Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
lamp-black
pigment made from pure, fine carbon, originally from the soot produced by burning oil in lamps, 1590s, see lamp.
Usage examples of "lamp-black".
Now they emerged from the marshes without a sound—or so Jack managed to convince himself as he squatted in the bows with Dappa, slathering his naked body with a mixture of ox-grease and lamp-black.