Bergmann & Company Edison Chemical Meter, circa 1882

THF124946 / Bergmann & Company Edison Chemical Meter, circa 1882
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Artifact Overview

To make money selling electricity, Thomas Edison had to know how much his customers used. This meter used electricity to plate zinc onto electrodes. By weighing the electrodes to see how much zinc had accumulated, Edison's company could calculate how much electricity was being used. This is one of the earliest surviving electrical meters. It was part of Edison's pioneering September 1882 Pearl street system.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Meter (Measuring device)

Date Made

circa 1882

Creator Notes

Possibly made by Bergmann & Company.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

29.1980.275

Credit

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

Material

Metal
Copper (Metal)
Glass (Material)

Inscriptions

top of unit: EDISON-PATENTS / 707
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