Supporting Question

Why does Lewis Latimer’s story matter?

For the formative performance task, use the sources to answer the following questions:

  • What are the important events in this person’s life? What emotions did this person experience throughout their life?

  • What did this person invent? What other inventions have been done in this area?

  • What do we know about the biases this person faced and how they responded? How did their responses compare to other people of their time?

  • How much—if it all—did the person’s life change after their inventions? Did they receive credit for their invention? Did they profit from it?

  • In what ways did this person address social issues of their day?

Featured Sources

This image is of U.S. patent #223,898. It includes an image of technical drawings of Edison's "Electric-Lamp" granted on "Jan. 27, 1880" with witness signatures and Edison's signature as inventor.

Source A

U.S. Patent 223,898, “Application for the Incandescent Light Bulb,”

1880

Link to Source A
This image shows technical drawings for U.S. patent #247,097 for an "Electric Lamp. patented "Sept. 13, 1881" by "J.V. Nichols & L.H. Latimer" with witness and inventor signatures at the bottom.
Bonus: View all of 7 of Lewis Latimer's Patents in 3D

Source B

U.S. Patent 247,097, "Electric lamp,"

1881

Link to Source B

Source C

Who Really Invented the Light Bulb?

History.com, 2013

Link to Source C
This image includes a two page biography of "Lewis Howard Latimer" from the picture book.

Alternative Source D & E options

Source D

“Lewis Latimer,” in What Color Is My World?: The Lost History of African-American Inventors by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 2012

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Janel Rodríguez’ 2023 picture book “Lewis Latimer” explains Lewis’ patent with J. V. Nichols (Source B) on page 19 that their “Electric Lamp”  “improved the connection between the carbon filament and the lead wires. He did this by flattening the ends of the wires and covering them in copper. Even if it was never put into commercial use, this patent was meant to make light bulbs more durable and energy efficient.” However, Latimer did patent a “Process of Manufacturing Carbons” (patent #252,386) "that created a faster and easier way to make carbonized filaments. This patent was put to use by Maxim between 1882 and 1884. It made light bulbs more affordable and longer-lasting” (p. 19)

Source E

Lewis Latimer, Deeper than Read [video], 2023

Link to Source E
This image shows two rows of General Electric's Legal Department. On the back row are four white men and Lewis Latimer. All men are wearing suites and have mustaches. On the front row are two white women who are wearing dresses.

Source F

General Electric Legal Department, Expert’s Office, 1894

Link to Source F

Lewis Latimer is second from right in back row.

This 1918 picture shows 27 white men and Lewis Latimer sitting around a long table in a fancy room with a large painting on the wall and some papers on the table. Latimer is the closest to the camera on the bottom right.

Lewis Latimer is closest to the camera on the right side of the table

Source G

Edison Pioneers, 1918

Link to Source G
This 1920 image shows four rows of people standing on bleachers. Thomas Edison is in the center on the first bleacher row. Latimer is 2nd from the left standing on the ground. 3 women from Edison's family surround him; All are nicely dressed..

Source H

Edison Pioneers, 1920

Lewis Latimer is second from left on the front row; Thomas Edison is center second row

Link to Source H

Source I

Latimer family, November 10, 1923

Lewis Latimer is in the front row at the left and his wife, Mary is next to him.

Link to Source I

Source J

Blackout by John Rocco, 2011

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