Hubbell electrical adapter with pigtail
date: label: date made
content: ca 1925
name: label: maker
content: Harvey Hubbell Inc.
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: An unpolarized adapter for connecting a 3-prong cord to a 2-prong outlet. Plastic housing, brass fittings, plastic-insulated grounding lead to connect to plate screw on electrical outlet. Molded on top: "Hubbell / 15 A. / 125 V." 3" pigtail. This unit, made by Harvey Hubbell Co. (1888-present) is an example of devices still in use today. In this case, the adapter has a short wire called a pigtail that connects to the screw that secures the cover plate on the outlet. Often the electrical box might be grounded but the outlet itself is not. The pigtail completes the ground circuit from the appliance to the electrical system. This unit has an unpolarized design in which both tines are the same size. The configuration of plugs and sockets is now subject to strict codes.
label: Description (Brief)
content: The adoption of electric lighting was one of the most significant events of the 19th and 20th centuries. The convenience and efficiency of electric lighting systems has revolutionized our daily existence and resulted in benefits and challenges that continue to affect everyone. Lighting, however, served as just the introduction for most consumers’ use of electricity. Once connected to the system, users could electrify many other tasks. An electrical system is just that–a system–and it requires multiple components. One such component is an outlet adapter, that provides an interface between the appliance and the electrical supply. One safety feature adopted over the years has been grounding—running a third wire in parallel to the hot and neutral lines that will carry current to ground in case of a malfunction. The expense of grounding resulted in a slow adoption of the practice and many modern grounded appliances needed to be connected to older systems having ungrounded plugs. This adapter was designed for that purpose.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Reference: Fred E. H. Schroeder, "More 'Small Things Forgotten': Domestic Electrical Plugs and Receptacles, 1881-1931," Technology and Culture 27, No. 3 (July 1986): 525-543,
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2023.0177.34
label: accession number
content: 2023.0177
label: catalog number
content: 2023.0177.34
objectType: label: Object Name
content: electrical connector
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 in x 1 1/2 in; 5.08 cm x 3.81 cm