Edison Electric Pen, circa 1877
Add to SetSummary
Thomas Edison's electric pen, an ancestor of both the mimeograph and the tattoo needle, was a successful product in the mid-1870s. Users would write normally with the pen, which, instead of a nib, had a needle powered by an electric motor. The needle poked holes into a stencil, which was then used to copy the document. Many businesses found document duplication an attractive possibility.
Thomas Edison's electric pen, an ancestor of both the mimeograph and the tattoo needle, was a successful product in the mid-1870s. Users would write normally with the pen, which, instead of a nib, had a needle powered by an electric motor. The needle poked holes into a stencil, which was then used to copy the document. Many businesses found document duplication an attractive possibility.
Artifact
Stylus
Date Made
circa 1877
On Exhibit
at Greenfield Village in Menlo Park Laboratory
Object ID
00.1382.706
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Iron (Metal)
Dimensions
Height: 6 in
Diameter: 3.5 in
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