The Home Electrical was the name of this film by GE Co.
It promotes all the modern conveniences that were new at that time, which could be useful in the home. I noticed that some of those appliances could be a safety hazard waiting to happen. I looked at the gears by the washing machine and thought of how careful mother would have to be if children were nearby, while she was washing the clothes. The electric cup used for warm shaving lotion could fall in the sink if full of water with the cord plugged in and cause a shock. The electric cigar lighters would not be a safe thing to leave in a house with children, in case they wanted to stick their finger in it. Those were just a few of my thoughts when I watched this film. I wonder if anyone else may have noticed anything.
We are lucky that today the standards of safety have changed when it concerns electrical appliances. It was such a fad at that time people probably never gave it a thought.
This movie was taken from the open source files under CC license and public domain.
I gather it may have been made around 1915 or so.
The songs I added to the movie are as follows:
Wulitzer Playing Piano Darktown Strutters Ball
The Melody That Made You Mine
Bob Haring Orch Laff It Off
Shell Never Find a Fellow Like Me
Maple Leaf Rag
Hope you enjoy it!
I enjoy old footage.
I wanted to share this one.
I'm still not quite sure what's happening at the very end, when they sit down on the couch in front of that box with the glowing GE logo on the back.
Notice that nobody had figured out yet that plugging things into light sockets up on the wall, or in the ceiling, was not as convenient as doing it down near the floor instead.
I'm sold I too would like to live the electric way of life. I shall be sending a telegram straight away to my electricity board
A few health and safety issues there
I don't think it's so much that the people of the day weren't concerned about safety, they simply hadn't reached the point of industrial design where it was commonplace. As a matter of fact, electrics were toted as being far safer than fire using fire to cook food, etc. They tried. Remember that in another 50-100 years people will wonder how we lived with such "absurdly unsafe" products of today!
One thing we have lost in the intervening century since this this film was made is a sense of personal responsibility. If you once encountered a device, like the cigar lighter (which usually has a switch on it) you were expected to be careful with it.Yes, many of these devices were very easy to have an accident with. So is a modern car. In any century, you have to pay attention to what you are doing and use common sense.
I get a kick out of the people's names
I'm convinced! I'm having my house wired for electricity. I owe these labor saving conveiniances to my wife!
(I thought the same things as you about the gears on the washer and that electric cup. Not in this video, but the first electric fans had no guards arounf the blades!)
For years my family had a sewing machine and toaster like those in the video in our basment, inferited from my grandmother.
quite a shame of how little maple leaf rag there is in there…
I sometimes think about how different things were even just 50 years ago and wonder how different I would've been had I been growing up in a different time period. Even the minor technological advances that I enjoy today are light years more advanced than what you see here. Still, it interesting to see footage of people seeing these now "ancient" items like we see turbo charged cars and modern forms of technology today – as new.
johnny, Good catch!
Hugs 😉
Joseph, Being a pioneer is more exciting!
Kaspar, Great info. Never knew that!
Steve, May be they liked it that way! haha
sherrilynn115oo, Isn't that the truth!
This may be!
I can imagine!
Yes, a wise choice!
Fascinating to try to imagine electricity-run devices as a "new fad" … thanks, Rhonda, for posting this!
– Todd
This is such fun! I can remember seeing pictures of some of these things in my grandmother's albums!
The woman at 1:43 was probably thinking, "I wish they would come up with an electric mop!" Haha @ the play on names "Mr. New House" and "Mrs. Wise." Hehe, I know whenever my children were sick as was the Wise' child that I always invited people over to show them my electrical appliances.
That was great Rhonda , Now you can see hoe important it is to have people like me around to make those things work , and those look just as dangerous as the ones we have on the ship . :o)tm *****
And an excellent share it is Rhonda! I so enjoyed it! Kinda funny, isn't it? Well, my electric bill isn't! LOLLL
Opps thanks Rhonda –
We are now 100 years down the track, my how things have changed – the marvel of the technology then, what would they say today – *****Gene*****
two thoughts come to mind
Imagine the kids (or even in our day) today needing to use common sense just to survive.
—
The pioneers always take the arrows while their progeny lives easier from their work.
Always nice to see time capsules from other times. 🙂
Thank you!
Yes, the good old times.
This is great, some good piece of history
Thanks for sharing