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Davenport electric motor, patent #132

Object Details

Description (Brief)
Model to accompany US patent number 132, "Electric Motor, issued to Thomas Davenport, 25 February 1837. This is the first US patent issued for an electric motor. No extant markings. The patent claims: "Applying magnetic and electromagnetic power as a moving principle for machinery in the manner above described, or in any other substantially the same in principle". Wooden base, 9 by 14 in., supported on four curved legs, carrying a circular frame, in which there are four rough electro-magnets, painted red, made to revolve within a ring of steel magnets. The steel magnets in the ring are crescent-shaped can be lifted out of the frame. Reference: W. James King, Development of Electrical Technology in the 19th Century (Smithsonian Institution, 1962), 264.
This model was made by Vermont blacksmith Thomas Davenport (1802-1851) as a replacement for his original patent model. The original was destroyed in the 1836 fire at the US Patent Office. Davenport may have incorporated improvements in this model that are not reflected in the patent drawings.
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Work and Industry: Electricity
Exhibition
Lighting a Revolution
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
date made
ca 1837
ID Number
EM.252644
catalog number
252644
accession number
49064
patent number
132
associated person
Davenport
maker
Davenport
Davenport, Thomas
Measurements
overall: 15 in x 10 in x 15 in; 38.1 cm x 25.4 cm x 38.1 cm
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Object Name
Electric Motor
motor
electric motor
Object Type
Patent Model
Other Terms
Electric Motor; Electromagnetic Devices
Record ID
nmah_703302
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ab-d1df-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Related Object Groups

  • Electricity and Magnetism

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3d model of Davenport electric motor, patent #132
3D Model
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