Guillaume Carcel (1750-1818). 1864 illustration of the french inventor and clockmaker Bernard Guillaume Carcel. Carcel is best known for inventing the Carcel lamp (Carcel burner) by adding a clockwork pump to the Argand oil lamp to give it a steadier light. This created an efficient lamp that was used in the 19th Century for domestic purposes and in France as the standard measure for illumination.