ca.1905 carbon filament pig shaped light bulb

[Tim]

A visitor of the website has written in with a very interesting carbon filament lamp.  The lamp in question is in the shape of a pig and is fitted with an Edison medium screw base.  The style of the base would suggest this lamp dates to about 1900.  The large size also suggests this is not a Christmas tree light and the lamp has a looped carbon filament.  We are trying to learn what company manufactured this bulb and have narrowed it down to two possible candidates.  The first two photos below show the actual pig lamp.

The Sterling Electrical Manufacturing Company is known to have advertised a novelty bulb in 1905 which they called ?Gogan Graham?s Pig?, based on a book about a pig packer merchant.  An illustration of the Sterling pig is shown in the second photo below.  Not much information is known about this lamp.

Sterling wasn?t the only company with a carbon filament pig lamp though.  A US patent was issued to James E Auclair for an ?advertising and illuminating device? in 1907 and assigned to the Novelty Incandescent Light Company (NILCO- not to be confused with NALCO).  US Patent 867,564 can be viewed here in its entirety.  The pig could be fitted with a conventional lamp base or wire leads as shown in the patent.  It is unknown to me if NILCO ever produced a novelty pig shaped lamp.

Can anyone provide more information about the pig lamp or confirm that it was produced by either company mentioned above?  Has anyone seen a bulb like this before?  Does anyone have literature from either company that would further document a pig shaped novelty bulb?

Any bits of information would be helpful!

[Mónico González]

Hi,
Despite which company did make it, this lamp is worthy to be in any collection by itself.
Congratulations to he or her by having this astonishing bulb.
It's a curious detail to see how have been used and positioned the exaust tip to figure the pig's tail  .
Here is a sample of which can be made by an skilled glassblower, because the globe is undoubtly, hand made.
As you knows, here in Spain there is an old tradition about foodstuff pig derivates, especially the ham (above all, the Iberical ham or as we call it "Pata Negra"). That kind of lamp could be a good advertising, promotional article or corporate gift for any company on these tasty business .
Also this could be clasified as "the first money saving bulb" because its piggy-bank shape .
Would be this visitor interested about to sell the bulb?
Regards and happy Hollidays.

M. Gonz?lez.