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- Edison Dynamo Used on SS Columbia, 1880 - For Thomas Edison, successful experimental results were but a prelude to continual improvements that would lead to commercial implementation. This dynamo is from the first lighting system he sold -- installed on a ship, four months after the December 1879 experimental demonstration. Its crude finish, at odds with the highly advanced technology it embodied, suggests Edison's impatient eagerness to move from experiment to market.
- 1880
- Collections - Artifact
Edison Dynamo Used on SS Columbia, 1880
For Thomas Edison, successful experimental results were but a prelude to continual improvements that would lead to commercial implementation. This dynamo is from the first lighting system he sold -- installed on a ship, four months after the December 1879 experimental demonstration. Its crude finish, at odds with the highly advanced technology it embodied, suggests Edison's impatient eagerness to move from experiment to market.
- We Hand You a Hint: The Hemco Twin-Lite is Made of Condensite, circa 1915 - Chemically synthetic plastics were developed in the early 1900s to replace shellac and hard rubber -- naturally derived substances increasingly in demand for various industrial applications. The Condensite Company of America formed in 1910 to sell a new material first developed at Thomas Edison's West Orange laboratory for phonograph records. Durable and nonconductive, Condensite was well suited for electrical products.
- circa 1915
- Collections - Artifact
We Hand You a Hint: The Hemco Twin-Lite is Made of Condensite, circa 1915
Chemically synthetic plastics were developed in the early 1900s to replace shellac and hard rubber -- naturally derived substances increasingly in demand for various industrial applications. The Condensite Company of America formed in 1910 to sell a new material first developed at Thomas Edison's West Orange laboratory for phonograph records. Durable and nonconductive, Condensite was well suited for electrical products.
- Beck Twin Compound Engine, circa 1890 -
- circa 1890
- Collections - Artifact
Beck Twin Compound Engine, circa 1890
- Employees in the Ketchup Department, H. J. Heinz Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1910 - Before complete mechanization of the manufacturing process, many tasks at the Heinz factory were done by hand. The H. J. Heinz Company documented the many departments of the manufacturing process through photographs. This photograph shows employees working in the Ketchup Department.
- circa 1910
- Collections - Artifact
Employees in the Ketchup Department, H. J. Heinz Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1910
Before complete mechanization of the manufacturing process, many tasks at the Heinz factory were done by hand. The H. J. Heinz Company documented the many departments of the manufacturing process through photographs. This photograph shows employees working in the Ketchup Department.
- National Carbon Company Philadelphia Arc Light Carbon, 1886-1900 - Carbon plates, like these, were used in arc lamps, the first widely used form of electric light in the late 1800s. The lamp's brilliant light, created by an electric arc between precisely spaced plates, effectively illuminated city streets, factories, and other large areas--though falling sparks could prove hazardous. Eventually, improvements in other types of arc discharge lamps made carbon plates virtually obsolete.
- 1886-1900
- Collections - Artifact
National Carbon Company Philadelphia Arc Light Carbon, 1886-1900
Carbon plates, like these, were used in arc lamps, the first widely used form of electric light in the late 1800s. The lamp's brilliant light, created by an electric arc between precisely spaced plates, effectively illuminated city streets, factories, and other large areas--though falling sparks could prove hazardous. Eventually, improvements in other types of arc discharge lamps made carbon plates virtually obsolete.
- Woman Using Time Clock at the Main Plant, H. J. Heinz Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1911 - Employees at the H.J. Heinz Company main plant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, began and ended their workdays in the Time Office. Henry Heinz himself worked to design and construct this building, referred to by the company as "a combination of elegance, splendor and beauty." Here you can see the row of time clocks where employees would check in and out for work each day.
- 1911
- Collections - Artifact
Woman Using Time Clock at the Main Plant, H. J. Heinz Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1911
Employees at the H.J. Heinz Company main plant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, began and ended their workdays in the Time Office. Henry Heinz himself worked to design and construct this building, referred to by the company as "a combination of elegance, splendor and beauty." Here you can see the row of time clocks where employees would check in and out for work each day.
- National Carbon Company Plain Forced Arc Light Carbons, 1886-1900 - Carbon rods, like these, were used in arc lamps, the first widely used form of electric light in the late 1800s. The lamp's brilliant light, created by an electric arc between precisely spaced rods, effectively illuminated city streets, factories, and other large areas--though falling sparks could prove hazardous. Eventually, improvements in other types of arc discharge lamps made carbon rods virtually obsolete.
- 1886-1900
- Collections - Artifact
National Carbon Company Plain Forced Arc Light Carbons, 1886-1900
Carbon rods, like these, were used in arc lamps, the first widely used form of electric light in the late 1800s. The lamp's brilliant light, created by an electric arc between precisely spaced rods, effectively illuminated city streets, factories, and other large areas--though falling sparks could prove hazardous. Eventually, improvements in other types of arc discharge lamps made carbon rods virtually obsolete.
- National Carbon Company Philadelphia Arc Light Carbon, 1886-1900 - Carbon plates, like these, were used in arc lamps, the first widely used form of electric light in the late 1800s. The lamp's brilliant light, created by an electric arc between precisely spaced plates, effectively illuminated city streets, factories, and other large areas--though falling sparks could prove hazardous. Eventually, improvements in other types of arc discharge lamps made carbon plates virtually obsolete.
- 1886-1900
- Collections - Artifact
National Carbon Company Philadelphia Arc Light Carbon, 1886-1900
Carbon plates, like these, were used in arc lamps, the first widely used form of electric light in the late 1800s. The lamp's brilliant light, created by an electric arc between precisely spaced plates, effectively illuminated city streets, factories, and other large areas--though falling sparks could prove hazardous. Eventually, improvements in other types of arc discharge lamps made carbon plates virtually obsolete.
- M. M. M. Slattery's Electric Tricycle, circa 1910 - Marmaduke Slattery, chief electrician at the Fort Wayne Jenney Electric Light Company, had this electric tricycle built in 1889. Slattery powered his tricycle with storage batteries--probably of his own design--which reportedly could run for nine hours. Slattery died in 1892 but the vehicle must have remained in the Indiana city--this image was taken around 1910 by a Fort Wayne photographer.
- circa 1910
- Collections - Artifact
M. M. M. Slattery's Electric Tricycle, circa 1910
Marmaduke Slattery, chief electrician at the Fort Wayne Jenney Electric Light Company, had this electric tricycle built in 1889. Slattery powered his tricycle with storage batteries--probably of his own design--which reportedly could run for nine hours. Slattery died in 1892 but the vehicle must have remained in the Indiana city--this image was taken around 1910 by a Fort Wayne photographer.
- Invitation Sent to Members of "The City Government" for a Lighting Exhibition at Menlo Park Laboratory, December 18, 1880 -
- December 18, 1880
- Collections - Artifact
Invitation Sent to Members of "The City Government" for a Lighting Exhibition at Menlo Park Laboratory, December 18, 1880