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Object Timeline

1958

  • Work on this object began.

1978

  • Work on this object ended.

2002

  • We acquired this object.

2011

2025

  • You found it!

Print, 100 Watt Soft White Light Bulbs

This is a Print. It was graphic design by Paul Rand and made for (as the client) Micarta. It is dated ca. 1968 and we acquired it in 2002. Its medium is offset lithograph on white cardboard. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

Rand’s corporate identity for Westinghouse, introduced in 1960, features a stylized letter W that also resembles an electrical outlet. Similar in language to George Nelson’s 1949 Ball clock and the textile designs of Ray Eames, Westinghouse’s funky, mid-century logo remains in use today. Rand’s light bulb packaging emphasizes the wattage and shape of the bulb, information a consumer would be searching for.

It is credited Gift of Marion S. Rand.

  • Edison Lamp
  • bamboo, glass, wood, brass, plaster, platinum, cork.
  • Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Cat. 310579.01.
  • 14.2012.44
  •

Its dimensions are

H x W x D: 19.1 × 10.2 cm (7 1/2 × 4 in.)

It is inscribed

Imprinted in red, upper right quadrant: 7JA192-100/ Made in USA; imprinted in blue, right of center: soft / white / light / bulbs; imprinted in red, lower left quadrant: 100; lower right corner: watt; verso: imprinted in red ink, upper left corner: 100/ 1690 initial lumens/ Rated average life 750 hours; imprinted in blue upper right corner: soft/white/bulbs; imprinted in upper right quadrant: 2 for 60¢/ plus/ tax. Imprinted in blue, right of center: soft/white/light/ bulbs; imprinted in red, lower left quadrant: 100; lower right corner: watt.

Cite this object as

Print, 100 Watt Soft White Light Bulbs; Graphic design by Paul Rand (American, 1914–1996); Client: Micarta; USA; offset lithograph on white cardboard; H x W x D: 19.1 × 10.2 cm (7 1/2 × 4 in.); Gift of Marion S. Rand; 2002-11-42

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18695415/ |title=Print, 100 Watt Soft White Light Bulbs |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=23 March 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>