Electrical Light Bulb With Its Filament
Shaped as Lenin's Silhouette
A gift to the XII Convention of the Russian Communist Party
from the workers of the First and Second Unified State
Electrical bulb Factories, 1922
The workers of these factories created this unique
item, inspired by Lenin's idea of illuminating all
the towns and villages of the world's first socialist
state. This bulb's filament looked like the silhouette
of the leader of the global proletariat – this is one
of a kind item with no parallels in the whole world!
Pass to the XII Congress of the RCP(b)
This bulb was an equivalent of 1000 candles, which corresponds to
the electrical parameters of a 500 W bulb. Russian manufacturers
did not produce such high wattage bulbs until 1922. Such bulbs
were imported exclusively from overseas. The making of such an
incandescent bulb became a real breakthrough for the Soviet
electrical industry!
This exponent truly depicts the honest romantic enthusiasm
expressed by the factory workers regarding one of Lenin's most
popular slogans: “Communism is Soviet power plus electrification
of thewhole country”.
Collection custodian:
“This souvenir bulb is a kind of a symbol of the so-called ‘Ilyich lamp’: a simple
household bulb, which came into common life in the 1920s within the framework of
the Goelro GOELRO plan (the State Commission for the Electrification of Russia).
It is interesting to note that the plan for electrification of the whole country
was in fact devised during the imperial rule. This plan was handled by the
‘Society for Electrical Illumination of 1886,’ which included all of the future
contributors to the popular GOELRO plan: Gleb Krzhizhanovsky,
Robert Klasson.
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin made the task of quick electrification of the whole country
a prerequisite for the economic development of new Russia. It was important to
bring to life the power related ideas and plans created during the last three decades.
It was no surprise that Gleb Кржижановский Krzhizhanovsky was appointed as the
head of GOELRO: he was most talented of scientists and power engineers and an
outspoken revolutionary, a friend and a dependable associate of Lenin since 1893.”
GOELRO plan title page, 1920.
Russian revolutionary, Bolshevik Gleb
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
Maksimilianovich Krzyzanowski (1872–
1959), 1904
From the book of V. Kartseva “Krzyzanowski”. Moscow, 1985
The broad-based introduction of electrical
illumination in collective farms and farmers'
homes gave birth to the famous Soviet saying:
“It was candle and bitch lamp, now we have
Ilyich lamp.”
reference
The popular expression “Ilyich lamp” came to life after Lenin and
Krupskaya's visit to the Moscow region village of Kashino on 14
November 1920. The first Russian rural electrical power plant
started working that day. The residents of the village still remember
that notable event and feel proud of their history. The 90th anniversary
of “Ilyich's lamp” was celebrated in Kashino in 2010. This soft
expression is still used today to point to the ordinary incandescent bulb.
Ilyich lamp
Author: Arkady Shaikhet, 1925.