Lighter
Object number2015.42.37 a,b
Date1939-1945
MediumBrass/Fabric/Metal
Credit LineGift of Susan Muir
DescriptionBrass lighter with detachable top cover. Overall flattened rectangle in shape, oblong with rounded ends and edges. Lighter has fabric wick and turning wheel. Top cover has a raised brass trim around base. Lighter body has inscription on side. Lighter top cover has inscription on crest, possibly a maker's mark.Dimensions2.75 x 1.125 x 0.375 in. (7 x 2.9 x 1 cm)InscriptionsInscription (a) Inscribed text on side "BRASS / No 5".
MarksLighter top has inscription on crest, possibly a maker's mark "SMOKESTONE".
Historical NotesPart of a collection of WWII-related artifacts from the military service of Gabe Torisky of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who served with the 99th “Checkerboard” Infantry Division during the Ardennes campaign in Belgium. Martin Gabriel "Gabe" Torisky was of Slovak ancestry and was born on November 11, 1911, in Uniontown, PA. He moved to Pittsburgh in the 1920s and was drafted and sent to 99th Division during World War II. The 99th Division is especially important in relation to Pittsburgh, as the Division was originally headquartered in the city in 1942, and the unit insignia, a black shield with a checkerboard band of nine alternating white and blue squares (for “99”) was derived from the coat of arms for William Pitt and thus, also the city seal of Pittsburgh, on which the checkerboard also appears. Donor Susan Muir is Gabe Torisky's daughter.
Previous owner
Martin Gabriel Torisky
(born 1911)
Related institution
99th Infantry Division
On View
Not on view
Bowers Manufacturing Company
