brianOne of the myriad of things I collect is postcards. A topic I focus on within that are early postcards that mention the use of electricity, gadgets, etc. This is one of my favorites (actually a "postal card", the precursor to postcards). I was drawn to it because of the typography, but also because the phrasing--"Electric Light and other Oils"--seemed so odd.<br><br>Doing some research, I found that this company (J.O. Dorr's Son) was located roughly a mile from New York City's <a href="https://gizmodo.com/the-forgotten-story-of-nycs-first-power-grid-1681857054" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">very first electrical grid</a>. Illuminating a square mile of the Lower East Side, the electric lights were a massive spectacle and I have no doubt that they were seen by the owners of J.O Dorr's Son. What is a poor oil salesman to do in the face of this new, oil-free-light age?<br><br>This brings us back to the odd phrasing on this postcard. The reason it says "Electric Light and other Oils" is because they <b>renamed</b> their lamp oil: <i>Electric Light Oil</i>. It was a ploy to attract business. The grid was switched on in September, 1882. This postcard was postmarked in December, 1882 (and is the earliest mention of Electric Light Oil I can find).<br><br>I can just imagine customers walking in:<br><br>"I've been hearing good things about this new 'Electric Light'."<br>"Oh, yes sir! We sell Electric Light Oil right here!"<br><br><a href="https://farty.toot.monster/fedi?t=history" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#history</a> <a href="https://farty.toot.monster/fedi?t=nyc" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#nyc</a> <a href="https://farty.toot.monster/fedi?t=typography" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#typography</a> <a href="https://farty.toot.monster/fedi?t=postcard" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#postcard</a> <a href="https://farty.toot.monster/fedi?t=electricity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#electricity</a> <a href="https://farty.toot.monster/fedi?t=oil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#oil</a> <a href="https://farty.toot.monster/fedi?t=1800s" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#1800s</a> <a href="https://farty.toot.monster/fedi?t=edison" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#edison</a><br>