"A Warning from the Edison Electric Light Company," 1887

01

Artifact Overview

The late-nineteenth-century "War of Currents" pitted the backers of direct current (DC) against those who believed alternating current (AC) was the best way to transmit electricity. In this partisan publication the Edison Electric Light Company touted the advantages of their DC system, fueled the public's fear by reprinting reports of horrific deaths caused by high-voltage AC, and attacked the backers of AC who, company officials believed, misled investors.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Book

Date Made

1887

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

31.391.4

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of William H. Francis.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Printing (Process)

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)
Red

Dimensions

Height: 9.25 in
Width: 6 in

02

Related Content

  • Laboratory Model of Tesla Motor, circa 1895
    Set

    Nikola Tesla

    • 12 Artifacts
    Nikola Tesla's name is inseparable from the development of alternating current electricity--particularly with regard to polyphase transmission, but especially with regard to the induction motor. His motor, patented in 1888, was the first practical AC motor. George Westinghouse licensed Tesla's motor patents that same year--enabling the Westinghouse AC lighting system to become a real competitor with direct current systems.