Made starting in 1887 by Curtis & Crocker Electric Motor Company, this was the first "mains-powered" (non-battery) electric fan, operated on 100-110V DC current. It was, for all intents and purposes, the first electric home appliance. Very few homes were wired for electricity in the late 19th century, and those were all in major metropolitan areas. Electricity was only used for lighting at that point, so a fan such as this used a socket plug that screws into a light socket.

The bulb on the top of the fan was not intended for lighting; it served only as an electrical resistor to slow down the motor, which was designed for commercial uses and later adapted for use as a fan by inverting it and adding a base casting. Speed could be controlled by changing the bulb, or replacing it with a "short circuit plug" (a common fuse) to run at full speed. As an interesting aside, the socket was made by Bergmann & Co., the same person who built tinfoil phonographs for Edison in 1878 and 1879, and later made all types of electrical equipment for Edison's electric lighting ventures.

It is an extremely elegant fan with its heavy cast-iron claw-foot base, but it was also an extremely dangerous one. All of the electrical connectors are exposed, and there is no cage to protect fingers from touching the blades as they ran at upwards of 1,600rpm. Touching metal parts of the fan while it is connected, even if it is shut off, could result in a possibly fatal electric shock.

C&C fans are among the rarest and most desirable of all antique fans today.