Energy & Power

The Museum's collections on energy and power illuminate the role of fire, steam, wind, water, electricity, and the atom in the nation's history. The artifacts include wood-burning stoves, water turbines, and windmills, as well as steam, gas, and diesel engines. Oil-exploration and coal-mining equipment form part of these collections, along with a computer that controlled a power plant and even bubble chambers—a tool of physicists to study protons, electrons, and other charged particles.

A special strength of the collections lies in objects related to the history of electrical power, including generators, batteries, cables, transformers, and early photovoltaic cells. A group of Thomas Edison's earliest light bulbs are a precious treasure. Hundreds of other objects represent the innumerable uses of electricity, from streetlights and railway signals to microwave ovens and satellite equipment.

This lamp was mass-produced for the 50th anniversary of Edison’s invention.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This lamp was mass-produced for the 50th anniversary of Edison’s invention.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1929
associated date
1879 10 21
associated person
Edison, Thomas Alva
ID Number
EM.320684
catalog number
320684
accession number
242716
Edison demonstration lamp on a reproduction base. Lamp was used at the 1879 New Year’s Eve Demonstration.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Edison demonstration lamp on a reproduction base. Lamp was used at the 1879 New Year’s Eve Demonstration.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1879
associated user
Edison, Thomas Alva
maker
Edison, Thomas Alva
ID Number
EM.310577
catalog number
310577
accession number
123470
Replica Edison sewing thread filament lamp made by Francis Jehl for the 50th anniversary of the invention.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Replica Edison sewing thread filament lamp made by Francis Jehl for the 50th anniversary of the invention.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1929
associated date
1879 10 21
associated person
Edison, Thomas Alva
maker
Jehl, Francis
ID Number
EM.318327
catalog number
318327
accession number
232729
The Mississippi River sidewheel steamboat J.M. White was built at Jeffersonville, Ind., in 1878 for the Greenville and New Orleans Packet Company. Measuring 321’ long and 91’ in beam across the paddlebox guards, the White only sat 10’-6” deep in the water when fully laden.
Description
The Mississippi River sidewheel steamboat J.M. White was built at Jeffersonville, Ind., in 1878 for the Greenville and New Orleans Packet Company. Measuring 321’ long and 91’ in beam across the paddlebox guards, the White only sat 10’-6” deep in the water when fully laden. The steamboat was designed for Mississippi River packet service between New Orleans, La., and Greenville, Miss.
The White was one of the largest, most expensive, luxurious, and most powerful river steamers ever built, with 2,800 horsepower and a capacity of 250 first-class passengers and 10,000 bales of cotton. Named after famous riverboat captain J. M. White (1823–1880), the “supreme triumph in cotton boat architecture” was a masterpiece of the gaudy, glamorous style known as “steamboat Gothic.” It had multiple bridal chambers; stained glass skylights and windows; rare wood veneers and gilded finishes; seven gilded “Egyptian-style” chandeliers; a sterling silver Tiffany water cooler in the 250’-long main cabin; monogrammed flatware and china; and a full concert grand piano.
The White spent most of its eight-year career in service on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Vicksburg, Miss. Despite its economy of size, the White’s high initial $220,000 cost, a spotty economy, and the rapidly expanding railroad network made the steamboat unprofitable. It caught fire, blew up, and burned to the waterline at a Louisiana landing in December 1886, killing several aboard.
Date made
1974
built
1878
used date
late 19th century
ID Number
TR.334847
catalog number
334847
accession number
315419
This lamp was mass-produced for the 50th anniversary of Edison’s invention.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This lamp was mass-produced for the 50th anniversary of Edison’s invention.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1929
associated date
1879 10 21
associated person
Edison, Thomas Alva
ID Number
EM.314938
catalog number
314938
accession number
212908
This lamp was mass-produced for the 50th anniversary of Edison’s invention.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This lamp was mass-produced for the 50th anniversary of Edison’s invention.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1929
associated date
1879 10 21
associated person
Edison, Thomas Alva
