Thomson-Houston Recording Wattmeter, circa 1889
Add to SetSummary
Elihu Thomson, engineer, inventor and cofounder of the Thomson-Houston Electric Company, developed a commutator-type wattmeter in the late 1880s. His recording watt-hour meter helped transform the nascent electric power industry. The sturdy device provided companies that supplied electricity to consumers a way to accurately track and bill electrical power use.
Elihu Thomson, engineer, inventor and cofounder of the Thomson-Houston Electric Company, developed a commutator-type wattmeter in the late 1880s. His recording watt-hour meter helped transform the nascent electric power industry. The sturdy device provided companies that supplied electricity to consumers a way to accurately track and bill electrical power use.
Artifact
Wattmeter
Date Made
circa 1889
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
31.1217.224
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Edison Laboratories.
Material
Nitrocellulose
Metal
Color
Gray (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 10 in
Width: 9 in
Length: 8.5 in
Inscriptions
on readout: THOMSON RECORDING WATT METER/ MANUFACTURED BY THOMSON-HOUSTON ELECTRIC CO./ LYNN, MASS. U.S.A./ Watt hrs. stamped on framework: 8474
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