Thomson-Houston Recording Wattmeter, 1890-1892

01

Artifact Overview

Elihu Thomson, engineer, inventor and cofounder of the Thomson-Houston Electric Company, developed a commutator-type wattmeter in the late 1880s. His recording watt-hour meter helped transform the nascent electric power industry. The sturdy device provided companies that supplied electricity to consumers a way to accurately track and bill electrical power use.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Wattmeter

Date Made

1890-1892

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

29.1980.8

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of the Edison Pioneers.

Material

Metal
Glass (Material)
Wire

Color

Black (Color)
White (Color)
Gold (Color)
Silver (Color)

Dimensions

Height: 10.5 in
Width: 10.25 in
Length: 8 in

Inscriptions

on plate:THOMSON RECORDING/ WATT METER/ PATENTED JULY 22 1890./ PATENTS APPLIED FOR/ TYPE 1 1/2 NO. 4817/ CAPACITY 80 AMP. 50 VOLTS/ THOMSON-HOUSTON ELEC. CO./ LYNN, MASS. U.S.A. on readout: THOMSON RECORDING/ WATT METER/ MANUFACTURED BY/ THOMSON HOUSTON ELECTRIC CO./ LYNN, MASS. U.S.A.
Thomson-Houston Recording Wattmeter, 1890-1892