The Lighting Time Table

To read the entire tutorial, you can just click on the first link and then continue to the next section at the bottom of each page. Or, you can select links below of interest to you.

PRE 1900 SECTION

Overcoming Obstacles
About Early Electric Lighting, Generators, Arc Lamps, The First Edison Socket, Menlo Park, etc.
The First Fixtures
About The Start Of The First Incandescent Lighting Fixtures
Light Reflection
About Early Light Bulbs And Candle Power vs. WATTS
Edison-Bergmann
About Sigmund Bergmann And The Start Of Bergmann And Company Lighting Fixtures
Lighting Break Down
A Quick Break Down Of Different Lighting Time Periods
Styles 1881 to 1884
Bergmann Fixtures And Styles
Other Pre-1888 Styles
About Early Companies That Sold Lighting Systems And The Fixtures That They Sold With Their Lighting Systems
The U.S. Elect. Co.
The United States Electric Company History And Early Items
The Brush Elect. Co.
The Brush Electric Company History And Early Items
Thomson-Houston
The Thomson-Houston Electric Company History And Early Items
Westinghouse
About The Westinghouse Manufacturing Company History And Early Mergers
Mid 1880's Styles
About The Start Of Electrical Supply Houses and how new lighting styles came about
Pre 1900 Sockets
About Early Light Sockets And How To Tell The Difference
1887 New Items
1888 New Items
1890 New Items
1891 New Items
1892 New Items
1893 New Items
1894-1896 Items
1897 New Items
1898 New Items
1899 New Items
Above are catalog items sold in different years. There is no space to duplicate items, so only new and unique items from each year are shown. You would need to view the catalogs for yourself to be complete as I am only highlighting items. You can view catalogs here.

EXTRA INFO
Victor Shade Holder
About The Victor Shade Holder, Atwood And The Standard Holder

I.P. Frink 1899 Items
About Frink & Wheeler
New Wheeler Inverted
Three Links About Mirror Reflector Manufacturers And Their Items And History.
Wheeler Reflector Co.
NEW - A history of The Wheeler Reflector Company and tips on how to tell if mirror has been replaced on a shade

Early Desk Lamps
Some Help In Telling Them Apart

Vitrite And Luminoid
About The Vitrite Holders And Early Vitrite History

Brush-Swan Holder
About Brush-Swan Shade Holders

Cord Balls
My cord pendant adjuster project, as well as a good history about them.

POST 1900 SECTION

About 1900 Styles
This section covers a basic into into the 1900 section covering information about the 1899 transition, electrical code changes, lighting influence, sharing and licensing of patents and then into the new section of electrical specialty manufacturers,

Electrical Specialty Manufacturers
Harvey Hubbell
This section covers some early history periods of pre Hubbell-Grier, Hubbell-Grier, Harvey Hubbell, Hubbell Company. It also covers a number of items that helped change lighting styles,

Benjamin
This section covers some early history periods for the Benjamin Electric MFG. Co, as well as a small section on Dale and The Federal Electric Company
Dale
Federal Electric

This post 1900 section continues to be under current construction

Please Check Back.

THIS PAGE WAS CONTINUED FROM HERE
http://www.antiquesockets.com/bergmann2.html

The No. 3 socket gets it's most common name today from collectors and historians as "The 'Johnson' Bevel Ring Socket". This is for the main reason that the patent for the socket lists E.H. Johnson as the inventor.

While Edison was the documented patent Inventor of the No. 2 (Screw Shell socket), Johnson played a large part in the actual manufacturing design of it. It is documented in the Menlo Park notebooks that when Johnson got and idea for an improvement, he would then write it down pending and waiting for Edison's approval.

Right after the chandelier project and the finishing of the No. 2 socket (talked about in the previous section) was completed, Johnson went right to work on this No. 3 socket.

Just as in the same case with the number 2 socket patent, the no. 3 socket was complete many months before the patent application was filed. The patent for the Johnson bevel ring was filed May 27th 1881 and approved on December 27th 1881. It was assigned patent no. 251,596. The patent for the bevel ring bulb for this socket (Edison's patent), was applied for on November 29th 1881 and approved May 12th 1885. It was assigned patent no. 317,631

The work on the bevel ring socket likely began some time between November 12th and December 29th of 1880 and was complete by January 27th 1881 for both the key and keyless versions of the socket.

