rare and amazingly intact all original harvey hubbell product line display cabinet designed and fabricated by or for harvery hubbell inc., bridgeport, conn. the glass encased wall-mount or freestanding cabinet was removed from an old chicago family-owned hardware store shuttered long ago. the display containing a wide variety of switches, plugs, receptacles, etc., was found in the basement of the building prior to demolition. the black painted cabinet with metallic gold enameled logo remains in great overall condition. each fixture is mounted firmly against the darkly stained mahogany wood panel. museum quality advertising piece. beginning in the 1890's harvey hubbell began to see new ways to utilize and control electricity. his first electric switch design had been submitted for patent in 1891, but hubbell had new ideas to make edison's electric illuminating bulb more useful. fixtures for electric light were slowly replacing gas lamps, and were usually installed where the gas fixture had been in the center of the ceiling or mounted high on a wall. in many cases, the electric lights burned continuously since, with no existing wiring in the building, the installation of a separate circuit and switch to control each fixture was costly. hubbell's idea was to provide convenience, safety, and control to an electric light with his new "pull socket" which was patented in august of 1896. the company's first catalogue of 12 pages offering sixty-three electrical products had been published in 1901 and was designed to fit in a vest pocket. the company was incorporated in the state of connecticut as "harvey hubbell, incorporated" in 1905. in the same year, the company registered its trademark of "...a sphere with meridian lines and the name "hubbell' centered within." hubbell's pace of new ideas and product design did not falter. between 1896 and 1909 he was granted 45 patents on a wide variety of electrical products. hubbell's toggle action light switch which incorporated a "quick make or break" feature to meet the rigid requirements of underwriters' laboratories (ul) was replacing the former two button type push switch. aso appearing in the catalogue as a harbinger of the company's future focus on the industrial electrical equipment was a line of "presturn" products - 288 in all - which "...are guaranteed to sustain greater weight and resist more strain than any on the market...especially suitable for general use in mills..." specialized designs and reliable performance in industrial electrical equipment, then as now, are an area of expertise for hubbell incorporated. until its last year, the twenties brought a prosperous time and the nation had a seemingly insatiable demand for the convenience of electricity. a company advertisement of 1920 noted: "over fifty million hubbell receptacles already installed!" and new products emerged at a rapid pace. the company produced a line of 32 volt devices for rural use; because city power had not yet reached the farms, some farmers had generators to produce current at lower voltages. in the city, electricity for public transportation and street lighting had become commonplace. the vibration of a moving trolley car, however, caused the bulbs used for interior illumination to loosen in their sockets, often shattering on the floor. hubbell solved the problem with a "loxin" mechanism which fit into any standard socket and locked the bulb in place. falling lightbulbs no longer endangered streetcar passengers, and overly thrifty commuters had to find a new source of replacement bulbs for home use. for the home, the company developed a system for lighting fixture connections called "elexit" which allowed the homeowner to install most fixtures without hiring an electrician. moving or replacing fixtures became much easier as did the necessary task of taking all the lighting fixtures with you when moving to a new house. the year also ended the company's first era when its founder harvey hubbell II died on december 17, 1927. he was succeeded as president of the company by his son, harvey hubbell III. harvey hubbell III soon showed that he had inherited his father's twin acumen for product innovation and business development. in product, as examples, he devised the company's lines of twist-lock industrial connectors with new 2-,3- and 4-wire devices of various ratings, designed a whole new series of locking connectors for industrial use which he named "hubbellock", and introduced heavy-duty, circuit-breaking devices. during the same period, and with the help of his small staff, hubbell established a vital foundation for future success by assembling a network of independent electrical distributors through which to market hubbell products. the rare product showcase above is one such example used in the distribution network. measures 30 x 46 x 6 1/4 inches. completely original and intact. wavy glass panel original and free from any damage.