The voltaic arc lamp is a source of high-intensity white light, composed of two sharply pointed carbon electrodes, which was used in projectors, street lighting, teaching, research and many other applications for most of the second half of the 19th century, but it continued in teaching and research throughout the first half of the 20th century.
The lamp presented here is composed of a metal column fixed to an elegant tripod painted brown and decorated with a thin golden line outlining it.
The column is divided into two parts by a cylinder of hard rubber that isolates the two parts and bears the terminals for connection to the poles of the power battery. The two terminal clamps are connected one to the upper part of the column and the other to the lower part.
Each of the two pieces of carbon is electrically connected to one of the terminals through the column and the metal brackets holding them. ...continues