It is important to note that the Johnson patent only covered the bevel ring part (shown left top) of the socket and his new switch design (shown left bottom). The threaded screw shell was already patented by Edison in his patent for the No. 2 socket, which covered many different possibilities of different screw shells. It is noteworthy that the new Johnson turn key shaft (shown above to the right) uses the similar grooved screw design that later Bergmann & Co. sockets will use. The noticeable difference between this switch and that of Edison's patent, is that this design only allows the key to turn on one direction. Half turn in one direction to turn it on; and then a half turn back, to turn it off. The Edison switch design (seen on the No. 2), was a snap switch design that you could turn in any direction and around and around again.

DOCUMENTING THE PROGRESSION OF THE NO. 3 SOCKET

It was reminisced by Francis Jehl "Toward December of 1880 Edison remarked casually one day that it would be better if the metal ring at the bottom of the lamp base were given the form of a cap. The change in the form of the socket and lamp base came about in this manner... Johnson took out a patent for a bevel ring instead of the straight one shown in Edison's patent...Sockets that were sold in 1881, in fact the first ones, were fitted out with the Edison screw shell and the Johnson bevel ring" (Menlo Park Reminiscences vol. 2 pages 743-745)


As seen above the work on the new socket started sometime after Nov. 12th and before December 29th.

This was a work in progress as right after a note dated Jan. 3rd 1881 on page no. 108, we find this note asking to cut off some of the old "new" socket.

This note written to John Ott and signed by E.H. Johnson reads:
John
Please cut enough
off the bevel ring
In the Old "new"
socket to prevent
it short circuiting
EHJ

Good records were kept in this notebook, which were all signed and witnessed for patent records. These records would be needed if there was ever a patent dispute for an invention after the patent was applied for. Many such drawings are in this notebook pertaining to different inventions, of which I document the most important of the Johnson patent below.

After the bevel ring socket was complete and started being sold or used by the public, it was not long before a flaw in the design was found.

Jehl reminisced

After the problems were found with the bevel ring socket it was not long before the new center contact patent was applied for. While the patent points out that this socket is simply a no. 3 with a new center contact, this was only in the sense that the basic socket design and contacts were the same. It was however different pertaining to the insulation and center contact, which gives a different look and feel to the socket.

Jehl reminisced:

The undocumented socket shown below was found in a box of early sockets and electrical items, that was documented as being passed down through relatives of Francis Jehl. Just as the documented No 4, this socket uses the new Bergmann center contact and Johnson switch. But, unlike the documented version, this one is a wood socket with an iron cap. It was likely an early special use socket.

This socket is a real treasure having never seen anything like it documented anywhere (so far).

While writing these pages, I have been trying to piece together obvious projects as part of a puzzle.
I should mention that I did have a small piece left over that I did not know what to do with.

After much thought, this may be where it fits the best.

Keeping in mind that what ever special purpose this socket may had been used for, it was possibly also needed months before this patent as well. If true, then there could have also been a bevel ring version (no. 3) of this socket in existence as well (and possibly a no.2).

While going through Menlo Park notebook no. 153 (with the making of the fixtures and sockets), I noticed two entries AFTER the no. 3 had already been complete. These references were to the "fixing" of wooden sockets to the new design. "John please fix this one to turn like the others" ... "John Ott, please have the new wooden sockets which will probably come in Monday, all fixed like this one..." I had first thought that this was simply referring to no. 2 sockets being retooled (since the body of them was wood), but after looking closely at the no. 2 (and comparing it to the new no. 3 socket), this would be more unlikely.

Since the no. 2 was already a wood socket to start with, the only difference in a special use socket of the type shown above, would have been the heavy iron plate or cap. If Johnson was asking Ott to fit a special use socket (one without the new brass cladding) with the new bevel ring, it would follow that this wooden special use socket would now need the new center contact as the one shown.

While this documentation could fit elsewhere, I bring it up as possibly best fitting to this type socket.
I mention it so that the reader can build on it (or debunk it), if other future documentation ever surfaces.

A special thanks goes to Adam Allerhand for providing the history and the photos of this socket from his collection.

The patent for the new center contact was applied for on February 25th 1882 and approved on May 2nd 1882. It was assigned patent no. 257,277. The next socket in line after this patent, is the Bergmann No. 1 which was applied for on October 9th 1882.

