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"New Type Edison" incandescent lamp

National Museum of American History
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Object Details

Edison Lamp Company
Description (Brief)
Invention rarely stops when the inventor introduces a new device. Thomas A. Edison and his team worked to improve his electric lighting system for some years after the initial introduction in 1880. This lamp shows changes made after about ten years of labor aimed at lowering costs and increasing production. The simplified base required little material; the diameter and thread-pitch are still used today. The filament was changed from bamboo to a treated cellulose, based on an invention by English chemist Joseph Swan. The bulb was probably free blown by Corning Glass Works, but would soon be replaced by a bulb made by semi-skilled laborers blowing glass into iron molds. The cost had dropped from about $1.00 per lamp to less than 30ยข.
Credit Line
from Princeton University, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, thru Dean Howard Menand
ca 1886
ca 1889
ID Number
EM.318685
catalog number
318685
accession number
232729
Object Name
light bulb
incandescent lamp
Other Terms
incandescent lamp; Lighting Devices; Edison; Horseshoe; Carbon
Physical Description
brass (overall material)
plaster (overall material)
glass (overall material)
carbon (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 15 cm x 5.5 cm; 5 29/32 in x 2 5/32 in
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Work and Industry: Electricity
Energy & Power
American Enterprise
Exhibition
American Enterprise
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_704647
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-248a-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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