Receptacle, electric

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OBJECT TYPE: screw/Thomson-Houston
DATE: 1904
ARTIFACT NUMBER: 1992.2650.001

MANUFACTURER: Alpha
MODEL: Unknown
LOCATION: Unknown

More Information

General Information

Serial #: N/A
Part Number: 1
Total Parts: 1
AKA: N/A
Patents: N/A
General Description: porcelain shell/ brass/ wax/ synthetic rim

Dimensions

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

Length: 7.0 cm
Width: 6.0 cm
Height: 5.1 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: Alpha
Country: Unknown
State/Province: Unknown
City: Unknown

Context

Country: North America
State/Province: Unknown
Period: early 20th century
Canada: An example of a receptacle 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 provide a point at which power can be drawn from a wiring system by means of a plug .
Technical: An example of a receptacle of circa 1904. 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 & receptacles. In 1880 Edison introduced the screw cap which still bears his name. Porcelain bodies were first made around 1907 & were efficient but broke easily, & so were mainly used in domestic settings rather than for industrial & street lighting purposes (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).
Area Notes: Unknown

Details

Markings: raised lettering on underside reads "ALPHA"
Missing: appears complete
Finish: glazed white porcelain/ black synthetic/ gold coloured metal
Decoration: N/A

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Alpha, Receptacle, electric, circa 1904, Artifact no. 1992.2650, Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation, http://collection.ingeniumcanada.org/en/id/1992.2650.001/

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