Public Lighting, 1880s

The first electric street lighting employed arc lamps, initially the Electric Candle developed by the Russian Pavel Yablochkov in 1875. This was a carbon arc lamp employing alternating current, which ensured that both electrodes were consumed at equal rates. In 1876, the City of Los Angeles ordered four arc lights installed in various places in the fledgling town for street lighting. In 1878, the first electric street lights in Paris were installed on the avenue de l'Opera and the Place d'Etoile, around the Arc de Triomphe, to celebrate the opening of the Paris Universal Exposition. In 1881, to coincide with the Paris International Exposition of Electricity, street lights were installed on the major boulevards. The first streets in London lit with the electrical arc lamp were by the Holborn Viaduct and the Thames Embankment in 1878. The US was quick in adopting arc lighting, and by 1890 over 130, 000 were in operation installed in tall moonlight towers. This image has been color enhanced

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