ID Number
EM.326672
catalog number
326672
accession number
263165
Thomas Edison used this carbon-filament bulb in the first public demonstration of his most famous invention, the first practical electric incandescent lamp, which took place at his Menlo Park, New Jersey, laboratory on New Year's Eve, 1879.As the quintessential American inventor-
Description
Thomas Edison used this carbon-filament bulb in the first public demonstration of his most famous invention, the first practical electric incandescent lamp, which took place at his Menlo Park, New Jersey, laboratory on New Year's Eve, 1879.
As the quintessential American inventor-hero, Edison personified the ideal of the hardworking self-made man. He received a record 1,093 patents and became a skilled entrepreneur. Though occasionally unsuccessful, Edison and his team developed many practical devices in his "invention factory," and fostered faith in technological progress.
Date made
1879
used date
1879-12-31
user
Edison, Thomas Alva
maker
Edison, Thomas Alva
ID Number
EM.181797
catalog number
181797
accession number
33407
Edison demonstration lamp with bristol-board filament used at Menlo Park on New Year’s Eve 1879.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Edison demonstration lamp with bristol-board filament used at Menlo Park on New Year’s Eve 1879.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1879
associated date
1879
associated user
unknown
maker
Edison, Thomas Alva
ID Number
EM.320504
catalog number
320504
accession number
241402
Experimental incandescent lamp, U.S. Patent #210809. The radiator consists of a copper ribbon folded into 5 strips.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Experimental incandescent lamp, U.S. Patent #210809. The radiator consists of a copper ribbon folded into 5 strips.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1878
maker
Sawyer, William E.
ID Number
EM.308581
catalog number
308581
accession number
89797
patent number
210809
During most of the 19th century, the U.S. Patent Office required inventors seeking patent protection to submit both a written application and a three-dimensional model. This wood and metal patent model of a windmill succeeded in gaining its inventor, H. M.
Description
During most of the 19th century, the U.S. Patent Office required inventors seeking patent protection to submit both a written application and a three-dimensional model. This wood and metal patent model of a windmill succeeded in gaining its inventor, H. M. Wood, Patent Number 222,340, which was issued on December 2, 1879. As farms spread into the American heartland, windmills proved an extremely important technology, allowing settlers to use the renewable power of wind to pump groundwater for agricultural and household use. Efficiency and reliability were key attributes for rural windmills, and professional and lay inventors experimented with hundreds of design variations throughout the years.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1879
patent date
1879-12-02
inventor
Wood, Harvey M.
ID Number
MC.309136
catalog number
309136
accession number
89797
patent number
222,340
Date made
ca 1878
associated person
Brush, Charles F.
maker
Brush Electric Company
ID Number
EM.251230
accession number
48865
catalog number
251230
Date made
1877
associated date
1877
associated person
Jablochkoff, Paul
maker
Jablochkoff, Paul
ID Number
EM.252646
catalog number
252646
accession number
49064
patent number
190864
In 1878 Thomas Edison had achieved international renown due to his invention of a machine that could talk: the phonograph. His inventive activities in the field of telegraphy were well known in that important industry.
Description
In 1878 Thomas Edison had achieved international renown due to his invention of a machine that could talk: the phonograph. His inventive activities in the field of telegraphy were well known in that important industry. Although his most prolific days as an inventor lay ahead, people understood that "the Wizard of Menlo Park" was someone to be taken seriously.
This bust of Edison was made in 1878 for the Phrenological Institute of New York. Phrenology (today dismissed as false science) involved the study of the shape and size of people's heads. Phrenologists believed that one could measure and rank factors like intellegence, honesty and creativity through a close study of the external features of the head. An accurate record of Edison's head would preserve a record of someone perceived as quite creative and intellegent, allowing comparisions to be made to a known standard.
The bust was made by J. Beer, Jr.
Date made
1878
1878
associated person
Edison, Thomas Alva
maker
S. R. Wells & Co.
ID Number
EM.310582
catalog number
310582
accession number
123470

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.