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Early Advertising
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1917- This ad from the Triangle Electro Trading Company shows an unusual add-on festoon of five celluloid low voltage lamps, meant to be operated in place of a single lamp on an eight light series wired string. Celluloid was extremely flammable, and few of these lamps survive today due to their fragility.
1917- This ad mentions the first ever set of Christmas lights offered by the C.D. Wood Electric Company. Later on, this company would become a major player in the Christmas lighting industry.
1917- An ad by the Import Sales Company, forerunner of Diamond Electric.
1917- Sponsored by Spahr's, this advertisement is for metal light reflectors for use with Christmas tree outfits.
1918-  This image from a 1918 Sears and Roebuck catalog shows their Christmas lighting festoon, complete with junction box. Notice the high prices of the fancy fruit and figural lamps quoted in the ad. Also note that the sockets are described as not easily broken, indication that they were made of composition rather than porcelain. Image kindly provided from the collection of Gordon Thompson.
1918- This image, also from the 1918 Sears and Roebuck catalog, shows their feather tree, offered in three sizes. Describing their large tree, the ad states: "This is the tree we suggest you buy," an interesting recommendation. Image kindly provided from the collection of Gordon Thompson.
1921- Counter or wall card by the M. Propp Company.
1921- The Triangle Electro Trading Company placed this ad showing their improved line of electric Christmas lights.

1921- This Owl Flashlight company ad shows their "Interchangeable 8's" lighting outfit.   
1921- Liberty placed this ad, showing their indoor lighting outfit.
1921- Benjamin Electric issued this ink blotter, advertising one of their adapters which allowed multiple connections through a single ceiling fixture. The rather roughly-worded "poem" reads as follows:

Watch out for Dear Old Santa Claus
Tonight he's on his way
His pack contains electric irons
And toasters, too, they say.

He wasn't agoing to carry them
He was looking like he'd fight.
He said you couldn't stick 'em on
Unless you lost your light.

But yester noon he saw an ad,
(Gaze on his happy mug),
He knows that Ma can use her iron
And light with a Benjamin plug.

It is interesting to note that many fires were caused during the late teens and early 1920s by people unknowingly overloading their house wiring by using the new, modern electric appliances in this way. The house wiring was intended only for low-amperage lighting circuits, and was not intended for the very heavy current draw of modern conveniences such as toasters, waffle irons, clothes irons and the like.

 

Web site visitor Ross Stoval recently wrote to me, and kindly shared some wonderful images from his electrical catalog collection. All of the images are large and require an extended download time, but the information on the pages is well worth the wait. This collector would like to sincerely thank Ross for his kind sharing of information and for the excellent images he provided.
1908 Sears 1924 B-R Electric
1925 United Electric and Supply

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