Rapid-Blitzlampe Electra

ad in Der Lichtbildkünstler No.9/10, Sept. 1899 scanned by Uwe Kulick  (Image rights)

Emil Wünsche's Rapid-Blitzlampe Electra was an oldstyle flash lamp which had to be loaded with a mixture of magnesium powder and potassium chlorate, a mixture that exploded with a bright shining flash when ignited. The Electra flash lamps had a special feature which probably made handling a little more secure. The ignition was done with help of amorce, with a lever (model I) or a bulb (model II) as remote trigger. Thus dangerous firing with matches became superfluous. The ad above says that in 1899 already 12.000 were sold. This shows that photography had become a mass market at the turn to the 20th century. The Electra flash lamps were relative compact.