Identify?

[Jailmuseum]

I'm with a small local history museum in Nebraska. I am tryiing to date some photographs and one clue I have is the type of streetlighting installed during certain periods.

Can anyone identify this lamp? It almost looks like it had a gas mantle in the envelope. Certainly doesn't look like a normal vacuum tit on the globe. Probably installed between 1900 and 1915.

Your help will be appreciated.

Dr. Geo. Strassler

[Tim]

Hello,

Welcome to the forum.? Thanks for sharing the great photograph!? I'm certainly no expert when it comes to streetlights but this looks like an early enclosed arc lamp (electric), circa late 1890s / 1900 era, made by General Electric.? I think your dating of the photo is probably quite accurate.

[Jailmuseum]

Tim,
Thanks for your help! Your information squares with the history of the local light plant and the dates when arc lamps were replaced with incandescents for intersection lighting. This, along with other photographic information, gives me  a good date range for the photos.

Geo.