Promotion of electricity in the home
This online exhibition explores electric lighting within the home and how it made a huge difference to improving the lives of people. It briefly describes life before electricity, early developments in lighting and how the benefits of electricity were promoted.
Enlightenment!
In order for the producers of electric lights to win the battle as the dominant power supply within the home they needed to be pro-active about educating their potential customers. Books explaining the benefits in layman's terms were published to explain to the ordinary reader the wonders of this new technology without the scientific jargon of previous works.
In 1884 Robert Hammond published a book, simply entitled The Electric Light in our Homes, based on a series of lectures given around the country. It was his aim to provide a resource that was easy for his readers to understand
By the 1930s, electric lighting was becoming not only more affordable but more fashionable within the home. Books were published to reflect this trend and to advise the discerning homeowner on how to get the best out of their lighting. Books such as the one illustrated tells the reader how to optimise on their lighting techniques, the different styles available and what are the best lights for each room (Lighting the Home, A.B. Read, 1938).
Next page → Advertising electric lighting
Back to Domestic Lighting Index
