General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

brass shell/ copper/ porcelain/ synthetic switch handle/ cardboard

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

5.8 cm

Width

4.0 cm

Height

6.7 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Energy-electric

Category

User site

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

General Electric

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

North America

State/Province

Unknown

Period

early 1920s

Canada

An example of a socket of a type used in Canada. Part of a large & varied collection of over 7500 electrical items acquired & documented by Ontario Hydro in the 1960s. The collection was thought to be the largest & most comprehensive of its kind in Canada & was donated to the National Museum of Science & Technology in 1992.

Function

An electrical wiring device used to support & connect to electricity a lamp or other electrical device.

Technical

An example of a reciprocating switch socket of circa 1920. 1890 to 1899 was a period during which the details of wiring devices which had appeared in the previous decade were improved. Keys were added to lamp sockets & receptacles. Where the lamp switch was controlled by the wall or base switch, the socket could remain keyless; otherwise the light switch had to be incorporated within the socket utilizing as its switching mechanism the key, pull-chain or push-button. Besides the Edison screw socket & receptacle, other methods of supporting lamps appeared including the Thomson-Houston, the Westinghouse & the bayonet types (Ref. 2). A simple arrangement which did not require the service of a mechanic to change a lamp was a necessity for commercial production of electric lamp sockets. In 1880 Edison introduced the screw cap which still bears his name (Ref. 3). Edison had the idea for a light socket while screwing the cap on a kerosene can. It has the advantage of firmly seating the bulb without having to snap, pull or otherwise jar the lamp and its delicate filament. There were rival lamps before 1900, each with its own base, but Edison's base had 70% of the market in the early 1900s (Ref. 4). The lock socket was developed around 1900 to 1909 to avoid the stealing of lamps in public places.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

incised lettering on shell reads "250W. 250 VOLTS/ GENERAL ELECTRIC CO./ U.S.A."/ raised logo reading "CM" on switch handle

Missing

appears complete

Finish

gold coloured shell/ black switch/ grey hardboard

Decoration

N/A