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Curator's Choice for Summer 2001:
Curtis and Crocker "Lamp Fan," about 1887

Photo of Curtis & Crocker lamp fan, about 1887.
SI catalog #330,647; image #lar_cc1.

Early fans were often simply motors with blades attached. Adapting motors in this fashion led to some interesting features. The Curtis and Crocker (or C&C) lamp fan pictured above is currently on display in the exhibition Lighting A Revolution at the National Museum of American History.

 

Name plate on C and C lamp fan.
Image #lar_cc2.

The fan's name plate reads: "C&C Electric Motor Co., New York, U.S.A.", "Patented Dec. 21, 1886, Pats. App'd for", "Speed 1500  Type 1N  No.4405   Amperes __  Volts 110".


This fan came to the Smithsonian in 1963, with an assortment of electrical devices donated by the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.

Photo showing components of 1887 Curtis and Crocker lamp fan.

The light bulb on this fan gave users a way to control the fan's speed. Turning the light bulb on increased electrical resistance in the circuit, slowing the motor. The bulb also acted as a primitive voltage regulator, glowing brighter in the event of a power surge. The bulb displayed in this fan dates from about 1910.

Like many early fan motors, the C&C lamp fan features a bi-polar design for use with direct current (DC) electricity. Other design features typical of 1890-era fans include heavy cast iron construction, a footed base and brass blades. Notice the exposed motor and the lack of a cage around the blades. By the turn of the century most fans were equipped with switches for regulating speed and protective guards.

This fan measures 41 cm (16 inches) high by 31 cm (12 inches) wide by 28 cm (11 inches) deep with the lamp installed.

    For additional information about the development of electric fans see:
  • Skolfield, W.K., A Century of Early Fans, (Maqua Co.: Schenectady, NY, 1957); and the weekly trade journal The Electrical World.
  • "An Electric Breeze," a temporary exhibition showing fans developed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, now open in the Electricity Hall of the National Museum of American History.


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