EDISON 6-BLADE BATTERY-POWERED FAN
Ca. 1892-1894

This Edison battery fan has the typical C-frame bi-polar motor usually seen on such fan motors, very different from the Edison ironclad fan. This early example has 6 blades rather than the more common 4. It can be identified as a very early example because of the 6 coil motor and a heavy cast-brass nameplate on the top. It also has sleeve bearings rather than ball bearings as found on post-1898 Edison fans. It was originally supplied with a set of Type S Edison-Lalande cells, consisting of four very heavy porcelain cells in a large wooden box (see this LINK). The battery set was heavy and awkward, and lasted only 125 hours after which all of the internal components (zinc, copper, and acid) had to be replaced.