquatints and are similar to drawings by John Hill, a British-born artist who emigrated to New York City. They also resemble the work of William Collins, an English enameler and manufacturer of glass. This example is among the finest surviving glass shades of the early nineteenth century.