Alice Gordon was an electrician who wrote “Decorative Electricity.” First published in 1891, a second edition was published after only 6 months. At a time when people were first lighting their homes with electricity, her book educated people on topics like how to install electric lighting, safety precautions against electrical fires and how to best light different rooms in residential and commercial buildings.

In her book, Alice talks about things many of us take for granted, like using lamp shades made of decorative glass to soften harsh bulbs and putting light switches on the wall by the door for easy access. A lot of the advice she had to offer still holds true today, like how to keep light switches out of the reach of little kids.

For more information on decorative lighting in your home, check out these posts:

Exterior lighting

Under cabinet lighting

You can read the second edition of “Decorative Electricity” Here.