In this historic photograph, Thomas Edison pours chemicals in a laboratory. Edison, who showed a keen interest in chemistry from a young age, tested chemicals whose applications later appeared in the electric storage battery, the carbon filaments used in the light bulb, and the development of rubber. Edison first set up a laboratory for chemistry experiments in the basement of his family home when he was ten years old. Learn more about Edison's youth in this biography - Student Reading: Edison Biography.

This resource is part of the Thomas Edison Collection.