The only early bulb patent that I could find close to the date of the application for the center contact, was applied for on August 7th 1882. There were two patents applied for on the same day which were assigned patent numbers 275613 and 401646.

The center contact patent was assigned to S. Bergmann as the Inventor. I should mention that there was an agreement between Edison, Johnson and Bergmann at this time, but as far as I know, it did not cover patents until the next signed agreement which was after the application date of this patent. There is no doubt that this patent is to be considered a Bergmann & Co. patent (even though Edison, Johnson or Bergmann & Co. are not assigned), but for future reference and later patents I quote from the September 2nd of 1882 agreement.

DATING FROM EDISON AND BERGMANN CATALOGS
Unfortunately, dating sockets from early Bergmann catalogs can be an almost impossible task since for some reason through the years, Bergmann & Co. only made new catalog illustrations for new items. Let me explain: If a socket is shown in the 1883 catalog and improvements (or even drastic changes in it) were made through the years, the new catalogs will only reflect the first design of it (and never update their illustrations). HOWEVER, if a new fixture such as a chandelier or pendant was to come out that has not yet been shown in a catalog, the fixture would be illustrated using the new socket design. These fixture illustrations however, are almost always totally useless, because most times the sockets are partially hidden by a shade holder or too small on the fixture to make a positive identification.

I should first inform you that presently when it comes to Edison, or early Bergmann & Co. catalogs we are a bit lacking as they are not easy to come by. Currently we have dated 1882 and 1883 circulars/brochures "The Edison Light" which were published by "The Edison Company For Isolated Lighting" (formed in November of 1881) (broken link), in which the 1883 includes a complete undated Bergmann catalog. While the Edison Light is dated 1883, there is no way to positively confirm what dates the items in the attached Bergmann catalog contain. It could possibly contain 1883 items and updated illustrations, or it could had been added to the 1883 Electric Light at a later date. Also, as we get into the Bergmann socket section, we currently have Bergmann catalog no. 5 and no. 9 to try and help us with other Bergmann sockets.

The undated 1883 Bergmann catalog has a mixture of different sockets shown, which includes the no. 3 (Johnson bevel ring) shown in the socket section; And the no. 4 shown on some fixtures. There are also new Bergmann sockets included, which we will cover later.

As shown in the illustrations below, the 1882 Edison Light shows the No. 4, and the 1883 Edison Light shows a new Bergmann socket (the Bergmann no.1-A). So, from this we can at least see that in 1882 the no. 4 socket was being sold and by the next year an illustration of a new socket was being shown. By the time the Bergmann no. 5 catalog comes out, this no. 4 socket was no longer shown as for sale and only a small number of fixtures show it on them. By this time most of the fixtures are newer ones (showing new sockets) with only a small number of older fixtures (without updated illustrations).


It is also noteworthy, that since the Edison Company For Isolated Lighting was new, 1882 would had been the first "Electric Light" published and likely the no. 4 socket illustrations current. Also note that in the following year, at the publishing of the new illustration they used an earlier version of the Bergmann no. 1 socket then what was shown in the attached Bergmann catalog. This could indicate that the Electric Light predates the Bergmann catalog, or the Electric Light only had access to these newer illustrations at the time of preparing the catalog..

With the Edison part of this Bergmann section completed, we are now ready to now move on to the next socket in line which is the Bergmann No. 1 socket. But, first lets recap the Edison sockets using a comparison to help you identify the differences between them at a glance.

Even though we have gone through the different Edison socket versions, there are some quick pointers to help you ID the different sockets at a quick glance.

The Edison No. 1-A, 1-B and 1-C are easy sockets to ID, so I will not cover those. If you don't remember, just go back and look at the pictures. The 1-A has the outside wiring terminals, The 1-B wires down through the cap and the 1-C is of a different shape. The Edison No. 2 socket is also easy to ID simply by the cap and small wooden body shape as seen on your right in the drawing of it. There is no other socket in history that looks like this no. 2 socket. So, if you see this cap shape and body design in a picture, you can rest assured that it is this rare socket no. 2 socket.

As seen from the illustrations shown above, the number 4 socket (and bulb) is more like those of today which have the outer threads and a center contact. This socket completes the basic 'Edison socket invention', with only minor material and small design changes until present day.

To continue the socket research to the next part:
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