Yablochkov candle

Type of electric carbon arc lamp

Yablochkov candle with part of the bulb removed to show the two parallel carbon rods separated slightly by a layer of plaster of Paris.Wikisource has original text related to this article:
A contemporary account of the invention of Yablochkov\'s candle.

A Yablochkov candle (sometimes an electric candle) is a type of electric carbon arc lamp invented in 1876 by the Russian electrical engineer Pavel Yablochkov.

1876 Yablochkov candle

History

In 1875, Yablochkov left Russia and started his Paris business; by 1876, he was granted the French patent 112024 for his candles. The first public experiment was held in London on April 15, 1876. The Yablochkov candles were first used commercially in 1877 in the Marengo Hall of the department store Galeries du Louvre in Paris with an installation of 80 lamps. Émile Zola mentions their presence in his novel Au Bonheur des dames (Ladies Paradise). On this occasion, Paris was nicknamed City of lights.

They were first demonstrated as street illumination during the Paris Exhibition of 1878, notably on the Avenue de l\'Opéra, in Place du Theatre Français (now Place André Malraux) and in Place de l\'Opéra. The 64 lamps had four to twelve candles each, connected in series, and were enclosed in globes of enameled glass. In December of the same year, Yablochkov candles were installed along the Victoria Embankment in London.

Werner von Siemens visited the 1878 Paris Exhibition and negotiated to become a distribution agent for candles in Germany; in return, he delivered dynamo machines to Yablochkov. The candles were soon used in many European cities and other continents: cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, New Delhi, Calcutta, and Madras were using them. The Shah of Persia and the King of Cambodia used the candles for their palaces.

The candles were successfully used aboard the French ironclad Amiral Duperré, launched in 1879.

In 1881, at the International Exposition of Electricity, the Yablochkov candles were regarded as one of the main attractions. At that time, their cost was estimated to have dropped from 66 cents (of French francs) in 1877 to just 10 cents, making them very convenient concerning gas lamps. The main drawback was that the candles needed a big power machine to be lit.

At their success, 8,000 candles per day were produced in France.

Gallery

Yablochkov candle without bulb. Illustration from La Nature (1877).

Yablochkov candle without bulb. Illustration from La Nature (1877).

Yablochkov candles illuminating Avenue de l'Opéra in Paris under the Exposition Universelle (1878).

Yablochkov candles illuminating Avenue de l\'Opéra in Paris under the Exposition Universelle (1878).

Yablochkov candles in Music hall at Place du Château d'Eau in Paris, c. 1880

Yablochkov candles in Music hall at Place du Château d\'Eau in Paris, c. 1880

Yablochkov candles installed at Victoria Embankment in London, December 1878

Yablochkov candles installed at Victoria Embankment in London, December 1878

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